Friday, February 29, 2008
A lightbulb moment
No, not an artistic one, but I wish! This is actually a "dear husband" one. I returned from my trip to Chicago to the microwave not working and instructions from hubbie (who had left on a business trip) to call the repairman. Of course, it's no longer under warranty. The Maytag guy arrived this afternoon. To make a long story short, he reset the circuit breaker and removed the burned out bulb - for a total of $59! I think he felt truly sorry for having to charge me the minimum, so he told me where I could get a replacement bulb for less than a third of what it would cost from him. So now the microwave is working again!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Easter Banner
This is the Easter banner I created for one of my online group's "Easter banner mingle." It is approximately 8" tall and almost 6" wide at the top. I used torn pastel papers which I overstamped with a large flourish stamp and white gesso and added vintage German glass glitter on the edges. The bunny image is a freebie from Dover I believe and the glitter embellishments were from Michael's $1 bin. The top edge is covered with a ruffle made from pink crepe paper streamer. It's going in the mail today to Mary Lynn.
Canvas Collage Class
It feels so good to be back to my art room and making art!!
Tonight I taught a beginning collage class to a ladies' Pokeno group. There were 15 in all and they had a choice of the Heart or Egg Hunt collage, done on a 5 x 7" canvas board. Most of the students do not scrap or stamp or even craft, but everyone had a great time and were able to go home with a finished canvas in less than two hours. The only difficult part was having students in three different rooms - I did alot of moving around and repeating myself!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
I'm home
I'm home from Chicago! It was a fun time with my three daughters and the one who had surgery is doing fine now, but I'm glad to get back to the warmer Texas temps. Last night it snowed several inches in the Windy City and this morning as I walked a few blocks from the apartment to catch a cab, I ended up "plowing" the snow with my carry-on roller bag. It was hard work as the snow kept accumulating in front of the bag and the wheels were useless in the wet snow and slush! I'm sure it must have looked hysterical!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Windy City
I've been offline for several days. I'm in Chicago for at least a week as my daughter had surgery on Monday. She's home now and I'll be "nursing" her for awhile. She's doing great and recuperating quickly.
This is the first time I've been up here in the winter - ooh is it cold! Yesterday was -25 to -30 degrees (yes, that's a minus) with the wind chill. And I was walking to the bus stop! You can't believe how people dress here - hats, gloves, scarves up over noses, boots, heavy coats. It's hard to move when you have that much on! It makes for a high degree of anoniminity when all you see is two eyes! But even then, it's cold!
I'll be home in Texas next Tuesday. If it warms up any, I will try to post some Chicago photos.
This is the first time I've been up here in the winter - ooh is it cold! Yesterday was -25 to -30 degrees (yes, that's a minus) with the wind chill. And I was walking to the bus stop! You can't believe how people dress here - hats, gloves, scarves up over noses, boots, heavy coats. It's hard to move when you have that much on! It makes for a high degree of anoniminity when all you see is two eyes! But even then, it's cold!
I'll be home in Texas next Tuesday. If it warms up any, I will try to post some Chicago photos.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Row Houses
As promised, here is the photo of the six "row houses" assembled. I attached two pieces of sheer ribbon along the backs of all the houses and then covered the backs with patterned papers. These now can stand all in a row as pictured or they can be folded accordion-style for a book. I like how these turned out. They would be cute decorated for various holidays or even as a family photo collage. Thanks Jeri for the idea and for setting up playtime to make these.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Happy Valentine's Day
I hope everyone has had a wonderful, happy Valentine's Day. The above image is a free Dover clipart image that I am sharing with you for this special day.
How did you spend Valentine's Day? Did you get candy, flowers, gifts? Were you able to spend some time creatively? I wanted to share this special e-mail that came today from http://www.artellawordsandart.com/. I have copied it from their newsletter, Artellagram, and I couldn't have said it better. (Be sure to check out their site - they have alot to offer.)
A Word from the Creative Surge General
Even though it's become such a commercialized holiday, I believe it's important to remember that Valentine's Day is not only about sweethearts and romance, it's about all kinds of love. One of my favorite kinds of love is the kind of love that we feel when we are actively engaged in creativity. If we're not doing it regularly, it's easy to forget how good creative love feels! In fact, many studies, including one in December 2007, by The University of Texas at Austin, have proven that people who regularly engage in creative acts are healthier and feel better. Why is this so? Here's a report from Artella's Creative Surge General with reminders for all of us!
The Top 5 Ways Creativity Is Good For Your Heart
1. Creativity is relaxing. When we engage both our mind and body in something that we enjoy, our bodies release powerful hormones that relax us, undoing all kinds of damage caused by stress in day -to-day life.
2. Creativity is a healthy distraction. There is no better way to forget our troubles, challenges, and pain than to get involved in meaningful creative projects. A creative project is a great way to focus on what IS working in your life, rather than what isn't.
3. Creativity gets our heart pumping. From the adrenaline that gets going when we're happily engaged, to the often quite physical nature of art, creativity gets our insides moving and shaking. Painting, sculpting, writing (especially via longhand), and running around town looking for "art junk" at flea markets is GREAT exercise. :-)
4. Creativity gives our self-esteem a boost. Endless studies have been done on the effects of positive self esteem on general health. When we create something that we're proud of, we get a huge psychological boost that has endless rewards. Think of the small child who shows off a drawing and says "Look what I did!" We all need a healthy dose of that kind of pride!
5. Creativity offers great opportunities for connection with others. You share your art or writing with someone else and it sparks a meaningful conversation . . . you post your work in an online contest and others comment on it . . . you collaborate on a creative project to create something from two heads instead of one . . . you donate your work for a charitable cause that makes a difference to others. These are just a few examples of many the kinds of connections that creativity can provide. They all remind us that we are not alone on this planet, or in our pursuits of creativity. Connection with others makes us healthier and happier, and truly part of the fabric of the world.
Happy Valentine's Day to you, on behalf of everyone at Artella Land!
A Word from the Creative Surge General
Even though it's become such a commercialized holiday, I believe it's important to remember that Valentine's Day is not only about sweethearts and romance, it's about all kinds of love. One of my favorite kinds of love is the kind of love that we feel when we are actively engaged in creativity. If we're not doing it regularly, it's easy to forget how good creative love feels! In fact, many studies, including one in December 2007, by The University of Texas at Austin, have proven that people who regularly engage in creative acts are healthier and feel better. Why is this so? Here's a report from Artella's Creative Surge General with reminders for all of us!
The Top 5 Ways Creativity Is Good For Your Heart
1. Creativity is relaxing. When we engage both our mind and body in something that we enjoy, our bodies release powerful hormones that relax us, undoing all kinds of damage caused by stress in day -to-day life.
2. Creativity is a healthy distraction. There is no better way to forget our troubles, challenges, and pain than to get involved in meaningful creative projects. A creative project is a great way to focus on what IS working in your life, rather than what isn't.
3. Creativity gets our heart pumping. From the adrenaline that gets going when we're happily engaged, to the often quite physical nature of art, creativity gets our insides moving and shaking. Painting, sculpting, writing (especially via longhand), and running around town looking for "art junk" at flea markets is GREAT exercise. :-)
4. Creativity gives our self-esteem a boost. Endless studies have been done on the effects of positive self esteem on general health. When we create something that we're proud of, we get a huge psychological boost that has endless rewards. Think of the small child who shows off a drawing and says "Look what I did!" We all need a healthy dose of that kind of pride!
5. Creativity offers great opportunities for connection with others. You share your art or writing with someone else and it sparks a meaningful conversation . . . you post your work in an online contest and others comment on it . . . you collaborate on a creative project to create something from two heads instead of one . . . you donate your work for a charitable cause that makes a difference to others. These are just a few examples of many the kinds of connections that creativity can provide. They all remind us that we are not alone on this planet, or in our pursuits of creativity. Connection with others makes us healthier and happier, and truly part of the fabric of the world.
Happy Valentine's Day to you, on behalf of everyone at Artella Land!
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