swag}O{rama

last year at this time becky & i were putting the finishing
touches on the swags,altered cabinet cards,glittery discs
and becky's signature mini woolen mittens,that we were
going to have for sale at our space at the saturday/monday sale.
a truly great collaboration....sooo much fun....very theraputic!

however,i swore off circles and diamond dust as the last swag
sold that fateful day! BUT,not for long! soon after that i
began making them for all occasions or no occasion at all,"just
because" has long been a motto i wholeheartedly subscribe to!
soooo,i have taken to leading private and public workshops
at rock,paper,scissors on the art of the timeless garland!
the next session will be saturday dec.2nd at 1pm and
for just $25 you can create your own newest obsession!
it'll be fun!

some of my people

these are my wonderful parents,siblings,sibs-in-law and
my precious 100 year old grandma,after the mass for mom
and dad's golden anniversary.

mom and dad after cutting their cake (spice of course!)

hannah and andy in their finery

savannah and tony

hanny,caroline and emmy

50 years of a lot of life!

phil & kay in the beginning....

november 22,1956 a wedding on thanksgiving......

jumping ahead,wacky christmas 2005

rx for refreshment

-my focus,just for this moment......

..."empty your mind of all thought.then admit to it a single idea,
and concentrate on it for a whole minute.let it be a simple thing
you can picture in your mind-a rose of specific color,an empty
bowl you imagine yourself filling with bright fruit;a tiny sliver from
a new moon.think of nothing else but that one thing and don't let
anything else intrude.the minute will seem like an hour,but at the end
of this concentrated thought,the tension and confusion will have
drained away,and you will be better able to cope with the present
problem."

today's reminder
troubles grow bigger as we spend more time thinking about them.
i will interupt such thoughts with a meditation whenever their weight
is too much for me.it will calm my thinking and put my difficulty into
proper focus. ~one day at a time

interconnected

pat's fabulous books from daniel essig's workshop last weekend,
a delightful show & tell at rps yesterday!

" I am not thinking of connections one might feel to other
"great artists" of the past or inspiring, high-profile contemporaries,
but the connections that help keep you happy in the studio. Artist
friends you get together with for critiques or just coffee and supportive
conversation.For instance I am in a group of four women who get together
for all of that, plus find venues to occasionally show together, and we encourage
each other in every possible way. Maybe you are part of a class or group that
gets together to try out new techniques once a month. Or do you have a beloved
teacher you still talk with on occasion who helps you feel connected to and
strengthened by your past. Isolation can cause fear and despondancy: the artist
alone in the ivory tower is often the one who commits suicide or stops working!
We are all interconnected and honoring and recognizing that is an immense comfort
and inspiration and source of strength for me, and I am sure for others too."
~ Nancy Bea

it has been many weeks since i have participated in studio friday.
today i checked in and found the above prompt and felt moved to respond.
i feel very fortunate indeed to have an intimate group of sincerely caring,
nurturing,divinely talented,giving{and hilarious!}artist friends,who
encourage and support one another[you know who you are!].
we meet regularly to connect,show & tell,break bread or whatever the day calls for!
for a boost in between,on any given day,i can go into rock,paper,scissors
....as soon as i walk through that 100+ year old door,i am home,in an artful cocoon
and am liable to see more than one of my cronies....ah the connection!

thanks,nancy bea & tine for this reminder!

life is hard,listen to fun music

the dualers spirit lifting music,check here
................are you still sitting?get up!!!