Talking to the dead....

Meet Grandma B

Never knew her, dont think I want to

She died early in her life 41 I believe

Her and My Grandfather left my father

in Vancouver at the age of 14 to

look after himself.  While they moved on to

the Inland of BC.  And that isnt the half of it.

My father never said a bad word about his

mother but really she never deserved his

love.

weather:  a freaking blizzard when I woke up today

dinner:  Out with the shoppper tonight dinner and shopping

wearing:  jeans, socks (I had socks) and tshirt and apron

art:  joined Tracy Batista (spelled wrong) doodles class

The Competive Edge

Once along time ago, I was a competitive swimmer.  My dad used to be a life guard part time as a hobby. He loved to swim and instilled the love of water and swimming in all his family.  I was the only one though who really loved it.  He wanted me to join the competitive swim club we had in our local pool.  I did not want to but I did it for him.  I loved the whole thing the practice, the joking around with the team.  But when it came time to go to a meet, I would make myself sick with worry.  What if I am last, what if the list would go on and on.  I would sweat everything.  Finally my dad realized how it made me feel and tried to encourage me that winning was not everything .  In the end I had to quit because I just did not to compete.  I only joined one other sport in my life Baton twirling and that is a whole other story.

misc mumblings

This is the visual journal I am working in right now.  I dont know

why I bought it, it has pictures of walls in it that I guesso over, but

it will do for now.

This is one of the pockets I made in it, to hold stuff I get, or collect .  I have

made 2 , the other one is on the front cover

Weather:  perfect

Cleaning:  windows, and washing drapes with Hubby's help

wearing:  capris and blue shirt and apron

dinner:  Roast beef, roasted potates, gravy, yorkshire pudding, aspargus

watching:  Doctor Drew

Online:  Joined the may art journal challenge, lets see how far

I get with that.

A Fun and Cheap little project

Bought this at the dollar store, I turned the canvas around because Iwanted to show you before and after shots, and I couldnt find the rest of them that I bought (as usual) So I had found some words in a magazine that I like the way they looked, it said feel beautiful, so I tore feel out without scissors, to give it a less formal look, used oil pastels, and a little varnish.  Then painted the stand white, which is going to be repainted black.  Well get out go to the dollar store and get some, so many things you could do with these.  At the art store yesterday I saw some for 6.00.

Its raining shoes......

this is a page from my visual journal.  I was reading vanity fair, and saw

an article about this famous shoe guy (I cant spell his name)

and his shoes, and they had a picture of

him peeking thru the shoes and I thought that it would be a great

layout for my Visual Journal, so I cut out the shoe, it was black, I

changed the colour with a pastel, I like red shoes, and sketched

in a face (does not look like my daughter) but you get the general idea.

The only thing was this page had a hole in it, so I had this mesh

bandage that is sticky on the back so I applied it to the whole page

to reinforce it, and gessoed and painted over it and I think that it

turned out great.

On another note I just noticed that Blogger has now a spelling feature and you

wont have to put up with my bad spelling anymore.

Here is a snippet what I did yesterday:

reading:  Vanity Fair

food:  Lasagna and Cesar salad

spending:  paper

addiction:  moleskin recipe journal (just ordered it)

weather:  cloudy and rainy

watching:  Glee

art:  working in visual journal

mood:  great, my mom is on the mend and going to a rehab hospital

to regain her strength

1 down: What famous newspaper has a crossword puzzle everyone in the world trys to do

A page from my visual journal

The answer to the question is (drum roll please)

The New York Times

I love trying to do that crossword, of course never have completed it, but love trying.

I think crosswords puzzles keep your mind active, which I try to do because

this old noggen needs some help some days. Last night on BRAVO they

had a documentry on the New York Time Crossword 

so interesting, some can complete it in 4 minutes.

Have a great day talk to you all soon

Singing Outloud

things I would do differntly:  take the B off that I just noticed

make the feet different, I actually made them to look like that, I thought they would make

him appear fun, they only look stupid

Move the bird to a different postion,

this will go into my mistake file

day:  beautiful, a little windy

dinner: steak, baked potatoe, aspargus

listening:in the car: a book on tape by Nichols Sparks

Watching on TV:. sober house with Doctor Drew

Reading;  the latest Vogue magazine

art:  one postcard created for the mistake bin

treated myself today:  pedicure, very relaxing which I needed.

Octomer......my new name for a mermaid

Step 2:  I have added the octo earings, fixed the eyes a bit and generally jusst stared at it for a few days to ensure that is what I want , or to add something else.  Next step for me is to paint the sand.  I have never painted sand, so I looked it up on Internet, (really how could I live without this internet)

So I am going to give it a try tonight, first I am just going to do it on a peice of  paper, so I get the process right.  I am going to use acrylic on the sand, and acrylic on the body of my mermaid, and watercolours,.

Sometimes a few words can tell a story

The words say:  I thought of you today, I saw the words in

an Anthropoglie ad and I like them so decided they fit in with my life and page a visual journal page

tv:  wtching glee (its about Modonna)

wearing:  capris, bare feet and red tshirt

reading: a book on africa by Peter Beard

eating:  chicken teryki stirfry from the WOKBox and green onion cakes

good news:  Mom goes home from hospital on Friday,

home:  the shopper home from the interview (sounds good)

art:  journal page (see above)

Do you like housecoats on men

My hubby does not wear a housecoat and nevere has

I created this piece usifng Pitt art pens

Up early today 6:00 am, as there was quite a bit of excitement around

the old housestead.  Hubby who had to go in today early left

the house around 5:30 am out of the corner of his eye he sees

something beside our house.  It was a man , now the man was dressed

in pj bottoms, and a santa hat.  Hubby claims he looked like a

real goofball (his words now you know we are old).  Hubby

called to him and said what are you doing there, etc

(hubby is no dummy he stayed in the car) the guy just stood there

so Hubby says I am going to phone the police.  Meanwhile

the goofball jumped the fence (an agile goofball ) and started

running.  Now hubby for sure cannot jump the fence, and

running to the fridge maybe.  So he waited for the police.

They came but could not find him.  So when devil

dog and I went out for her morning ritual, we saw no

agile goofball anywhere.

Put your hand up if your a geek

Art:  Just a visual journal page I made, I am finding I like making them from

magazines and stuff and trying to make a picture talk

listening:  to satellite radio

going:  back to hospital in a couple of hours, took mom to

hospital this morning at 7:00 for her operation. 

working:  around the house, doing my favourite activities (not) cleaning up

trying to keep my mind off my mom

missing:  the shopper she is off in Vancouver having her airline interview

drinking:  diet coke by the bucketfull when stressed this is what I do since I dont drink coffee

exercise:  going to take devil dog to the doggy park

Snail Girl, a work in progress

This is a work in progress, thought you would like to see it.

It will go thru somemore changes, before I think

it is right.  I was going for the hair to be seaweed.  But

that hair does not do it for me.  I will have to do

some more research on what seaweed looks like.

After I am finished you will be able to

see the body is a snal.  So I sketch out my idea

erase, draw, erase, put some paper on it, etc.

Thats the way I start.  How do you start your work?

Art Quilts

This is my version of an art quilt, that I worked on last night

its 5 x 5 on Fabrino paper, just wanted to try it.  Jim Dine

the book I am reading now did one, his of course was much better.  But

I like colour.  Talk to later

Knock Knock anyone there....

art:  been using charcoal, and whiteout, just doing whatever comes to my mind

(get the play on words)

music:  Listening to Daughtery

money:  its a good day did not buy anything

weather:  perfect, went for a long walk without a coat with devil dog

new people:  on the long walk, meet the neighbours who I did not know

and the guy on the corner with the skinny wife, that's how I

described him to hubby

watching:  no tv tonight, doing art

what are you doing this weekend?

Gardening on Paper

Done with Pit Pens, white out

black charcoal pencil, fun tape I found at the dollar store

shopping: with the shopper for the perfect outfit for the interview

reading:  Jim Dine Prints (an art book)

watching:  tonight Private Practice

dinner:  leftover pizza and anything else that is leftover in the fridge

movie:  Up in the air (with George Clooney) 2 popcorn kernals only

a lame movie (I thought)

weather:  spring like and warm

wearing:  flip flops, jeans, and black tshirt (its like my uniform)

cleaning:  the car in a minute it looks like I should be on the Hoarders

Thankful:  for all of you who take the time to read about my  mundane life

Still trying to define me

I created this last night while in the No talking zone.

I was cutting out words and they resonated with me

 I created this  in my visual journal, I dont create very many of these kinds of pages, usually I feel I must draw, or something on them, but I like this one, I think it communicates who I am and who I strive to be.

Have you heard the news?

Good news:  The shopper aka the daughter has got an interview in

Vancouver (for her dream job) airline stewardess.  Interview Monday,all prayers welcome

My mom comes homes tommorw after three weeks in the hospital. Only till Monday then she has to return to have an Operation.

I will not have to get a job to pay for the parking at the hospital after all (lol)God you could end up a patient there when you read that its 1.75 a 1/2 hour for parking.  And then to top it off you put in 2.00 and you dont get your   quarters  back, so they make a killing either way.

Tonight I will be watching Lost and Glee, no talking will be permitted during this TV time.  But you will hear the cutting of paper (mags) as I like todo this when watching TV.

Ok back to your regular programming

Hook Line and Sinker

Well did you have a nice weekend, are you all refreshed and ready to start another week.  Well if your like me your dragging your butt.  I feel like I have been hit with a mac truck.  Its all this back and forth to the hospital, and then real life at my house, you know dinner, laundry, hubby, the shopper, devil dog.  Its taking quite a toll on my body today.  I need a holiday to get away by myself, maybe fishing.  Do you like to fish, I like to fish, catch them ensuring they are alive and throw them back, its the thrill of the catch.  I dont really like fish to eat.  How many times have I been fishing in my life sounds like I know what I am talking about about 3 (lol) nobody I know fishes.  Well this weekend little was done on the art making front, a few journal pages you will see, only If I decide to not to vent on them (let me tell you stuff for nobodys eyes).  The weather here has been clear and a little cold, suppose to snow on Wednesday.  What did you do this weekend, tell me your life must be more exicring than mine is.

The colours of Bali

Done on a spraypainted peice of Fabrino

drawn with a black sharpie, white out, and a pit blue pen, that

a bit of a rub on

I love the colors of Bali and India, and the architecture of there buildings. I love how the saris are deep pinks, and oranges. I am drawn to bright colors. Now I don’t wear bright colors’. I am more into camaflouge, black, blue, sometimes white. Today was like winter here, yesterday was flip flops, today it socks and shoes and a coat. That's spring in Canada. Today was visiting the hospital, a trip to my favorite store Costco. I go in for one thing and come out with a basket full. Of course a stop at the books is mandatory and came away with two. Then it wouldn’t be a good trip if I did not treat myself to a hot dog and a diet coke. So no dinner for hubby tonight, its fiend for yourself I am full.

Is it a bird, is it a plane, not its just another damn bird

Done with Pitt Pen

eating:white cheddar popcorn

drinking:  a diet coke

reading:  Model Home just got from Library no review yet

wearing:  flip flops, capris, and blue tshirt (warm today)

dinner:  unknow Hubby not home from out of town till after dinner

art:  finally something in my visual journal, stay tuned it is not a bird

still working on putting together art journal