I FINALLY WENT OUT

I decided it was about time to get out and see the world again.  I've been in the house for 4 days.
This cold wintery weather makes me want to hybernate.   I told myself to get up , get dressed and GET GOING. 
As usual, my mission was to visit a store that had something artsy and inspiring.
After going to the bank and having them count my hoarded change , I ended up with an extra $80.00 in my pocket.  It was buring a hole.
 So, off I went to Geneva to visit the  "Designers Desk", a needlepoint store with hundreds of painted canvases and  racks of beautiful colored fibers.  After browsing awhile, I managed to buy a canvas to work on while I'm traveling..  This should be a challenge because it's a blank piece.  I have to take the chart in the book and transfer each stitch to the 18 count canvas.  There went my money again!
Retail therapy is good for the soul!

I'm thinking about the new year.  I want to focus more on selling my artwork.  I have boxes filled with all my finished art projects.  Need to start letting go of it.  It's serving no purpose hidden away. I'm hoping someone will appreciate it.  I have to think of a way to go about it.  I've been procrastinating  about doing this for years. IT"S TIME!!!.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

 HAPPY HOLIDAYS!  Hope it's safe, healthy and happy.

 I'm ready!  Gifts are wrapped, meal is planned and I'm looking forward to having my son and grandchildren over.  I keep forgetting they are not little anymore.  No more toys.  All grown up stuff.  I kind of miss it. 

Just finished needle felting the above dolls.  I was tired of doing  paper art.
I needed a break.  Anyway, I think they are kind of cute.  I wanted the earthy look.
Who knows what I'm going to do with them.  It will probably be stored away with all my other stuff I've finished.

I won honorable mention in the "12 days of ChristmasTags" by Tim Holtz.
The yahoo group, ALL THINGS TIM, sponsered it. I Wonder what the prize is.

It's official that Bob, Sunny and I are taking off for Phoenix around the 8th of January.  If all goes well, we plan to stay at least a month.  We're renting rather  than imposing on Barb this time.  We are not staying too far from her house, so I can see her often.
Looking forward to getting away.
 

IF I HAD MY WAY

I'm so ready to move to a warmer climate.  Winter isn't officially here yet and I'm done with it.  It's been cold and snowy and I have no desire to be outside.
If all goes well and according to plan, Bob and I will be taking off for Phoenix in a few weeks. My goal is to be gone until April. We will firm up our plans this week...

Today was the end of the 12 Days of Christmas Tags.  I truly loved creating my version  of them.  Above are Tags 11 and 12.
Now on to a new project.  Hmmmm, wonder what it will be.  There's so much floating around in my head.

TAG 10

LET IT SNOW!!! and it will.  It's in the forcast for tonight and tomorrow.
I so hate winter.   At least I have a houseful of art supplies to keep me happy
and busy.  The one plus is, I don't have to drive unless I want to.  I'm totally
fearful when it comes to driving in the snow.  I don't feel in control.
On to Tag 11.

MORE TAGS

I'm keeping up with the Tim Tags.  Just finished Day 9.

I lost my I Phone the other day.  What a pain...  Went two days without it and finally broke down and replaced it.  Bad time of year to have an extra expense.

Went to the mall yesterday and caught up with some of my Christmas shopping.  I got into the Holiday spirit.  All the sales, decorations and music got me going.
Hannukah ends tonight.  I'll put the menorah away and put up my very little tree, decorated with (believe it or not) the tags I'm making.  It's nice being able to celebrate two holidays.

TAGS 4,5 AND 6

Can't believe I'm being faithful in making these tags everyday. 
LOVE it!!!!!

TAG 3 is finished

I can't believe how much I'm enjoying the Tim Tags.  It's fun to wake up each morning and see what is on his blog for the next creative adventure of the day.

As I'm looking out the window and watching the first snow of the year, I yearn to be living in a warmer climate.  I'm not a winter person.  Thinking about going to Phoenix for the winter (seriously).  Plans are in the making.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

It's that time of year again. Where did 2010 go?
This year flew by...  It was a good one for me and I hope for you too! 
Anyway, I hope everyone is getting into the holiday spirit.
Thanks to Tim Holtz and his 12 Tags of Christmas, I'm feeling it.
So far I've finished   Day 1and 2.

I'm getting ready to start Day 3.  The best is the inspiration I get from some of his ideas.  I wish I had more of his Dies.  Oh well, that's the challenge for me,
IMPROVISING!   Love the creative process.

BACK FROM CRUISE

Had a wonderful time in Tim's classes. I actually finished all the projects as seen above.
I'm very happy with the end results and kudos to Tim for being such a great instructor.
He is very generous and is good at teaching. The curio cabinet was my favorite. We searched for stuff at each port to put in it. I guess it tells a story of our cruise. I also collected ephemera
for the travel journal.
The shabby Chic Patchwork collage was so much fun and I'll probably make another one.
We learned different ways to make flowers(using his products) for the tags.
My favorite port was St. John, New Brunswick. It was so quaint and had so much charm.
Bar Harbour was beautiful. Went to Acadia National Park and to a lobster bake.
Halifax was OK. It didn't have the charm I expected. It is busy city.
Went to the Witch museum in Salem . Enjoyed the tour. Portland and Boston were interesting,
Did not see enough of either city to really get a taste of it.
I'm glad to be home. 10 days at sea was a bit long for me. Overall, the trip was great. Met some interesting people from all over the world. There sure are alot of Tim admirers.

TRADES FOR CRUISE FINISHED

JOURNAL

CHARM

ATC

IM READY TO GO!!!!!!!

CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S BEEN 50 YEARS

Our 50th High School reunion is this weekend. I decided not to go but, yesterday, I met Marion and Evelyn at theClub House for lunch. We had a good old time talking about our crazy days in high school and catching up with what's happening now.

It's hard to believe we're all in our late 60's, but still feel 30 (ha ha). Actually, I think we're doing very well for a bunch of senior citizens.

All joking aside, it felt like time had not passed at all. We still have fun together. We didn't shut up for a minute.

THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS

Only a week to go. Leaving for the cruise on the 29th. I get to spend another day in the Big Apple before cruising. Been busy making trades and planning what to bring with.

First time I've been to a retreat where we don't have to bring any supplies. I'm going to bring an extra suitcase just in case I bring stuff back(ha ha).

THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS. I'm so excited.

WONDERFUL TRIP

Had a hectic fast paced 2 1/2 days in NYC. We went to the Village, China Town, Time Square , a Broadway Play , We saw "In The Heights", The Wax Museum, New Pop Tart Store, Shopping
(Of course), Staten Island Ferry to see the skyline, we took the water taxi to Hoboken N.J,

to see Carlo's Bakery, and finally Central Park. We walked and walked and walked....

All in all, we had an invigorating , unforgettable experience.

After NYC, we headed to Lake George for a peaceful 5 days at a resort called Sagamore.

Spend quality time with my sister and family. Ate good food, sat around the pool, went boating and Miranda went parasailing. ( I chickened out). I prefer the craziness of NYC.

Now it's back to reality.

I really enjoyed spending a week with my Grandaughter. She certainly got a taste of the Big Apple...

OFF TO NEW YORK

I'm going to New York tomorrow with my grandaughter Miranda for a week of fun.

I will get to see my sister and other family members . It's kind of sad that we live so far apart.

It's a rare occasion that we see each other.

The first few days will be spent touring the Big Apple (Miranda has never been there). Hope to see a Broadway play and do the typical tourist stuff.

On Wednesday, we're all going to Lake George, in upstate NY, for 5 days. We're staying at a resort called Tagmore. I've been told it's beautiful. Hope to spend some quality time with Naomi, Rachel and Stella. CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!

Above is a photo of the Erenberg kids. (the last time we were all together 2 years ago).

Far left is Harriet, Joni, Naomi and far right Joel.

MY VERSION OF STEAMPUNK BEADING

Do I ever stick to one project?

The past week has been all "steampunk" Don't ask me why. I guess I am attracted to it.

I wanted to try my hand at beading instead of assemblege.

It's been a stormy week in the Chicago area. Alot of scary thunder and lightening. My dog Sunny hates it. Had him at the Vet yesterday. He's on 3 meds for an eye infection. (probably due to allergies) Poor baby!!!! Having a pet is just like having a child.

I hope to finish the airline reservations for the Tim Holtz Cruise today . I'm getting all pumped up. It's still 3 months away. I'm sure time will fly (as usual).

FINALLY FINISHED

I finished the Fabric and Metal collage piece I started in Beryl Taylor's class at Valley Ridge

I enjoyed doing it, but I would certainly consider doing it a different way.

I would make a template first and plan it better. All considered, I

think it turned out O.K.

Now that I've completed this project, I'm thinking about doing some Steampunk stuff.

I love the old vintage rusty look. I certainly have enough stuff buried in boxes to create

a variety of jewlery.

I just emerged from the basement. What a mother load down there. I found tons of objects

and trinkets to play with. Shame on me for wanting to buy more!!! I don't need a thing.

(famous last words)

BACK FROM VALLEY RIDGE RETREAT

Above is my unfinished project from Beryl Taylor's class at Valley Ridge, and a photo of

Cindy Katora , Beryl Taylor and myself.

I had a wonderful time at the retreat.

Valley Ridge, as usual, was a great experience. Loved the class with Beryl , enjoyed my fellow class-mates and felt I was being treated as someone special. Kathy and Bill really know how to treat their guests. I'm so glad they have started this venue and it's not so far from Chicago. (about a three and a half hour drive).

We stayed in Mineral Point (a forty minute drive from the studio.) Next time we will stay closer. I loved the quaintness and history of the sleepy old mining town filled with artisans and their galleries. The food was good too!

I hope to finish my project soon. I'll post it later.

OBSCESSED WITH BEADING

It's been forever since I've posted. I've been beading and working on a Tee Shirt Quilt.

I found out I am not a quilter. I was very frustrated. Actually, I didn't even finish it. I gave up and returned it to Tracy (my ex-daughter-in-law). I have to remind myself not to accept any requests for quilts again. UG

Give me some beads and I become transformed into another dimension. Go figure!!!

Now that summer is here, life is getting busy. I have three trips planned. I'm going to Valley Ridge this week-end for a Beryl Taylor retreat. I'm taking my granddaughter, Miranda, on a trip to NYC and lake George . My sister lives in NY. I will be spending time with her and my nieces.

At the end of September, Cindy and I are going on a Canadian Cruise with Tim Holtz.

In between my trips there are various events going on in the Chicago area. I'm planning to go to CHA and CREATE.(Mixed Media events).

Still involved with the Live ATC Group, a ledger swap and a bi-monthly get together with artist friends.

Keeping busy and creating is good medicine....

INCHiES

Sunday was our Creative Spirits Collage group meeting. We made inchies and then used them in our own creative away. It was a great day and as always, being with creative people makes me feel energized.

The above photo is what I ended up creating.

I'm inspired to do more. I think I'll use a cigar box next.

I've been busy making my ATC's for our next swap on April 10th.

I've been quite productive the past week.

CARDS

MORE CARDS

NEW STUFF

Ledgers sheets I've finished for swap.
One is RETRO ( which I seem to be into now) and WORDS. Since butterflies are my favorite thing, I decided to do a piece in different
languages

I'm into Shabby Chic for now. I took a workshop at Archivers and learned some techniques for Shabby Chic cards. I didn't like the ones in class. I went home and modified it so it wasn't as shabby.

I've been busy creating and having a good time with my Art Buddies. Been to our ATC live Swap, a day Retreat in Rockford, Saturday Meet-up in Warrenville, a crop at More than Memories and Play dates.

The biggest news is that Cindy and I are going on a 10 day cruise with Tim Holtz to Canada.

It's not until September. We're also going to Valley Ridge in June to take a work-shop with Beryl Taylor.

Something to look forward to. I'm excited.

Now that winter is almost over, I see good times ahead. This winter is too long.

No Phoenix this year. Saving money for the cruise.