we're all mad here!

smiles for strangers & your belly

Nobody needs a smile so much as the one who has none to give. So get used to smiling heart-warming smiles, and you will spread sunshine in a sometimes dreary world.
+ Lawrence G. Lovasik +

One of the active changes I made in my life when I turned 40 was to meet the eyes of strangers and give away free smiles. I had noticed when running errands in public that the minute someone catches you glancing there way their eyes immediately dart to the ground. It got me thinking about how awkward we all behave around strangers, and I had to admit that I too was guilty of doing the downward glance dance. I love the whole concept of random acts of kindness, and decided that one of the simplest RAKs I could commit to was smiling at anyone who glanced my way. Not some halfass little grin either, but a full blown smile full of love and kindness. I've been doing this for well over a year now, and it has completely changed the way I view running errands. Instead of dreading going out, I'm excited about the opportunity to brighten someone's day even if only for a brief moment. Seeing someone's face light up as they realize the smile is truly meant for them has given something back to me I never expected. You can feel it deep in the tiny places of your heart, and it makes your soul want to sing! Admittedly, it was VERY awkward at first, and not every smile is met with one in return. I think many people are deeply distrustful of strangers, and it scares them a little to have you acknowledge them in such an open way. But way more often than not, I can see that special moment where their day is instantly brightened by my small gesture of kindness.

One of the things that always makes my family smile is when I cook their favorite meals. I've been loving sharing these recipes with you these past couple years, and have been working on sharing more. Last night I made one of my families favorites, and my Brave Girl Deana asked if I'd clue her in on just what flat iron steaks were. They are called "butlers' steaks" in the UK and "oyster blade steaks" downunder. It comes from the shoulder, and for the longest time it was thought to be a waste cut until students at the University of Nebraska figured out how to remove the connective tissue running through the middle that made it difficult to eat. It is a very flavorful and tender steak that we prefer cooked medium rare to medium and served with lime butter. Here's how my family loves them:

FLAT IRON STEAKS

• 2 full flat irons or 4 halfcuts
• 2 limes
• 2 tbl McCormick's Monterrey seasoning
• 2 tbl rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup Tamari gluten free reduced salt soy sauce 
  (we've tried it with other brands & it just doesn't taste the same)
• 3 garlic cloves - diced or minced
• 3 in. ginger root - grated
• 1 tbl olive oil
• 4 tbl butter

1. Use your grater or a zester to remove all the skin/zest from both limes. Put in a small dish, sprinkle with a bit of water to keep it from drying out, cover with saran wrap, and put in the fridge for later.

2. I like to brew up the marinade in a glass baking dish because the steaks fit in there great, and I don't have to dirty another dish. Combine: soy sauce, juice from both limes, seasoning, vinegar, garlic cloves, ginger, and olive oil. Stir it all together and add your steaks. If you bought whole flat irons, simply use a sharp knife or kitchen shears to cut them in half the short way to make 4. Spoon some of the marinade on top so you have something that looks like this:

{A little trick I learned from Chuck Hughes for skinning your ginger root before grating - use the sharp edge of a spoon and scrape the skin off into the trash. I know it seems weird, but I promise it works, and is quicker than any other method I've tried!}

You only have to marinate them for 1/2 hour so I like to do it on the countertop while I start the corn and mashed potatoes. Because you don't have to cook the flat irons very long, I've found it works best if they aren't cold right out of the fridge. You also don't want to marinate them for more than half an hour or the lime juice & vinegar start to break down the meat too much and make it stringy. We love our flat irons with good ole Michigan sweet corn, but they are just as yummy with asparagus, zuchinni, or any other kind of grilled veggies.

3. You want to cook these hot and fast, so heat your grill up on high and throw your steaks on. I like to give them a quarter turn after 3 minutes to get those lovely grill marks you get in restaurants. It only takes 7  minutes per side to cook them to a hair over medium rare, which gives you just enough time to cook and mash your potatoes. You want to leave them alone in between rotations & flipping so be patient and use a timer.

4. After you take them off the grill, cover with a piece of aluminum foil to let the juices set, and get to work on the lime butter. I usually use half a stick for 4 of us. Melt the butter in the microwave, and then stir in all that yummy lime zest. I know it seems strange, but I'm telling you it adds the most delicious flavor to both your mashed potatoes and the flat irons. You can slice them thin and serve over the mashed potatoes with the lime butter on top, but we like to keep them whole to hold in the heat.

5. Serve up and fill your belly!

That's all there is to it, and I promise your tummy will be so happy! Now I'm off to make some art before heading out to lunch with my heartmate Holly. I'll be sure to be giving out lots of free smiles along the way - why don't you give it a try.

NOW GO MAKE ART {or something tasty}!

 

tattoos and thai beef salad

So, If you follow me anywhere online, you've been seeing this photo of me crop up all over the place. It's from a photoshoot I did over at Vivid Ink for a fabulous new article in the current Cloth Paper Scissors. I have been wanting to write an article about turning your art into tattoos for the longest time, and when I found out they were dedicating an entire issue to wearable art I got really excited! It was such an amazing experience to go through the process of desinging and drawing my own tattoos. It also makes it super easy to show people what I do without having to add a lengthy explanation. All I have to do is roll up my sleeves, and give 'em a good look at my arms!

Since my girl Holly's husband Stu (our incredible tattoo artist) took all the photos, I thought I would share my favorite recipe from Holly with all of you. It is the most wonderful, tangy, crunchy beef salad, and I'm completely addicted to it. It tastes much better when it's had a nice bit of time in your fridge. I generally make this just before lunch if we're having it for dinner. So here's a little something fun to add to your recipe box:

THAI BEEF SALAD

ingredients

•  1+ lb. flank steak
• Montreal seasoning by McCormick
• Lawry's garlic salt
• 2 tbl. sugar
• 5 tbl. H20
• 1 1/2 cups GOOD fish sauce
• 1/2 cup white or cider vinegar
• 2 lemons juiced
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tbl. red pepper flakes
• english cucumber
• yellow onions
• 1 jalapeno seeded & sliced thin
• iceburg lettuce
• tomatoes (I like using small ones)
• cilantro
• 1 lime

1. Start by cutting your onions in half & slicing them up. Put them in a large bowl or baking pan add the following ingredients:

• 2 tbl. sugar
• 5 tbl. H20
• 1 1/2 cups GOOD fish sauce
• 1/2 cup white or cider vinegar
• 2 lemons juiced
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tbl. red pepper flakes

2. Let the onions soak in the marinade & coat both sides of your flank steak with the Montreal seasoning & garlic salt. With your grill pre-heated on high sear both sides of the flank steak until it is medium rare.

3. Slice the flank steak into very thin strips cutting across the grain of the muscles so it's not tough & chewy. Add the sliced steak to the onion marinade.

4. Slice & add the following ingreadients to the steak & onions:

• english cucumber - seeded & sliced
• 1 jalapeno seeded & sliced thin
• iceburg lettuce - julienned
• tomatoes (I like using small ones cut in half)

5. Put the whole thing in the fridge for the day and let the meat soak up all the yummy flavors.

6. Dish up & add a bit of cilantro & a slice of lime to give it a bit more zip. 

7. Fill your belly!

NOW GO MAKE ART!

 

Art Journaling Exposed

I'm on holiday with Jules & Mom in Paris, but wanted to take a quick minute to share some news about a new emag from Cloth Paper Scissors. I wrote an eyecandy bursting segment for them, and I couldn't be more pleased with the result. I took my Dye Works book from Mixed and Stitched and turned it into an incredible quote journal. You can get a detailed peek at ALL the pages inside along with my tips for adding embellishments to YOUR amazing art.

- here's a bit more from Jenn Mason -

Art Journaling Exposed Weekend Blog Hop!

Celebrate the launch of Art Journaling Exposed with us this weekend by following the blogs of its contributors and featured artists! These remarkable women will be giving you a closer look at the eMag-- the projects, articles, and videos--and offering you their first-hand reviews of this unique multimedia experience.

In alphabetical order:

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer
http://balzerdesigns.typepad.com/
Traci Bautista
http://kollaj.typepad.com/
Jane Davenport
http://www.janedavenport.com/
Dea Fisher
http://thestarbook.wordpress.com/
Jacqueline Newbold
http://djnewbold.blogspot.com/
Joanne Sharpe
http://joannezsharpe.blogspot.com/
Melanie Testa
http://melanietesta.com/blog/
Diana Trout
http://dianatrout.blogspot.com/

Early reviews for Art Journaling Exposed have been phenomenal, and one reader wrote to us saying, “This was amazing!!!!! I have NEVER enjoyed a magazine like I enjoyed this one. Just do more! Don't stop with this one! PLEASE!!!!!”

We hope you enjoy learning more about the eMag straight from the mouths of some of the most influential instructors and designers in the art journaling world. We can’t wait to hear what YOU think!

To purchase the eMag for your desktop computer, visit InterweavStore.com: PC download or MAC download.

Carving Rubber Stamps : : A Duet With Jen Osborn

I've been carving rubber stamps lately, something that I thought I would NEVER do ... but I have to tell you, it is SOOOO much fun. 

via cynthiashaffer.typepad.com

I have been a painting fool these past couple weeks, and Cynthia carved these incredible rubber stamps inspired by my paintings. I love it! Here's how she did it:

a taste of summer in winter

Happy Valentine's Day!

I finally got to the grocery store! I know this sounds silly to some of you, but I've been sick for over two weeks, and with my car out sick too it's become a challenge to get there at all. One of the reasons I'm so excited is that I've been dying to make some Summer Risotto for Larry, and because I've really been missing my breakfast tomatoes & basil with olive oil. This is a recipe that I adapted from a 2002 issue of Organic Style - Johne Thorne's Italian rice Tossed with Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella. I think Summer Risotto is easier to remember, and since I've tweaked it to my own liking, I'm going to be a rebel and give it my own name.

SUMMER RISOTTO - serves 3

• 1 cup risotto rice
• 2 cups water
• 1 tbl. butter
• 1 tbl. fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tbl. olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves - minced
• 1 small yellow onion - minced
• 7 fresh basil leaves
• 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. McCormick Monterry seasoning
• dash Lawry's garlic salt
• 1/2 container Sanitas or grape tomatoes - cut in half
• 3 spoonfuls pearl mozarella

1. Bring your 2 cups of water to a boil.
   +    1 cup risotto rice
   +    1 tbl. butter
2. Cover - reduce to simmer for 16 minutes
3. Add olive oil to a large saute pan & heat over med while you mince the garlic & onions
   +    garlic & onions
4. Saute until translucent & starting to brown 
5. Turn heat in saute pan down to low
   +    tomato halves 
   +    balsamic vinegar
6. At this point your risotto should be cooked - turn it into your saute pan & stir contents
7. Tear up the basil leaves & toss them in the pan
   +    garlic salt
   +    Monterry seasoning
8. Dish up and add a spoonful of the fresh mozarella pearls to each dish
9. Stir & fill yer belly!

 I've been busing sewing this amazing log cabin <3 pillow for CreateMixedMedia: 

I'll post the link and details of this fabu How To and Give Away as soon as I get them! Here's the loot one lucky reader will win:

The biggest, and best news for me is that I finally made a spot in my studio completely dedicated to painting, and creating mixed media. I'm getting ready to take Mindy Lacefield's Paint Your Story class soon, and I wanted to create a space where I could keep my paints out without worrying about them getting on my fabric. I found the cutest little conductor's stand down the street at the Maple Street Market - our towns nifty little antique store. It has a door on the front that opens up to shelves meant to hold sheet music, and it turns out it's exactly the right height to hold all my Liquitex paints. PLUS it's the perfect height so I don't have to hunch over and kill my back! {can you tell I'm excited?} So, for the rest of the week you can find me over by the window in my studio painting, and glueing away. What are you creating this week in your life?

NOW GO MAKE ART!

be nice

I came across this print on Pinterest yesterday, and it's had me thinking non-stop ever since:

One of the things my mother always hammered home to us as girls was to be nice to others. To treat others as we'd like to be treated in return. I took this VERY seriously as a child, and feel even stronger about it now that I am 40. What I still struggle with is why, if we want others to treat us nice, won't we be nice to ourselves first? This concept is one of the main points I've come away with since meeting Melody, and becoming a Brave Girl. You have to BE NICE to YOURSELF if you ever hope to live a full and happy life. And let's be honest, how are you REALLY going to be nice to others if you can't even manage it for yourself? It's hard sometimes, but I've found that the easiest way to be nice to myself is by doing the things I know I'm supposed to be doing. When I don't do the simple things I'm supposed to be doing every day: tidying up the house - doing laundry so everyone has clothes to wear - going grocery shopping - cooking diner - finding time for myself & my art - trying to meet my deadlines; I in turn get VERY hard on myself. I go off into that holding pattern of beating myself up until in the end I feel worse than I did when I started.

Now, the real excercise in being nice to ourselves comes when we CAN'T do the things we know we are supposed to. Say when we are ill or injured. Last week, I came down with a horrible cold, and was stuck on the couch for 4 days. During that time, all those things had to sit undone, but instead of beating myself up for not doing them, I tried to reassure my inner voice that it was okay to cut myself some slack. It was easy at first because I was way too sick to even care, but as I started to feel better I could hear that voice start to pipe up that things weren't getting done, and I was letting the family/myself/my commitments down. Now, Larry is amazing in these situations because he doesn't cut me slack unless it's truly deserved. He reminded me gently & then more urgently that if I didn't continue to rest I was just going to end up being sick three times as long. I knew in my heart he was right, but my brain kept insisting I needed to get it together. This is where I have to really work at shushing my inner critic, and go with what I know to be true ... and it does get easier with practice and repetition.

So ... be nice to each other, but most of all remember to be nice to yourself. 

NOW GO MAKE ART!

my ipad must haves

I had the pleasure of a catch-up call with my friend, Cathy Gaubert,  yesterday, and she gave me the best idea for a blog post. She got an ipad for Christmas, and was asking me what I use to edit my photos. I've been a photoshop girl for, man, almost 15 years now, and in my opinion nothing else even comes close. Well, she's never used photoshop ever, and the learning curve is REALLY steep. My solution for her was to get the Photoshop Express app for her ipad, and edit there. This conversation stirred up the pot for this post wonderfully. Larry and the kids bought me an ipad for my birthday last year, and I've spent a lot of time [and moolah] trying to find the best apps for artists/writers/crafters. So, here's my MUST HAVE apps - all the ones I keep on my front page for easy access:

FOR THE ARTIST:

• photoshop express - this is a dumbed down/FREE version of their popular program, but don't let the fact that it's free deter you. You can do all the basic editing stuff, and quite a few nifty things with this app including change the exposure style & add borders.
• reel director - $1.99 -  I love this app for editing movies on the fly. This is a great little program for turning your filmed How To's into fabulously edited videos. I like this program as much as imovie, and again, you can't beat the cost.
• art set - 99 cents - Jules loves this app because it has all your favorite mediums to choose from including oil paints & pastels / wax crayons / colored pencils / markers. It has a slew of blending tools and different paper textures to choose from.
• sketchbook pro - $9.99 { I think - you cannot see the price once you buy it } This is one of the few apps I've been willing to pay over $4.99 for. There is a FREE express version of this one as well, so check it out before you shell out your moolah.
• palettes - FREE - I love this app for finding color combination and pulling colors from photos. There is a BASIC & PRO version of this program, but I've found the free version works just fine for me so far.

FOR THE WRITER:

• pages - $9.99 - This is the only other app I've paid this much for, but being able to edit my articles on the road was one of the main buying points for me. I love being able to edit or write on the fly!
• story tracker - LITE - This is a tool for tracking your story/article submissions from idea to print. I don't use this as much as I should, but I'm trying to use it more this year to keep track of what I'm writing/submitting.
• phraseology - $3.99 - I just bought this app over vacation, and haven't used it yet. "Part text editor, part word processor, phraseology is a simply enviro focused app to make it enjoyable & productive to write on the ipad." I'll let you know more when I use it :)
• anote - $3.99 or LITE - A color coded post-it note style app. I use this to keep reminders of ideas that are still only seeds, things I need to do for the family, looming deadlines, and TO DO lists. I love that it's color coded and tabbed, which both make it really quick to find notes.

FOR THE CRAFTER:

• flickstackr - $1.99 - There is a free app directly from flickr, but I really love the layout and navigation in this app. If you use and love flickr like I do to keep track of your online exchanges, you gotta get this one!
  
• kindle - FREE - One of our passions as crafters is buying books to learn new techniques. All the new crafting books are coming out in Kindle editions, and you easily see them a page at a time in your studio with this fabulous app. You don't even have to weigh the pages down!
• pandora radio - FREE - I know what you're thinking, "What in the world does Pandora have to do with crafting?" We all need some music to stir our imagination pot, and keep us company, don't we?!
• mollie makes - $6.99/issue - This is the one magazine I can't do without - it's almost as if it were written just for me. If you haven't checked out Mollie Makes yet, what are you waiting for? There is also a digital subscription for around twenty dollars.
• cloth paper scissors - $7.99/issue - CPS is currently my favorite magazine to write for, but they have other selections for the sewer & knitter as well. 
• jknit HD - PRO & LITE - I'm convinced this app was written with the absent minded knitter in mind. I can write my own patterns, and save them with the PRO version. You can also search for specific patterns, and download them right into the program. It also has a BIG visual counter with row instructions to keep you on track.
• knitionary - $1.99 - This is a great app for the experimental knitter. It is a visual dictionary of stitches, so you not only get the formula to knit it, but know what it should look like too.

And there you have it :) There are lots of other apps I use all the time, but right now these are the ones I find most useful and that I use over and over again. If there is an app you just can't live without I would love to know what it is! Has anyone found a great app for writing sewing patterns? I haven't looked because I don't usually use them, but it would be nice to be able to keep track of the ones I come up with w/o having to read through a bunch of doc files!

NOW GO MAKE ART!

getting back on the horse

Hello 2012!
Today is the Chinese New Year - Year of the Dragon, and I've been starting out the new year finally working on a new blog post. It's a quiet Monday night, with Larry at Pool, and Jules volunteering at the Concessions for Buddy Basketball. I've been itching to get back to blogging, but REALLY having a hard time getting started. I wonder if part of it is because I fear it will be the end of this wonderful hibernation I've been wallowing in? I've loved the quiet, the time to journal and think, being home and not so much online ... but I feel it's time to poke my nose out of my cave and get back to doing what I love to do. Now, there's part of the problem too ... ever since finishing up my book { Mixed and Stitched } I've had a hard time pinpointing exactly what it is I want to do next.

Every year when my birthday rolls around, I find myself getting really introspective about where I've been and where I'd like to go. Part of this process is taking a break from the online world to focus more of my time and energy towards my family and home during the holidays. The hard part comes when it's time to get back to being online, and blogging more consistently. There is something about taking that break that really makes you want to stay in that offline place.

I spend a lot of that time journaling about what it is I love to do now, because as we evolve as artists, so too does our interests and dreams. What happens when we achieve our dreams? How do we decide on new ones and what's next?

After you've put in all that hard work - how do you re-ignite that fire and passion for something new? This is uncharted teritory for me ... and I find myself wandering around restless in search of that new thing that will having me charing off to conquer it. Are you diggin' me?

I'm slowly starting to see a glimmer of what's next with the help of those I love and the advice of fellow artists I admire. I think that's a whole nother post tho, so I'm going to skip back a bit and tell you about my winter adventures while I was away.

One of the silliest and most awesome things I did this winter was learn how to make my own pickles! You can find the recipe I used here:

MIXED PICKLED VEGIES

I used apple cider vinegar & a little less kosher salt than called for - left out the cinnamon stick - Holly & I pickled asperagus / green beans / cucumbers and they were SO EASY and completely AMAZING! Everyone loved them, and I'm not kidding you when I say it took all of about 1/2 hour including cutting up all the veggies. If you are a lover of pickles, I HIGHLY recommend this recipe! 

I bought a packet for Bread & Butter pickles [per Jake's request], and I'm going to make a few jars that are just green beans { my absolute fav! }. I'm curious if you tried anything new over the holidays, and if so, did you blog about it? Please leave your link in the comments section so we can all take a peek!

And now I think I've rambled on enough ... not too shabby for a month sabatical from blogging. Tomorrow, I'll write a little bit about my Christmas vacation in Las Vegas, and my word & quote for the New Year.

NOW GO MAKE ART!

snuggled in for the holidays

December is one of my favorite months for a multitude of reasons - the best being my birthday is the 7th and I love my birthday. I love birthdays in general and go out of my way to make them special, but I love having that one special day out of the year that is all about me. {important when you are a pleaser} Second would be my kids are off school for a couple weeks, and we all have a good time hanging out together. On the tail of that is getting to spend time with my family. Whether my sister's family comes here to us or we go out to her, it's always been a time when my family comes together to catch up and celebrate. Last, but certainly not least is the start of a new year - both for me age wise and on the calendar.

Everything I write comes from my childhood in one way or another. I am forever drawing on the sense of mystery and wonder and possibility that pervaded that time of my life.
+ Kate DiCamillo +

I also do a lot of drawing in the winter, and it's made me so happy to see my drawing skills improve this past year. I put my mind to making sure I was drawing at least a couple times a week, and I can definitely tell a difference. I found this incredible children's book, The Poppyseed Cakes, when I was in Camas last month, and it became the perfect inspiration last week when I was trying to find something different to do. I'm on drawing number 5 of a five day run, and intend to continue on until the pages are all gone. I open the book to a random page, and read the text. I use the text as a prompt for the drawing, and hop off to the internet to find a quote that matches my drawing. My goal is to continue improving my drawing skills while producing something fun for my etsy shop.

It is only by drawing often, drawing everything, drawing incessantly, that one fine day you discover to your surprise that you have rendered something in its true character.
+ Camille Pissarro +

So anyways, on to the meat of this post - my thoughts on creating perfect holidays. Now, generally I go all out for the holidays; figurines / ornaments / candles / wall hanging / flowers / lights ... you get my point. Well, this year we decided to simplify things A LOT, and our mantra this season is:

DON'T WORRY IF IT'S NOT PERFECT - JUST ENJOY IT WITH ALL YOUR HEART

You see, last year I ran around like a crazy woman making everything as perfect as possible, and then Larry lost both his sister and father on either side of Christmas, along with a whole lot of other chaotic events, and things got totally skewed and out of hand despite my best efforts. The result is that I didn't really enjoy the holidays much last year which is VERY unusual for me. I LOVE the holidays, and all the cooking and decorating that goes along with celebrating them, so this was a huge knock down last year. This year, I started feeling those panicy "things aren't going to be just right"  jitters right before Halloween, and it threatened to send me spinning out of control. Larry, in response dug in, and declared that he wasn't participating in any of the madness this year ... period ... end of discussion. Well, in true Jennifer form, I dug right in myself and started up with the badgering and protests of why my way is better. Did I get anywhere? What do you think :)

No one is perfect... that's why pencils have erasers. 
+ Author Unknown +

 This is the look I get when I'm trying to do something we both know is ridiculous and unrealistic: 

After about 15 minutes of pouting and stomping my feet, I mulled over his very good points, and decided that I wasn't going to participate in the craziness this year either. You see, we leave for Vegas on the 23rd so the Christmas tree has to be down & out so we're still not trying to get needles out of the carpet in July.  We went and got a little tree that is shorting than me, and it only has my snowflake lights on it ... no ornaments this year - but it's all good :) There's also not craziness to drag out or put away as we try to get out of town to be with our family. This has left me so much more time to make gifts, and draw, and read, and do the things I love - starting to get the bigger picture? 

So, I'll leave you with thoughts on simplifying, and taking things down to the bare bones of what you really enjoy this holiday season, as I'm off to sew and stitch up wonderful things in my studio.

NOW GO MAKE ART!

love train - a GIVE AWAY

I'm having one of those moments ... that feeling you've got something important to do. That KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!ing that makes your heart start to race a little bit. I'm getting one of those "feelings" I'm doing what I'm supposed to be right this very minute. Do you ever have that happen, and not act then wish you had? I don't want this feeling to turn into one of those, so I'm going to "act now while supplies last", and follow my gut.

Today started out pretty good, and has continued to get better and better as time ticks by. There's some mojo stirring itself up over here folks, and I REALLY want to share it and pass it on to YOU.

Yes, YOU!

You sitting right there hoping it's you, but maybe feeling too nervous or anxious or maybe even a little afraid that it is YOU to even try and join in. Are you ready to make a difference in someone else's day? Are you ready to get this love movin' all over the globe? Don't you dare tell me we can't cause I know better!

We're going to get a love train going my peeps, and see how far we can spread the love. Are you up for the adventure? Are you game? Here's all you have to do:

• give something away on your blog or flickr or tumblr or wherever ... whatever you use to share with your peeps

AND

• post a link to it right here on this very blog post
   

That's it :) I don't care what you give away - it can be art ... time ... product ... a service ... something sewn or handmade ... a polka dot elephant wearing tights - the what, my friends, is up to you.  The point is to take a moment to stop the talking, and take a smidgen of your precious time to do the walking. It's time to put all that lip service - all the "I wanna"s & the "I should just", and actually DO. My husband is a HUGE supporter of the "don't tell me - show me" way of living your life. The plain truth is that actions speak a million times louder than words. Always.

So, here's what I'm giving to one of you - my owls & fireflies pillowcase. It's 16 x 16 inches and has an apple green zipper in the bottom so you can take your pillow out and wash the case if it gets dirty. I've been deciding what to do with it for months, and I think this is exactly the right thing! It's quilted on both sides, and comes from a smoke free home :) I'll also throw in some extra goodies tailored just for you. I'm also going to pick one more person in private to pass something else on to that is more personal, because I've got the feeling I need/want/should do that, too because that is how it has been given to me all day.

Here's the fine print:

• I will choose the winner at random by using a number genorator
• You have between now and 3 pm EST on Friday to post the link to your Give Away.
• You do not need to live in the USA to win this Give Away or host your own
• You must send me your address by next Wednesday - 10/5 or I choose a new winner
  {I have a problem mailing things out & don't want to wait or forget.} 

One of the things I stumbled upon today, that I've talked about in the past is Tiny Buddha. Well, here is today's quote:

A hero is a man who does what he can.
+Romain Rolland+

So, let's all do what we can today, and be the hero in someone else's day! As my friend Melody likes to say, "You never know when you might be exactly what someone else needs at exactly the right moment!" and I agree wholeheartedly!

NOW GO PASS ON THE LOVE!

nightmares and wrinkles and fears

OH MY!

So, I'm kinda over the heavy posts this week, and thought it was about time I got back to the lighter side for a bit. This post is kinda jumpy, and I've tried to figure out how to transition better, but this is the way I think, so deal with it :)

A couple posts ago I was talking about reality versus perception, and wanted to touch on it again for just a minute today. On the left you can see a photo I took of my studio yesterday. Ugh! It's transmogrified back from it's pristine photoshoot tidiness to what it generally looks like most of the time. If you picked up my book, and knew knothing real about me you might perceive that my studio was always that perfect picture of tidiness ready for art at a moments notice that the photos portray. The reality is that this is it folks - right now there is a HUGE pile of nerf guns blocking all my fabric, a pile of my current sewing projects on the floor where the kids dumped them when they needed my chair, and barely enough room on my workbench to make a sandwich let alone create something. Just out of frame you would still find my unpacked suitcase from Art Fest {yeah yeah ... I know that was back in April, thank you very much}, boxes of projects from my book, and whatever else the kids threw in there when they were asked to clean up the family room.

Don't I find it embarassing and uncomfortable to admit? Sure, but it's the truth, so I can either change it or accept it, right? I might not accept it 100% of the time, but more often than not, this is what you're going to find in there no matter how hard I try to hide and cover it up from everyone. It's gotten easier to just admit the truth. This does not in the least bit mean I've admitted defeat ... it just means that I'm coming to terms with the fact that my house is never going to look like the ones in Flea Market Style regardless of how hard I wish. I could try harder I suppose, but the truth is that I enjoy things like reading and making things too much to give over all my energy to the endless cleaning that level of perfectness requires!

Another thing I'm learning to come to terms with is turning 40, and the wrinkles that crop up around your eyes and mouth as a result. I was blessed with some pretty magical genes, and think I look pretty good for 40, but I'm not a huge fan of the wrinkles. I've tried creams, and ointment, and salves, and cucumbers, and anything else I can get my hands on, and I'm pretty sure they're staying put. Now, I can either start injecting my face full of all kinds of junk to smooth them out and trick everyone into thinking I'm younger, or I can just sigh and learn to live with them. Does that mean I have to love them? Yeah ... I don't see that ever happening, but I don't find myself wanting to hide in my room and cry over them either. It's just another one of those things that I've decided just is, and that's a great feeling. It feels good to be able to accept things we cannot really change. I am 40 after all, as well as having had two kids and a trashcan full of stress to cope with so far. It's just life :)

Listen folks, there's gonna be some wrinkles and stretch marks after all that growing that took place to get here, right?!

Last, but most certainly not least, is the nightmares. If I could write them all down and get them into the right hands I'm sure I'd be as rich and famous as Stephen King! I have spectacular, end of the world, zombies chasing me, rummaging through desolate buildings for food, running for your life nightmares, and have for as far back as I can remember. I'm pretty sure it's more a product of my fabulous imagination tinted with a touch of my anxiety than that there's something wrong upstairs, but who knows. Right now, I'm working on turning one of them into a short 5 panel drawing in my art journal, and am pretty excited about trying something new. I generally journal a page or two per idea, and spliting it up into smaller pictures is both challeging and exciting. One of the things I didn't really think through about entering the Artisan Search 2012 is that I have to mail my journals off to CPS for a whole year ... A WHOLE YEAR! So, I'm putting the finishing touches on my last few unfinished drawings, and then it will be on to making a new art journal. I'm a little sad that I have to send them off for so long, but really excited to come up with a fun journal making project to share with you here!

One last little thought before I log off to go read through my towering stack of magazines - make time to have lunch or dinner with a friend this week! I got to have lunch with Holly today, and I always feel better after we have one of our heart talks about life and kids. Her littlest is starting his school years just as mine is ending hers, and it's nice to share that experience with someone who is feeling similar about it all! I promise it will put life in perspective, and make your heart feel lighter!

NOW GO MAKE ART!