Red Day

Inauguration Project

I thought this was such a cool project!

Glittery Hearts from Etsy

It was like an early Valentine's gift when I got the mail this evening.  My first etsy.com purchase had arrived.  The glitter hearts were wrapped so sweetly; it made me realize why it's so important to support each other as individual artists; we all have special little touches to put on the world.  Thank you Hope; the hearts are great!  

By-Products of a Snowy Sunday Afternoon

A Day of Yellow

It's amazing how much of one color there is within a 1-block radius if I really just look for it.  I set out today with the color yellow in mind & all but 1 of these images were found literally within 100 feet of each other.  I'm excited to start documenting other "color focuses." 

It's Snowing, It's Snowing...

Something in me last night made me set my coffee pot up to start brewing about the time my alarm would go off this morning.  Though I have a programable coffee pot, I rarely use it.  Something in me knew that this morning would be a magical one...I awoke to the smell of brewing coffee and when I opened my eyes, I saw big white snowflakes floating past my window.    

Books to Travel the World

I've made John a travel journal for his upcoming 4-month long journey through India, Bangladesh, Thailand and wherever else his little heart and feet take him.  I hope it comes back battered but loved & full of amazing stories.

A new piece of art for my growing collection

I am the proud new owner of a beautiful little piece of art.  I acquired this piece from the Postcards from the Edge show yesterday evening.  

It's by Christina Fischer who lives in Berlin, Germany.  

I gravitated towards it because it brought back fond memories of a May Day spent in the south of France years ago.  

Thank you Christina - it's beautiful!

Postcards from the Edge Benefit

The crowd was unbelievable.  

The room was jam-packed.

People were so excited and festive.

Visual Aids' annual Postcards from the Edge fundraiser:

There were so many postcards.  

The colors of all the cards against the stark white walls was beautiful.

People were taking photos of the ones they were interested in buying.

A Few of My Favorites:

Grandma's Hands

I can remember many nights at at Grandma & Grandpa's when I was 5 or 6 years old, getting to spend the night there with Cousin Steve while our parents went out for the evening.  We'd sit  on the brown "davenport" watching Hee-Haw; the metal embroidery hoops in our little hands.  I don't remember ever stitching anything in particular, just the feel of the needle & thread being pulled through the taut cotton fabric.  I remember thinking it was the most natural thing in the world to have Steve sewing with me, drinking our "mixed drink" of Kool-Aid & Sprite and looking over each other's shoulders to see who's stitches were better.  It never dawned on me that this wasn't what all little boys & girls did at their grandmas' house.

It makes me smile now to think of 6-year old Steve with his little embroidery hoop too - nothing unusual about that at all. 

When I was home over Christmas, I spent a day with Grandma.  I had her re-teach me all the different embroidery stitches she'd taught me as a little girl (but I'd forgotten).  It was so nice to be able to sit quietly with her, hear stories of her childhood, and just watch her work effortlessly, creating colorful pieces.  Her creativity is beautiful, but in a way that is not appreciated like those who create pieces that will hang in galleries for hundreds to see.  Her creativity is in her baking, her sewing, her gardening.  She isn't showy about her talents, simply humble.

Postcards from the Edge

For 3 years now I've participated in the Postcards from the Edge Benefit.  All 3 of my postcards from earlier years have sold, so I hope that this year will not be any different.  

I think the whole concept is so great.  Artists (established & emerging) donate a piece of postcard-size art that is signed only on the back.  All postcards sell for $75 and only after the buyer purchases a particular card do they find the name of the artist.  The name of course could deem the piece much more valuable than $75, but if not, they at least have a new piece of art that they love. 

I think this is a win-win situation & a great way to raise money for promoting AIDS awareness and HIV-prevention through art, and a buyers way of feeling good about buying a new art piece for their collection.

100 things that make me happy

1. care packages
2. the smell of silly putty
3. peanut butter & bananas
4. men who cry
5. mango sticky rice
6. movie previews
7. watching cotton candy being made
8. eating out for breakfast
9. colorful pinwheels
10. swimming by moonlight
11. ferris wheels
12. wearing flip-flops, jeans & a turtleneck
13. kids with balloons
14. weeping willow trees
15. beautiful tattoos
16. St. Germain Elderflower liqueur
17. catching subway connections in perfect time
18. Spanish guitar
19. Turbo hand dryers (it’s like a car wash dryer for your hands)
20. watching the 3 Stooges in Spanish
21. street dancing
22. mail art
23. pinot grigio
24. romantic comedies
25. silver “trophy” ice buckets
26. red & orange Dots candy
27. paper umbrellas
28. love letters
29. toy sheriff badges
30. No-Pudge brownies
31. colorful graffiti
32. board games
33. watching people on passing subway cars
34. kittens and puppies
35. clip art
36. peonies
37. mohawks
38. massages
39. my apartment by candlelight
40. lobster bisque on a cold Icelandic evening
41. jasmine tea
42. blond eyelashes
43. bone folder
44. Murphy beds
45. vintage sheet music
46. Colorado mountain towns
47. snow angels
48. cherry blossoms
49. books you just can’t put down
50. down comforters
51. moosetracks ice cream
52. Drives to nowhere with the top off the convertible
53. water skiing
54. creative inspiration
55. Strawberry Park Hot Springs
56. my grandmother’s gooseberry pie
57. rick rack
58. prima pepperoni pizza
59. dancing with headphones on
60. the smell of tropical islands
61. letterpress
62. subway tiles
63. McDonald’s ice cream
64. coffee in bed
65. making lists
66. Anthropologie
67. laughing until I cry
68. cozy bars and good conversation
69. crossword puzzles
70. getting strangers to smile
71. hip hop
72. house guests
73. sparklers
74. paper-craft books
75. homemade birthday cakes
76. pencil cases
77. gin & tonics
78. metal embroidery hoops
79. marathon phone conversations
80. old school honeycomb paper party decorations
81. stretchy pajama bottoms
82. baby giggles
83. friends who know your history
84. carnivals
85. American’s Funniest Home Videos
86. flea markets
87. road trips
88. mailing labels
89. painting each others nails
90. pine tree forests
91. travel journals
92. him calling just to tell you he’s thinking of you
93. riding my bicycle
94. Fuji & Gala apples
95. Midwestern yard sales
96. Barbapapa
97. greek yogurt with honey, berries & granola
98. Photoshop
99. Little Bear books
100. crisp autumn weather

I found this in my journal this morning and am now REALLY asking myself this question.

Welcome 2009 - I'm so excited you're here!