FAMILY MOMENTS

Snow Bunnies....

the love of my life....

my "Festal Virgin" ribbon

A beautiful snowman...

I went on a wonderful vacation with my family to Big Bear (thank you Laura and Brian) We spent some hours, sledding, building snowmen, snowboarding , and finishign my Artfest Trades. I can't wait for Artfest!.... i can't believe it all starts in a few short hours. All of the Festal Virgins (first timers at Artfest) are meeting at Alexanders Castle at 4:30 for a short meet and greet. Looking forward to meeting all of the wonderful new ladies!

Mermaid

life is a journey

embracing the journey

look deep within yourself


beautiful moments



as i pack for artfest there a few loved ones who would like to go with me by hiding in my suitcase...i will carry their memory and love with me as i embarc on this momentous journey...i even created a piece of art for the Art Gallery...the beautiful mermaid seen above...ready for what the universe has in mind for me...



self-esteem comes from being able to define the world in your own terms, and refusing to abide by the judgments of others."
—Oprah

life is simply beautiful...

enriching my soul

seeing clearly

a few goodies....WooHoooooo!

bling for the yard?

my dear friends birthday ...happy, happy...

simply beautiful...

my art-sisters birthday...happy happy...

natures beauty...


my shadow....





life is simply beautiful....sometimes i seem to forget....forget to see clearly...to notice natures beauty...then something happens....i notice a tree blooming....a butterfly landing next to me on the grass, a ladybug on small leaf in the garden, a glance from the man i love, a hug from my girl, a smile from my boy, a tail wag from my shadow.... mostly I'm just grateful for all the beauty in my life and feeling thankful for the abundance and love.

i will be leaving for artfest soon....i have shopped for my supplies, packed my bags, made my trades, planned the festal virgin meet and greet....looking forward to my teachers and what i will learn from them... they are amazing artists...you should visit their blogs...

misty mawn ...http://mistymawn.typepad.com/
jk ludwig...http://www.gryphonsfeather.typepad.com/

what a wonderful opportunity it was for me to attend...maybe even a miracle, thank you teesha http://teeshamoore.com/ , i have been enjoying the beauty in the journey and the process of getting there so much. enjoying my many new friends....so many opportunities....
so much growth....
loving the new art that will soon be born! watch for it....

"Your profession is not what brings home your pay. Your profession is what you were put on earth to do with such passion and such intesnity that it becomes spiritual in calling."

Vincent an Gogh

New Art

I have been creating art in my head for months now and finally I put it on canvas! This is a piece that I made for my friends birthday....Happy Birthday Nancy!

there are still signs of winter at my house ... (this is the tree in my front yard)







there a few signs of spring....yippee





and then there is the beach...a beautiful place i don't take for granted!



"making art is about finding the true self-not who everyone has told you that you are, but the person you are truly." - Birgit O'Connor

Artfest.....could it be 23 days from now???

a place to keep your favorite memories

life is so exciting right now...

i am busy creating trades for Artfest. Today we are at 23 days and counting.....

only a short time until I step onto that plane and enter a new world....

the world of Artfest!

a flower charm

a leaf charm

inspirational magnets

in September i made a wonderful decision, to attend this retreat. do you ever make a decision and then know in your heart it was the right one? well that has been my experience with this. it seems that everyday since then, the universe extends its hand with a gift to me. i have met so many wonderful people, learned about so many artists, i have learned what an ATC is, a Fatbook, a Zine, and even a blog.....so think of me April 1st, as i embark on a trip of a lifetime!

u can check out all the details about Artfest at www.teeshamoore.com

What is the Quality of Your Intent?

"When we intend to do good, we do.When we intend to do harm, it happens.What each of us must come to realize is that our intent always comes through. We cannot sugarcoat the feelings in our heart of hearts.The emotion is the energy that motivates. We cannot ignore what we really want to create. What we owe to ourselves and everyone around usis to examine the reasons of our true intent."~ Thurgood Marshall

i can smell spring...

you never know where the path may lead you......

the beauty is hidden.....

the earth is a miraculous place.....

i truly love nature.....if I could, i would spend most of my time there. i live in a beautiful place and i'm very grateful to experience such beauty in my everyday life. these are a few of the pictures I have taken this week with my phone, yes, my camera on my phone. i have a beautiful, expensive, complicated camera with a lot of lenses, and settings, that i have tucked very neatly in the back of my closet, i now find myself not wanting to be weighed down with all the accessories and complications that come with it. instead I pull out my i-phone and snap pictures where ever I am. I am actually quite thrilled with the result, the pictures are fun, spontaneous, and sometimes artful. as i venture out, i am excited to see the new things blooming, the freezia's remind me that spring is almost here. new blossom's translate to new adventures right around the corner...... i can't wait!!!!!!

Crazy about shrines.....

February how can that be? I have been busy making all kinds of new things. I signed up for two trades for Artfest, ATC trades and Fatbook trades. I have been working on these two projects forever (well it seems like it...) I made 32 Artist Trading Cards and 52 Fatbook pages.....I learned something about myself during these projects, I don't like to do repetitive work! It was gruelling, but I'm really proud of how they turned out and I got them out in the mail this week. I can't show you now, I want them to be a surprise. I will post them in April. Next I'm going to work on an Inspiration Deck that my Artfest housemates and I are creating.


I am crazy about Shrines. This is one I recently made for myself, honoring the love of my life, Sam! This is unusual for me, as I usually make things for others and give them away. This is definitely my new favorite project! They are really fun and your imagination is the limit! So far two of my friends and my mom have come by and made them for their loved ones for Valentines day and another friend is coming by Monday. It is great to have people in my art studio!







They are really easy! You start with matchboxes, I paid $1.39 at the grocery store for 10, but you could even get them for free or maybe you have some laying around the house.....







Take the matchbook apart and use a drawer upside down for the base, set another drawer on its side, as shown, and cut the cover of the matchbox at a crease, then cut one of the larger panels into a shape to form the top of your shrine. The one above is pointed, this sample to the left is rounded, use one of these ideas or use any shape you like, the sky's the limit.

Glue all the components together with Liquitex Matte Gel, you may need to re-apply glue to corners, sometimes they lift. When dry, apply a coat of gesso over the entire shrine to cover up the writing on the matchbox. When dry, apply a coat of paint, I love a paint I just discovered called Lumiere by Jacquard, I used #556 Halo Blue-Gold (looks green to me?).

Gather little things (as you don't have a lot of room), beads, charms, pictures (printed on thumbnail size), rhinestones, wire, etc. and start gluing, I used the matte gel again, it holds things great even the heavy heart in the corner. I hope you enjoy making your shrines as much as I do!

Enjoy every magical moment in your life... I hope there are lots!

My Very First Blog

Welcome to my blog page. I am so happy that your are here. This is my first ever blog. In September, I made a wonderful decision. I decided to attend Artfest 2009. It will be my first vacation that I have taken by myself (I'm 44). Since I made this decision, the universe has been handing me things on a silver platter. I have met wonderful people, I am involved in wonderful art trades and have been very creative. I am enjoying the journey and look forward to my first ever Virgin Artfest!