Anthropologie

Just read a blog about this cool clothing, etc. store. Pricey, but dang cute!

Mosaic How-To

This is a Mosaic from Ali Edwards. I think they are way cool. She posted how to do it, so I'm posting it here below:

Making the Squares
A couple questions in the comments yesterday regarding the collage (or mosaic) of inspiring photos. If you use Flickr you can easily create these mosaics using Big Huge Labs Mosaic Maker. You specify the number of photos across and down and where they come from (mine usually come from my favorites).

I also often make photo gatherings in Photoshop to use in my projects. Or sometimes I just use a square punch. You can read how I go about creating these groupings in Photoshop in a past issue of my newsletter here (scroll down to "Creating Photo Gatherings in Photoshop").

And a few more...

A Santa with bright blue eyes for Grandma...


And a collage piece for Jenna, Kelly Rae style

Some Christmas Gifts I made for Mom...

A collage painting that I thoroughly enjoyed making...


On a wooded stretched canvas--



And a teeny baby--under 3 inches long. Mom hit the jackpot because her birthday is right around Christmas.

I love sculpting little bums and feet! =)

Male Fairy Progress

Meet Gabriel....


With some painted features:


Testing out what he looks like with hair...

Fudge for Jenna - Recipe

We make this fudge every Christmas. It is easy & rich & creamy. It can be enjoyed any time throughout the year.


* 1 stick butter(half cup)
* 2 cups sugar
* 2/3 cup evaporated milk
* 1tsp vanilla
* 2 cups mini-marshmallows
* 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Melt butter add sugar & milk- cook in microwave for 3 min. on high-stir- cook another 3 min. on high-stir- cook 2 min. on high -stir- then add vanilla, marshmallows, chocolate chips - mix until melted- pour into a greased 8x8 pan - allow to set-up Caution when making any candy in the microwave the bowl & the fudge mixture will be very hot!

Options:
-add chopped nuts
-use milk or white chocolate chips in place of semi-sweet chips
-use peanut butter in place of chocolate chips

From {Sweet Life in the Valley blog}

Beeswax with Suzi Blu

Found this version--Popular

Jenna turned me on to this musical. I love the blonde from pushing up daisies

My life is still unwritten....

Today, I bought a guitar. I love my pretty guitar, but now my fingers are killing me. Did you know you need callouses on your fingers to play a guitar? Hmmmm...maybe I could put a layer of superglue on each finger tip? Why'd I get a guitar? I don't know exactly--it's been calling to me for nearly a year now. So we'll see--Jairen loves them, so maybe we'll learn to play together.

It's fun to try something new--something unexpected. Life is always unwritten until we decide:

A Journey into the past....

Suzi Blu--It's never too late...

Some paintings I've been working on. None are really "done" but I wanted to post some progress! I think I need to make another arm on this gal. I used a canvas board I found at dollar tree--don't use them--way to rough. So she's very textured looking. But I learned a lot. Like if I make the faces too small it's hard to add much detail.


This one is on nice canvas. Just waiting to make a collage dress and wings, highlight the hair and thin out the face a bit. Then I'll play with the background more and give it a brown border. I love brown and turquoise--matches my swimsuit. Mostly I'm waiting for the watercolor pencils from dickblick so I can detail the faces better.

Just another experiment with a more realistic face. Steph said I've learned how to make old people skin. She's right. I'm still working on learning how to layer acrylics. Wanting those pencils...that's how people do the detail work, I've learned. This one looks better on paper--Maybe I took it at a weird angle. I'll fix her up and post when I'm done. =)

Dr. Oz Green Drink?

Hmmm....don't know if I dare try this or not?

Dr. Oz says he makes a breakfast drink for himself many mornings that he calls his green drink.

What's in Dr. Oz's green drink?

• 2 cups spinach
• 2 cups cucumber
• 1 head of celery
• 1/2 inch or teaspoon ginger root
• 1 bunch parsley
• 2 apples
• Juice of 1 lime
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

After everything is combined in a blender, this recipe makes 28 to 30 ounces—about three to four servings. Oprah takes a sip and is pleasantly surprised. "It's a glass of fresh," she says.

I think my chocolate version sounds better. Speaking of which, time for breakfast.

Time Lapse oil painting

This is fun for me to watch & understand how to do shading, etc. I'm sure I'd love oils, too--but one thing at a time.

A couple more... Josh Groban

The Prayer with Celine



And this was new to me. I love her skirt--I just happened to buy one like it yesterday!



But I like Sarah's voice better in this version:

I just love Josh Groban

I think I first saw him on a Sarah Brightman Video from my brother, Zeke. Wow! What a voice and so young! I found these cool videos on YouTube:



This one is Believe with a bunch of Josh pictures:



And this one is the same song with a bunch of Christmas pictures:



It gets those Christmas juices flowing!

I love it when people a found divinity within themselves and share their gifts with others. I believe there is something amazing within each one of us--we just need to follow our bliss and discover it. Then it becomes pretty obvious!

aj

Earthly Arts Gardens

I was writing in my manifesting journal the other day--which is essentially a list of all the things I'd like to have in my life--and I'd written down great landscaping. So then today I came across these pictures from Earthy Arts. Yep, that's a before and after picture. Apparently they do this for a business, so now, when I have my home a property, I'll know who to call!

So I've been working on my male fairy commission--about 6 hours into it. He's coming along. I'll post pics later. I also did a new painting in my art journal last night, and i'll have to show that too. It's a more natural, realistic looking face. It turned out nice.

It snowed a foot here, and the kids had a blast playing in it yesterday!

Plus, I found out my parents are going to Korea for 18 months. What an adventure!

Watch Suzi!

August Rush Trailer

I love this--it brings the movie back to me.

A Perfect Day

Today has been a thoroughly lovely day and I wish to give thanks for it. Right now, I've got my laptop...on my lap...and I'm sitting by a fire in our wood burning stove--a recent manifestation--THANK YOU!

Randy and I just watched August Rush, and it was every bit as wonderful as I'd imagined. I've already downloaded my favorites from iTunes--I love music, and I especially love the definition of music in this movie. A harmonic connection between all living beings. In some ways, I think it is the language of God, and when others express what they hear, we sense it within us. Even if we aren't musical, we feel it--we recognize that language and it moves us. We can't help but hear its message.

We made it up the hills just fine--any one who lives around here knows what a huge blessing that is--and with a foot of snow, to boot!

I like to watch the fire. It has a life of its own. Plus, it's been great for all the junk mail we get, and whatever other cardboard or garbage we are used to dumping in the trash.

We got groceries, so we are set, even if we do get snowed in. The snow is so beautiful. There is a man who hops on his four-wheeler and plows the streets in our neighborhood. I think the city plows have a hard time finding us, so we love this kind neighbor. It reminds me of my dad. That's what he used to do when we lived in Idaho Falls--he was that kind neighbor.

I am so grateful for my life, my loved ones, and for all the new wonderful people who will cross paths with mine.

Just Breathe--art vlog

I keep finding such wonderful goodies. I LOVE this song, by the way.

I love SUzi BLu!

The Power of Focus

You've heard of that, right? The Power of Focus--it was the title of a very popular book. But there are other phrases--"what you focus on grows" or "be careful what you ask for, you just might get it"--today I am thinking about the power of focus. It is my conviction that what we put our attention on becomes more predominant in our lives. And so I was reminded again from one of my favorite books, Reality Creation Secrets, that we can shape our world by what we choose to focus on. I choose to focus on a world of love and peace--of abundance and fulfillment for all. What would happen if everyone chose to do this? I can't wait to find out. Luckily, I'm not the only one...

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
~John Lennon

Sharing Light

Still recovering this morning. I guess I'm just shocked the more conscious I become--the more our world understands the effect of our thoughts on the world around us--why would we spend any time creating more violence? It's beyond me. I'm finding it helpful to focus on things I love and enjoy. I read this wonderful quote from Kelly Rae Roberts this morning. This is more of what the world needs!

"a sweet someone said to me recently, "i see your light." my heart sank with tenderness. she gets it. she gets me. she understands that with all the cracks, there is light, too. our lightness within is not only our own personal divinity, but a collective divinity, too. when we show up and be who we are. when we ask for what we want and nurture our spirits. when we live whole and true and messy and free, then we begin to release all that lightness into the world and we allow the lightness and goodness of others people and experiences to enter our hearts. then we're all walking around in the world with bright energy as we tackle the everyday to-do list or deeper matters of the heart. before he passed away, john's uncle roy used to tell me that inside my own heart is a light. when we peel away the layers of stress and confusion and worry and fear, there it is. the light we hold within our hearts is god - our own divinity of everything that is perfect and true. when we begin to see ourselves clearly, without the layers of muck, we are most in touch with what is divine. i'll never forget uncle roy. what a treasure he was to me. he is, as this painting is titled, deeply loved and unforgettable. he taught me that all i will ever need is already within. my light is my sweetest companion and with me always, even when it gets a bit cloudy. it's always there."

Thanks for the reminder, Kelly!

Some Relief

I made the mistake today of seeing the movie xxxxxxxxx. UHHHHGGGHHH talk about violent! That was not PG-13--like it claims. Horrid images. I've decided I won't even mention the name for why would I want to draw any more attention to it? I came home needing a relief and found this awesome video:




I found the lyrics as well:

The touch of His hand will let me know
He takes me in and lets me go
If not for love, who would believe
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done
In you and me

We’re lifted up by angels
Higher than the world
Strong enough to leave it
Bound to learn the secrets
Angels never heard
Close enough to heaven
Far above the rain
Darkness cannot reach us
Let the angels teach us
Only love remains
We’re lifted up by angels

To understand yet never say
How every plan would fade away
If not for love, where would we be
Ashes to dust
Water to rust
Eternally

We’re lifted up by angels
Higher than the world
Strong enough to leave it
Bound to learn the secrets
Angels never heard
Close enough to heaven
Far above the rain
Darkness cannot reach us
Let the angels teach us
Only love remains
We’re lifted up by angels

Lifted up by angels
Given wings to fly
Leave the night behind us
Trust the light to find us
Even as we rise

God help us create a better world--that's all I can say.

Before and After

This one was hard to believe.

My first Painting on Canvas!

Hmmm--I could have sworn I took some progress pics, but I'm not finding them. So here she is almost done, with bits of beeswax I'm about to melt with my quilting iron (though I don't quilt).

Melty, melty...



She looked cool with the wax, but even cooler when I took some white ink and spread it around with tissue paper--made the texture POP out!




Outside pic above, inside at my desk below. Ott lights simulate the sun pretty well, eh?



I added some gold to her eyes and lips. Well, that was fun. Felt weird to paint on a canvas, but now I've tackled that one. the next will be easier.

This one is all in my new acrylics--I found a cool set of 30 Liquitex acrylics for under $20 at Dickblick.com


And this was before I had the acrylics--other than pink--so I just used the Portfolio pastels--they are water soluable, so I just wet them and painted with the water.



I really like the red hair and purple eyes. I'll have to do a painting like this and give it more of my own flair.

Hey, I drew this almost a year ago today. It's still one of my favorites. I'm having more fun working in color.

Art Journal Progress- Paintings

This one is modeled after "Angela Prays" by Suzi Blu.

Art Journal Progress - Sketches

So here is a picture of the infamous Art Journal with the pic from 1200 AD.




And next I've just been making sketches similar to other paintings I've seen. They are just for my own use and practice:



Next I'll have to show you how I painted them.

Must be Beatles night

Sweet December. Snow and everything to celebrate. We do live in a beautiful spot nestled in the mountains. Even if we do slide down the hill and have to use an alternate route to get to our home...and even then smack into a snow bank. Like I was saying, it is so pretty! (tee hee)




Our japanese maple is my favorite tree--it's even beautiful covered in snow.





Steph back from shopping with her Pa. Sweet revenge for all those times she made funny face--welcome to the internet, sweetie!

The Beatles - Tomorrow Never Knows Lyrics

Turn off your mind, relax and float down stream,

It is not dying, it is not dying

Lay down all thoughts, surrender to the void,

It is shining, it is shining.

That you may see the meaning of within

It is being, it is being

Love is all and love is everyone

It is knowing, it is knowing

That ignorance and hate may mourn the dead

It is believing, it is believing

But listen to the colour of your dreams

It is not living, it is not living

Or play the game "Existence" to the end

Of the beginning, of the beginning




More The Beatles Lyrics...