I took the past week off to make art. 

                                       It was wonderful.

I thought this blog was dead. I haven't posted in over two years. I closed it to uninvited readers and didn't invite anyone.

After a couple of failed relationships, it felt a bit humiliating having my life exposed through the blog. So much of my life has been documented here.

I'd been thinking recently about coming back to the blog and figured this is my life. Yes, it's humiliating in a way, but it's mine. It's who I am, where I've been, what I've done and I really shouldn't hide it. So, I've reopened my blog and hopefully will be sharing art and my heart with you again.

I am still teaching in the Montessori school, though I never did go get the official training. It's so expensive, even with the school paying half. I'd have to take 5 weeks unpaid from work, plus pay for a hotel and food while at training and there's really no compensation for it. I won't make more money at my school. The only compensation would be my own learning and, frankly, I read Montessori stuff constantly and there is so much available online that I feel I have a pretty good handle on it at this point. So....

Also, my sweetheart and I are starting a business. He can make awesome things with wood, including furniture and I, if you remember after so long, am an artist. We plan to combine our skills. I'm not quitting my day job any time soon but I hope in the long run that our business will sustain us.

And about my sweetheart. His name is Dan and he's awesome.

I have moved from my beloved apartment from the last post to a house in a rural setting surrounded by creeks and beautiful weeds and mountains. It's bliss, really. It took a while to adjust. I did love that apartment and its location but this place suits me to a T and I am very happy.

I hope I have art to share with you soon! Thank you for coming back to read this!

Nesting Fever

I have been hauling out things that have been put away in drawers, boxes and closet and putting them up on the walls. Patrick likes to tease me about nesting as he makes little mama birdie nesting movements. He cracks me up.

Not sure about this area. Needs some straightening up.

It feels good to be getting the apartment fixed up. I do a little every weekend and every little bit counts.

Patrick's study/Guest room/Jace's room in the wee small hours of the morning.

This weekend, I got hit with a bug. Something from one of the little ones from school. So I'm not getting a whole lot done today. I did a little yesterday morning before the cold took over.

Kitchen fun with old tins and aprons.

Aprons!

I've taken a little break from art, getting my creativity fix through decorating. I'm kind of itching to sew and mod podge now, though, so hopefully there will be art in the near future. Or curtains! I really need to make some curtains, judging by these photos.

Sun shining on refrigerator jars in the dining room.

Have a great week. Hopefully I'll blog a little sooner next time.

Bedroom corner. Still a little empty. A cute desk with a sewing machine is called for , I think.

My Grandma's chest of drawers with milk glass and my prized candy dish that  Michael got for me when he was just little. The neighbors were throwing it out and he rescued it. Did he know me or what?

<3

Sitting with Silence

Well, it's been a month since I've posted. How about that?

I'm in the midst of Spring Break and it's wonderful. I'm really enjoying sleeping in a bit, making dolls, thinking whole thoughts, meditating, taking walks and spending time with Patrick, though it is not Spring Break for him so he is still working. I try to remember that and not bug him. :)

Sometimes I forget how much I need these down times. It would be great if meditating and connecting came easily. Perhaps it should. But for me, it takes effort. I mean, to really feel that oneness with others universally, to feel connected to the Earth, to the real me, to you, I need time and energy. I need to sit with silence. That is most important. And then I need time to create. I need time to listen to what others are saying. I need to hear music that moves me. I need to see art that thrills me.

That's what this week has been for me. I feel I'm at a retreat!!

If you find yourself feeling disconnected and burned out, stop. If it is possible, stop. Take a couple of days and just listen. Be quiet. Go out into nature. You don't have to go on a 1,000 mile hike or anything. Just walk to a park or a river. Take in all of the beauty. Listen for the lessons. And then. And then nothing. Just keep them for yourself unless you feel compelled to share. No pressure. Just connect.

It's working for me.

I was exhausted and burned out. Now I have energy and peace and JOY!

Try it. I know it will work for you. ♥

Speaking of music that moves me. Here's what moving me right now.



Enjoy.

A Nourishing Day of Quiet and SoulCollage

Two new cards.

 I plan to journal with them soon.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what they have to say.

A Little Catching Up

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted! I'm so tired by the end of the school day and then Mike, Kasey and Jace are here most weekends, which is wonderful! Doesn't leave a lot of time for blogging, though. I'm off today. It's so great to have a three-day weekend! Lots is going on. I'm going to Raleigh in the summer to get my Montessori AMS training! Whoohooo! Very excited, scared, resistant...but again, excited, about that. I feel it's the right move. Teaching is going well. I'm learning so much. We've recently had some new ladies come in and they're just awesome. It feels like a real team effort for the children and I love it.

                             I've been doing a little crafting. I crocheted these little pink hearts.

                     And added them to construction paper. I gave them to my class as Valentines.

I've been doing some chalk drawings. I guess I need to get pics since I can't seem to find the ones I want on my computer.

                                      This is how it looks out our kitchen window this morning.

I'll try to blog sooner next time and hopefully have lots of fun crafty things to share.

Happy New Year 2012!!!

We watched this movie this morning. I highly recommend it as a way of starting the year.

Much love to you, my friends.

♥

SoulCollage, Ritual and the Winter Solstice

Happy Solstice!

I created a new SoulCollage card last night. It came together very quickly.

This morning I lit a candle, quieted my mind and did a little I am the One who...

I am the One who...

is wearing a dragonfly skirt.

is practical.

is reading.

wants to have it together.

is understated.

is drawn by ritual.

is repelled by ignorance.

wears the no-nonsense dress that is covered in bold symbolism and in chartreuse, no less.

reads and reads.

wants to understand the meaning; the real meaning. Not the sentiment. Not the superstition.

sometimes wishes I could abandon the logic and throw myself into the ritual.

finds SoulCollage a joy because I don't have to abandon reason to enjoy the ritual.

What do you have to tell me?

I want you to know that it's ok to walk in your perceived two worlds.

It's ok to be logical. It's ok to think.

It's good to be skeptical.

It's also ok to desire connection with something bigger.

It's ok to enjoy rituals based on the old ways.

It's ok to celebrate the cycles of nature and of the universe.

It's ok to love the mystery.

It's ok to be sentimental.

Keep studying. Learn. Enjoy. Relax. Love. Be.

Now I am waiting to watch the sunrise.

Have a wonderful day!

Thankful!

Lesley Venable graciously offered a bundle of classes and I was able to take an online class for the first time in ages. I am enjoying it so much and learning so much. It's brought me back to my very first art love; collage. I used to do this for hours a day and somewhere along the line, I stopped. With this renewed passion, I took a big breath and emailed the director of a local arts & craft fair and asked for a table! I'm so excited. I'm also getting scared. I can feel that familiar inner scream coming on, "get out of it, get out of it!!" But, nope. I'm not going to get out of it. I'm going to set up a table and see what happens.

Anyway, back to Lesley! She is no longer offering the bundle of classes but she has broken them up and they are only $10 per class. They are worth so much, much more. It is so much fun just watching her put things together and listening to her makes you almost believe you're just hanging out with with her, sharing some coffee and playing art. So go check out the classes. I feel like I'm finally out of my slump. It feels good to get back to the kind of art that originally helped me to heal...way back when.

I've been working like crazy this past week. I'm grateful to have been off from school most of the past week so I could enjoy time with family and to do so much painting and collage. Here's a little of what my past week has looked like.

Cutest Boy in the World

Kasey making us brownies! Yummy. 

Sweet little family.

A table!!! Thanks to Mike for bringing the table with him for Thanksgiving! lol
When not being used for dining, guess what it will be?  So excited!

Life is good.

Don't forget to check out Lesley's blog!

Day 20

This one was done yesterday, actually. The rest were done on Day 20 of Art Every Day Month! Yay. Many thanks to Heather Brush of Brushstrokes for encouraging me to do Art Every Day!!

Catching Up a Little

I've been creating pretty much every day. I don't always have time to post, though! Here are some catch-up pics. The frame at the top I did just this morning using techniques from Lesley Venable. I'm taking an online class from her and it's just wonderful. She's at The Art of Altering.

I am so happy since I've started creating every day. Sometimes you just have to feel the blah and do it anyway. It's amazing how it starts to flow. ♥

A Couple of Paintings

Been doing some painting.

Doesn't it seem like there are so many voices from without when you're trying to go within?

View out my window. Can you see the face?

My interpretation.

Have a great weekend! I sure am!