Little Scraps of Magic

Happy Feet, Traveling Feet

Tired feet! Trying to wrap my mind around the idea that this time tomorrow, these feet will be in Utah! There's a suitcase waiting to be packed so that it doesn't go over the blasted weight limit. I've sorted through some art materials...just pens and a journal...gluestick and scissors ( not as a carry on!), clear packing tape, and one small set of rubber stamps. That's all folks! Airline travel calls for the minimum, that's for sure. I'm doing my best to think of it as an exercise in creativity.

The camera's going for sure, and I think I'll take more pics of feet so that I can do a "feet book." I already have beach feet, anniversary feet, wedding feet, junk shop feet (this pic!) and I know that I can get airport feet and Utah feet. Sounds like a plan to me.

The laptop's going as well. This is a "green" conference...we download itall there, rather than using paper. Should be interesting to see at which point I become a complete nut case. Shall we start a pool? I realy am a pen and paper gal when it comes to taking notes and the like. Time for an old dog to learn some new tricks!

Sleepless in Springfield

Hhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmnnnnnnnnnnnnn.....doesn't quite have the ring that "Sleepless in Seattle" does, does it? Well, you're not going to get much better from a middle aged woman who's up yet again in the wee hours of the morning. The very same woman who has been watching You Tube videos, reading blogs, and the like. Now, we're up to "Let's Play with Photoshop."

Start with this:

Hit any number of keys, and you might well end up with this:

I like it!  I'm not sure why, but it's just clicking with me. I definitely need to do something in my art jurnal with it. Quite what, well, I don't know that either! I also can't tell you how I arrived at this point. Yes, I know there's something called a "history," but that's beyond me at this point!  It almost looks cloth like, doesn't it?

Still, I wish I could sleep. I really really wish I could sleep.

Mail Art, Anyone?

I've spent most of my day, head buried in art supplies, sorting and organizing my stash...and whittling it down as well. Most likely, not as much as I should, but it's considerably better. Tons more to do, but most of it needs to wait until after the Utah trip. I've dabbled in so much, but my true love is the visual journal. If it can go into my journal, it's staying. What's really neat is that I've rediscovered some of the very cool stuff that I own! This is followed closely by photography (need to get more of it into my journals!) and mail art.

This little guy went together in about 10 minutes. Oh, dear! I've just looked closely; he appears to have the measles. Well, he's going as is anyway, and hopefully his recipient is just going to laugh!

Anybody out there want a piece of mail art? Send me your addy at paulateach@cox.net.  I'll be in Utah from this Sunday  through the week, and will arrive back on Monday. So, it will be a bit, but I promise to send one your merry way!

A Reason to Smile

Don't you just love her? She's part of a large mural gracing the wall of one of those touristry beach shops. I love the fact that this "chain" allowed this bit of childish whimsy on their building. Dolphins and other mermaids frolic along with a dedication to a local art teacher on the island. She makes me grin each and every time I see her.

Check out her crown! Every gal...mermaid or not...needs a crown. I now own two, both given to me by my sixth graders. During the unit on the Middle Ages, I am their queen. One crown flashes the word "queen" when you press its battery. Another is a much more formal tiara. I also own a royal scepter! Pure whimsy. It makes the sixth graders grin, and they bow and curtsey most suitably. You need to be a child at heart to teach.

Now, check out her figure. This gal has an adequate waist, but, oh, those hips! Doesn't matter. She's sassed up her hair (A mermaid with foil highlights?) and sports her bling. Her eyes sparkle, and you just know she's up for a bit of fun. This mermaid thinks outside the box.

Gray skies here with rain falling and a perfect day to curl up with a book. Instead, I'm going to use some of my Bath and Body Works' stash, get this house vacuumed, and then hit the art room with music blaring and create my own bit of whimsy. Brightly colored paints will drip, splash, and spread across my pages. No serious art today; just play. Wish I had my crown here...I just might wear it! Hhhmmmmmmmmmmmm...sounds like a project to me! An art crown? Could happen; you just never know.

Just Make It Work!

1000 Journal Pages by Dawn Sokol has entranced me! There's just so much to see, and I would love to fondle many of the pages personally! If you need a dose of inspiration, run, don't walk to get a copy. It's worth every single penny! I've spent hours with this book and have only begun to scratch its surface. It gave me a much needed kick start to begin journaling again, and ideas just whirl in my head! Out came the atlas journal, the paints, the stencils, the stamps, and the ephemera.

Now, I have a ton of stuff in my art room, more than the average bear! (Does that date me or what?) This journal and I are beginning to work in sync.  My wonderful little moleskine allows me to just spit out the pages: 1, 2, 3! This baby is so big, that all the boundries shift, and I've been forced to slow down. Which is good - I'm pushing the walls of my comfort zone.

At any rate, I had a definite idea in my head, one that involved stencils and spray paint. I had prepped that page earlier with old dictionary pages torn into bits, and then several layers of paint over all of that. Digging through the box of stencils, it quickly became apparent that what danced in my head did not reside in that box. To cap it all off, thunder boomed and the rain poured down. I whined, muttered, and moaned, none of which produced the "right" stencil or stopped the heavens. I finally pulled out what you see in yellow, took a make up sponge, and dabbed carefully! Pretty cool! Flip the stencil, repeat on the opposite page, and pretty cool! Add a yellow border dabbing with the same sponge. Even better.

Now, a madonna also resided in my head. Images of madonnas could be found in my stash, but they were tiny as could be, and the page would simply swallow them. Okay, what do I have that's big? Oh, yeah, the "blue dog!" About as far from a madonna as you can get, but hey, I like him on this page. Then, I found a postcard I'd made for a swap, and voila, I had a page!

I then journaled my little heart out. Lesson for me? I have more than enough in my stash. (Which doesn't stop me from wanting one of Kelly Kilmer's bags...I just can't afford it at the moment. Sigh. Really really big sigh. You see her paper packets are just awesome!!!! Maybe she'll still have one on payday. A girl can hope.)

No the page in my head - nowhere near the page in my head. You'd think I'd have learned that lesson by now. Using what I have pushes me a bit. I've often not started a page because I didn't have the right stuff for what I wanted to do. I just need to forget that stuff, and work with the stuff I have! That stuff makes for some pretty cool art!

A Celebration of Summer

Grab a glass, please - any kind will do, but make it a pretty one, please. Something colorful, something special, whether it be a wine glass or not! Fill it with the beverage of your choice - raspberry tea, fresh lemondade, or even some wine. We're drinking a toast to summer, the lazy days of summer where you just curl up and veg out!

And, so it's gone these last few days. My family chose not to enter into the hoopla of the 4th, but to simply "be." We made art, watched tv, played with the dogs and cats, read books, and typed papers. We reclaimed the time for ourselves, doing what felt right at the time. Someone else might say that we wasted the entire weekend, but I'd disagree. None of us needed the rushing; none of us needed throngs of people. We all just needed down time, time to do what we felt like at the moment, even if that "something" was pretty much "nothing."

As a child, summer days seemed endless - so much time, and time enough to do whatever I chose and more.  I dreamed.  I dwadled. I did nothing much, but at the same time everything. Those days held magic, pure and simple.

I slept late this morning, something I rarely do. I woke up refreshed, and now I'm ready to tackle what needs to be done. I'm keeping some time for myself though!

So, go pour yourself a glass of whatever might tickle your fancy....

Kick back, and forget all the "shoulds" that you ought to be doing right now. Grab a book, a crossword, or a Suduko puzzle, or better yet, just plop in the grass and enjoy your world...

Just take time to "be." Smell summer....food cooking on the grill.  Watch the fireflies. Taste the raspberries. Listen to your family's voices. Enjoy summer's blessings and gifts. There's time enough to hurry later.

In Search of Whimsy

Now, admit it...you smiled, didn't you?  How could you not? Our monk on the left is rather amusing - he has an extra, somewhat funky extra bit of style!

Phil and I found him while wandering through "The Blue Crow" while at the beach last weekend. "The Blue Crow" is like wandering though someone's attic; almost everything is out there to touch, pick up, and fondle if you'd like - just a treasure trove of goodies. Although it claims to be an antique store, it's as much a junk shop. White tags denote "antiques," while yellow tags let you know that you're not looking at the "real McCoy." 

Best of all, whimsy runs rampart through the store. If I walk into a antique store where everything hides behind closed glass doors, safely locked away from prying fingers, I'm out of there rather quickly. A working knowledge of antiques eludes me; whimsy delights me. I want to rummage, not gaze wistfully at what I can't have.

Here's a close up of my friend:

His hat is quite something, isn't it? You can tell he's not one to be full of himself. He looks like he's a good time!

I'm a firm believer in whimsy and flights of fancy. We all need to take ourselves at least a bit less seriously. We all need to smile more often and enjoy life. It passes by far too quickly.

We came home with some old canning labels in gorgeous muted colors, but still vibrant with color. Another lesson to be learned...we can and will fade a bit, but at the same time, we need't fade away into oblivion either! There should be something about us that makes someone else want to stop and take a closer look. Most of all, we should bring a smile to someone else's face.

Here's another bit of whimsy for you, and a great bit of recylcing! I have to wonder if this is one man't collection, or if his friends stepped up to the plate and helped out a worthy cause!

And, here's  close up:

Gotta love the color!  Now, I'm off to get dressed, find a few pieces of needed paperwork, and then, go make some art. I spent yesterday amid the cleaning bottles, rags, and trash bags. I did create my sanctuary; our bedroom gathers you in and calms you. Yes, the closet and a few drawers still need to be tackled, but what a change! So, time for me today.

I need to create a bit of whimsy!

Simple Pleasures

Don't you love a good ice cream cone? It takes me back to my childhood, memories of homemade ice cream with berries freshly picked from the woods swirled inside. My mind focuses on two little girls, taking turns sitting on the lid, while dad cranks away.  I'm sure he got tired of the infamous question, "Is it done yet?" And, he'd reply, "It's worth waiting for. You'll see." And, it was. Ice cream on a summer's night, whether made on your front porch, or bought at a favorite spot at the beach, is pleasure.

With the prices of gas, food, electricity, and well, just about everything, we're all being forced to slow down a bit, and look for simpler pleasures. I'm thinking that's not such a bad thing.

Phil and I splurged a bit to celebrate our anniversary at the beach. When I woke up this morning, I could feel the tension in my neck, the list of things to do running a mad race in my head, and I longed for the beach. Lying there, I knew that he didn't have the luxury of waking up slowly, but I thought that maybe I could recreate some of the peace we find at Chincoteague. So, my project for today is to clear out some of the clutter, polish the furniture, grab some fresh flowers, and find some shells to scatter about. Sheets will get washed and freshened. I need to create a sanctuary.

And, I think, we'll fill a colorful summer bowl with some ice cream, and just enjoy life.

34 Years....

Toes touching, quietly celebrating 34 years of marriage, just content to inhale the salty air and be with each other. We ate out, we shopped a bit, we did the loop. Mostly, we just enjoyed the quiet and each other, grabbing a chance to divorce ourselves from the beltway's madness, and just "BE." We read, talked, ate taffy, and explored junk shops, snagging 2 cake plates. Nothing big as the outside world goes, but all that we needed.  Lots of pictures to be shared later, and a very funny anniversary dinner story to tell.

With grad classes and computer seminars, journaling has been at a minimum. I've missed it ! Here's a page done a week ago at the beach...

I had prepped the page ahead of time, working with bits and pieces from my stash bag and art table. I smooshed paint around with a rag, did a bit of stamping....look closely, and you'll see the circles...added some tape, scribbled with the Pitt pen around the edges....and I was good to go! Now, the journal entry has nothing what so ever to do with the art, but I gave up on that a long time ago. I put down what makes me happy, and go from there. I use what makes me smile.

Here's what I did last night when I got back...

The left side had been prepped using some left over paints from the calendar round robin. I always grab ephemera of all sorts when I'm out. Some gets used, some never does. I used a "place mat" sort of deal on the right. The little crow stamp is a favorite; she amuses me! Seeing as we junked at "The Blue Crow," she seemed fitting. I stamped and journaled right over the mat, and for being dead tired, but journaled starved, not so bad! I hope to do a lot more as this week goes by; I've missed my books, paints, and "stuff." It's really become a part of me.

A Pot of Gold

A thunderstorm just pounded us; the rain created a curtain that shut out the light and the trees that surround us! It rolled over rather quickly...just over and done with!

I took this picture last Monday evening, coming home from PA.  Look closely, there's a double rainbow, and the second is a mirror image of the first. We got to see them for about 15 minutes. I've never seen one so incredibly bright...just lovely.

It made me wonder...what would I want in my pot of gold? What is my "gold?" Have to think about this one!