With the Wind to my Back…

David and I woke up to a very rainy day on Cape Cod.

We talked about how many times we get bad weather on our vacations.

Too many !

Oh well, I had to brave the elements anyway.

The waves and rocks and bits were calling.

The beach was deserted.

Maybe that’s because it was pouring rain, 40 degrees and very very windy.

Ah, but I had the whole beach to myself !

Walking down the beach wasn’t so bad. The wind was to my back.

 

I walked down to the rocks I could see in the distance.

And left some rocks of my own…

Then, with my backside soaked, I decided to turn around and head back.

With my face in the wind.

With rain like little darts on my cheeks.

I walked fast.

Not quite as pleasant.

But hell, I could manage a smile anyway. Kinda…

After all,

I am just so happy to BE here !

Happy Tuesday, Beautiful Ones !

 

(and if you haven’t commented on my 700th Post Giveaway, you still have lots of time ! Check it out here.)

Haiku My Heart Friday - Perseid

(image from keen observers)

A meteor hit

Suddenly knocking me down

Luckily I bounce.

 

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I am a little early with my haiku this week as I am leaving again. I will be spending a nice long weekend with David and Chica up at my friend Kim’s cottage in Quebec, an hour or so north of Montreal. We hope to be able to catch some the the August Perseid meteor showers while we are there in the country away from city lights.

David will be home after the weekend and I will extend my stay to spend some time with my Mom who is still recovering from her broken leg (a few more weeks of no weight bearing!!! –healing prayers welcome !), as well as to see a few of my favorite Montreal Chickies and Family.

I am bringing my art journal goodie bag with me and I hope to get a few pages done up North. Feeling itchy again…

Anyone who would like to sign up for my 400th Post Giveaway, you have until next Friday,  the 20th, to do so !

I probably won’t post while I am away but I may check in on you, Beautiful Ones. Have a great weekend !

Big Love !

Monday Day Book and a 400th Post Giveaway !

FOR TODAY, Monday, August 9th, 2010

Outside my window...the glorious canopy of maple trees, shading the yard from the white hazy sunlight of the morning.

I am thinking...that I can’t believe it is August 9th when it feels like it should be July 9th!!!

I am thankful for...all the wonderful people I am blessed to have in my life, to learn from, to lean on, to support, to feel loved by, to give my best loving to, and to celebrate the good with.

From the kitchen...cooked quinoa for the first time and used it where I would have used rice in a veg/rice/chicken sausage recipe I make. (Kind of Mexican flavors, served with a dollop of low fat sour cream – we call it “mishmash”).  I found it very bland on its own but it soaks up the spice really well and has a nice texture. Nice to add something so healthy to the repertoire.

I am wearing...my soft, light, turquoise indian cotton night shirt and flipflops

I am creating...some journal pages, a plan for a giveaway (it’s coming below !!!!) and the space for some $$$ to come my way in part-time job that feels good to my Soul (too much to ask you think ? I am hoping not !)

I am going...on a walk with the doggie this morning before the big, humid heat of the day moves in again.

I am reading...”The Friday Night Knitting Club” by Kate Jacobs – I got the book second hand while at the beach a last week. It is okay…I much preferred the latest Alice Hoffman book, “The Story Sisters”, which was intriguing and had that bit of magic that Hoffman always delivers !

I am hoping...that I find lots of ways to stay present today, stop thinking too much and find ways to just BE.

I am hearing...the whirring of the fan and the heat bugs even though it is only 8:37 am.

Around the house...the sheets were freshly put on the bed last night, the garbage is empty and at the curb and it feels like a Monday.

One of my favorite things...the 5 old books I bought at the Londonderry Flea Market on Sat. that are perfect for cutting up for collage but that don’t smell even remotely of mildew ! The seller said they were her uncle’s old school books from the 50’s and they has been stored in the attic ! Nice and dry…

A few plans for the rest of the week: Meditation Monday today, Arty Pool Party tomorrow afternoon, a long weekend trip to Montreal and then up North for David and me on Friday. Should be a good one !

Here are some pictures for thought I am sharing...

 

(Art Journal page – August 2010 – click to enlarge)

And to celebrate that you are here now and that I have been here, in this exact place for

400 posts !!!!!,

I have decided to do a sweet giveaway !

Leave me a comment on this post with a word or short phrase that you would love to see on a Rock My World rock

  and you will be entered to win the one of 4 gift packages from the Queen of Arts herself !

Each gift package will include :

1. A little bag of 13 Rock My World Rocks so you can join the adventure and spread the love.

2. A set of 4 Original Artwork Note Cards (you can let me know if you have a favorite piece of mine that you would like to have on a note card in your comment and I will do my best to accommodate).

3. Three little one by one inch hand carved rubber stamps with a Queen of Arts Studio design on them to play in your journals with

and finally I will add in some bits of ephemera such as old dictionary pages, images or bits and bobs that will be lovely added to a collage or journal page.

400 posts so 4 packages to win!

I will randomly choose a winner on August 19th so that gives you 10 days to participate!

(don’t forget to add your Rock My World rock suggestion to your comment !)

******************

Did you think about how much writing and connecting and art and life goes into 400 Posts on a Blog ????

Amazing, isn’t it ?

It feels like a great documentation of some wonderful bits of my life.

My mark on the planet in some ways.

I am truly grateful for the blogging experience and to all the great Souls that share it with me !

Let’s celebrate it, Beautiful Ones !

Big Love !

Morning Walk Photo Dreams

I am a pretty good photographer.

In fact, I have taken some photos that blow me away,

and that I am really proud of.

I think it comes from walking through life with that artist's eye.

That is something I am grateful for every single day.

Sometimes I see things and immediately think what I could do with them in a collage or painting.

Or if I knew more about Photoshop and Digital Photo Manipulation.

Maybe with some good lessons from a pro like Susan Tuttle

I could consistently create the dreamy, moody, soft, prvocative, eye-catching kind of photos

that I see in my artist's mind...

Honestly ?

I need a lot of help.

And it just so happens that Susan's brand new book, Digital Expressions, is available on Amazon

and looks like just the thing I need to get me creating art in a whole new way.

Plus the Computer Geek Hubby, who took Susan's Digital Manipulation On-line Class and raved

about it, would love to have the book as well.

And guess what ?

Susan is offering a giveaway of the new book on her blog right now!

Maybe I will be lucky enough to win the book,

and if not, David is a Daddy to some furry kids and he should get a Father's Day giftie too, don't you think ?

Here's to always looking at the world with fresh eyes.

Happy Friday, Beautiful Ones !

Spill It !!!

Edited September 30, 2009 - I WON !!!!!! The fun begins tomorrow ! So excited ! Told you Fall was going my way ! So Very, very thankful...

Hey did you Lovelies see this ?

Carmen Torbus is running this super mondo gorgeous workshop called "Spill It ". Wouldn't it be great to play along ? I would love to and that is why I am taking this chance to maybe win free tuition for the class.

You can find out more about all the fun here and watch this sweet video of Carmen promoting the workshop and sharing her own process with us.

Straight Talk with Carmen from Carmen Torbus on Vimeo.

Hope to see you there !

Rocking My World Some More ! - plus a Rocking Tutorial !

So these little rocks are slowly changing my life, I think, one little smooth surface at a time... Sherry at Esprit d'art commented way back on one of my first posts about them that she thought they should go "world wide" and somehow, they have become part of a mini-campaign of love already. I sent some to Sherry to enjoy and to give away in T.O. where she lives. My mom requested 20 or so to give out in her world. I have also included them in little snail mail art gifts to a few friends in Blog land (really flat ones work best !). It has been so much fun to share the love, especially with such loving people as these !!!!

This Friday I am part of an open house at a local paper craft store (Talk Paper Scissors). I will be selling some of my bamboo tile necklaces (you can see some in the photo above), some felted soaps and some magnets I came up with after being inspired by a gift from the Stumbly Diva herself ! I decided to paint a pile of my rocks as well and offer them for 5 rocks for a dollar and include this little card about the intention behind them.

I want to continue the Rock My World love campaign and allow some others to feel how great it feels when they put out a little more love in the world, even in a super simple way. I will also take any money I make on the rocks and donate it somewhere where I know it will make a difference. (maybe like to jen lemen's request for help for her friend Odette).

I also thought I could give a little tutorial about how I make the rocks so you can do it for yourself if you want ! It is pretty easy but took a little trial and error to find out what worked best for me.

Rocking Tutorial
Step 1 - Rocks :
First find some smooth rocks. I like the small, flat ones myself. Mine come from the beach in Hampton, New Hampshire but if you don't have a beach near you, you could check the craft stores in their flower arranging section. I have seen beach stones there for placing in the bottoms of vases.

Step 2 - Paint :
I add some color to some of my stones with acrylic craft paint. Opaque colors work best on the rocks. Let your paint dry really well before you do the next step - I like several hours or even over night.

Step 3 - Writing the Messages
The next step is writing on the rocks. I used White Gelly Roll Sakura pens for most of my rocks after trying a few different types of pens. The Gelly Rolls work pretty well on the porous surface of the rocks though you make have to go over your words twice. The pens will get blocked up really quickly if your acrylic paint is at all damp and this ruins them. I also had success with DecoColor opaque paint pens but I find that even their extra fine tip is not quite fine enough for my tastes. They work really well on the bare rocks as well as on the dried painted ones, and would be great on rocks that are a little bigger.

Step 4 - Where to Find Messages
I come up with my messages from all over. I pick up inspirational books and look for short quotes that inspire. I check out titles on other blogs that inspire me and modify the words to make them my own. I think of what would make me feel good to hear. I think of words that would make my world a little bit gentler, a little more kind and a lot more understanding and I white them onto those little gems !

Step 5 - Sealing the Rocks
After each rock is inscribed, I coat them with a brush-on sealer - Mod-Podge in Gloss works well and have a shiny finish that looks like the rocks are wet which I love. You could probably use spray varnish if you want but it is a little messy for me.

Step 6 - Let the Love Go !
Hand out your little rock treasures ! You can do it anonymously or person to person. Both feel so great ! And giving it out will bring it back into your life ten-fold, believe me !!!!

FINALE - ROCK MY WORLD GIVEAWAY !
As a little finale to this post, I would like to offer to send a little package of 10 Rock My World rocks painted by me, to the first 3 people who send me a request. If you make a comment and include your email, I will email you for your snail mail address and have your little love package out to you a.s.a.p. !

Keep on Rockin, Baby !