Another Interview With Myself ?!?

So I came across this Marcel Proust questionnaire on two sites this morning, here at Judy Wise's blog, and here, in an interview with Christine Miller, that Leah at Creative Everyday posted a link to. I don't know why I like this interview stuff so much. I know there are some people who really hate them, like my husband. He is always worried about getting the answers wrong ! ;-). Maybe it is because I really like to share things about me, to let people get to know me. I am a pretty open book type of person. I also love to read other people's answers to the same questions. It is like a little door opening to let us get to know each other in a kind of safe, uniform way. Whatever... here is yet another interview with Moi !

Questionnaire by Marcel Proust, a French writer who believed that people must know and understand themselves before they could know or understand others. He developed a list of subjective questions that he felt would help reveal to people their true selves and the inner personalities of those around them.

What is your greatest fear?
Dying before I figure it out

What is your current state of mind?
contemplative, mellow

What is your favorite way of spending time?
Painting or collaging in my studio, talking and playing with girlfriends, just "being" with my husband

What historical figure do you identify with?
Helen Keller

Which living person do you most admire?
J.K.Rowling

Who is your favorite fictional hero?
Harry Potter

Who are you're real-life heroes?
My friend Andrea, my husband David, my sister Natalie

What is your most treasured possession?
Family photos, especially rare ones like those of my grandmother

When and where are you happiest?
Just before sleep when I am in David’s arms and we are snuggling and chatting
Or
In a gathering of my family, laughing, dancing and sharing time together

What is your most obvious characteristic?
My creative eye

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
My lack of self-discipline

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Inconsideration or cruelty

What is your greatest extravagance?
Expensive, high quality cotton sheets and a great mattress

What is your favorite journey?
Any path that leads to the ocean

What do you most dislike about your appearance?
My Buddha Belly

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
selflessness

On what occasion do you lie?
To avoid hurting someone's feelings.

Which words or phrases do you overuse the most?
"It’s all good.”

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I wish I would make promises to myself and keep them.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
The close, unconditionally loving relationship I maintain with my family

Where would you like to live?
Somewhere close to the ocean with a lot less winter, and my family near by

What is the quality you most admire in a man?
Determination and compassion

What is the quality you most admire in a woman?
Empathy, acceptance of their own femininity

What is it you most dislike?
Inconsiderate people

What is it you most value in friends?
Humor, understanding without judgment, openness

How would you like to die?
Old and in my sleep, at the same time as my husband

If you could choose an object to come back as, what would you choose?
A piano

What is your motto (words that you live by or a mean a lot to you)?
It’s all good.

Who has been the greatest influence on you?
My parents, for the good and the bad.

GPP Street Team Crusade #21 - Irresistable !

The first week of the month means a new GPP Street Team Crusade ! Yay ! This month : Irresistable - making wax rubbings that serve as wax resists when you apply paint ! I used to do this activity with my grade 1 students all the time. We would get out the Crayolas in our favorite colors and run around the class room and the hallways, making rubbings of any cool surface we could find.

In lieu of the classroom, I wandered the house looking for objects to rub. I wish I had found a magic lamp and a genie who would grant me three wishes but no such luck ! Had fun anyway !

I pulled out some thin paper from a childrens sketch pad from the dollar store and photocopy paper to make my rubbings. I like using thin papers like this when making painted papers. They can be torn or cut up easily and added to collages without too much bulk. Some surfaces were more challenging to make good rubbings on - anything rounded like the bottle took a little more care. I think my favorite ones were the mosaic tray and the mylar alphabet stencil.

Plastic Alphabet Stencil

Mylar Alphabet Stencil

Mosaic Tray

Bottle

Candle Holders

Rubber stamps

Picture Frame

Then it was time for paint ! Yippee ! Even more fun ! For this I got out my Golden Fluid Acrylics which are just wonderful when watered down. The colors stay so vibrant ! I added in some regular craft paint and some Lumiere Metallics which have such a beautiful metallic sheen when they dry on paper. I mixed some Fluids with water in a spray bottle and sprayed that around. I slopped watery paint around with a cheap boar bristle brush and dabbed it around and sometimes off with paper towel. I love just slopping color around - it made for a great hour of relaxing time in the studio this morning.

Plastic Alphabet stencils with paint

Mylar Aphabet Stencil rubbing with paint (Love the bronze sheen!)

Mosaic Tray Rubbing with paint

Bottle Rubbing with Paint - Subtle but Interesting !

Candleholder Rubbings with Paint - Remind me of sewer covers ?

Rubber Stamp Rubbing with paint - probably my least favorite !

Picture Frame Rubbing with paint - Looks like a magic door to somehwhere...

So there you have it ! I have a beautiful pile of painted papers to work into collages and I had a great time trying out an old technique in a new way. I got to make use of tools and toys I had around the house in a different way too, just as Michelle suggested ! So join in this one ! It was great fun ! Thanks as always to Michelle, for the inspiration ! Lady, you really ROCK!

Oh yeah, check out one last pic - my dried painted paper towels after the painting process ! More collage papers to work with , a la Tracy Bautista.

Cheers !

Kim

Some Girl's Weekend Pics

Can't believe it is Thursday already ! This week is flying by !

I had some time today to check out the pictures I took from the Girl's Art Weekend I had with my friend Sonia last weekend. I didn't end up taking too many pictures as I was soaking up the sweet time away. We arrived Friday night and took a walk by the lake. Then we had daquiris and a yummy Mexican meal made by Sonia. It rained all day Sat. which was perfect ! We had play time with paints in the am, making a mess and ended up with some great background papers. Most of the afternoon was spent with me napping and with Sonia "watching" a movie with her eyes closed and breathing really deeply. The evening was spent making art journal pages and then watching "Dreamer", which was such a cute movie. Sunday, we headed home around 10:00 and stopped by the outlet malls for some retail therapy. All in all, it was a perfect weekend ! Girl talk, good company, art, yummy food, naps and shopping ! Like I said, perfect !

Sonia picks me up in her brand new Lexus350 ! She got it that morning ! Travelling in style !

The Camp on Lake Winnipesaukee, NH

View of the Lake ! Gorgeous !

Me by the Lake - Not so gorgeous, but Happy !

Saturday Am Painting Mess

The Yellow Room - my sleeping quarters

Kitchy Camp Art - Love it !

All of these are in abundance at Camp !

Nature Shot - Ladyslippers In Bloom

Camp Time is Over - Time to pack this baby up and go shopping !

Now you know my ABC's

So, I am sitting and blog surfing as I wait for Sonia to pick me up for the trip up North. I can across this at Audrey Eclectic. I know some of you are not into the tagging thing but thought I would share my ABC's without the tagging part. Join in if you like !

A- Attached or single: Happily attached.
B- Best Friend: David
C-Cake or Pie: Cake - Lemon Chiffon made by my aunts
D-Day: Saturday mornings - the whole weekend is in front of you !
E- Essential Item: These days' my camera ! I am loving my shots !
F- Favorite Color: Green
G-Gummi Bears or Worms: Worms I guess, like the idea of eating something "gross" that tastes good
H-Home town: Montreal, always !
I- Indulgences: art supplies and ice cream
J- January or July?: July! I hate January with a passion ! And I love to swim !
K-Kids: Only furry ones of my own - my sisters share theirs though !
L-Life is incomplete without: Family, Love, Art
M- Marriage Date: December 30, 2000
N- Number of Siblings: 2 Magical Sisters
O- Oranges or Apples: apples
P- Phobias or Fears: Frogs and moths - They are unpredictable you know !
Q- Quote: "Our deeepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure." Marianne Williamson
R- Reason To Smile: Hubby's smile, baby laughter, cat's purr, doggie kisses, flowers blooming
S- Season: Fall, perfect sweater weather !
T- Tag Three: No Tagging by me - join in the play if you want to !
U- Unknown fact about me: I can touch the tip of my tongue to the tip of my nose. Really !
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals: I am sorry about how it gets to market but I like meat !Prime rib, anyone ?
W- Worst Habit: Feeling Guilty about Everything
Y-Your favorite food: Thin Crust Pizza or that Prime Rib
Z: Zodiac Sign: Libra, always looking for that balance....

Girls Artsy Getaway Weekend

My bags are packed...

So my friend Sonia and I are off for a weekend at her family "Camp" on Lake Winnipesaukee. We Canadians call this a cottage, but my sweet friend from Maine calls it a "camp". Sonia is a relatively new friend who I met through a class I taught at Talk Paper Scissors here in Manchester. We share a love of all arts/craft supplies as well as a love of nature, so this weekend should be just up our alley !

Sonia has been wanting to get more "artsy" in her creative pursuits and wants to give art journals a try. I was so happy to share all that I know and I am excited to see what she creates in this safe and inspiring setting ! And hey, I have a friend to play with in person! Yippee !

I have packed up half my studio and filled a box and a big bag with art journal supplies, inspirational books and mags and whatever else wanted to jump in. We should have all we need to play the weekend away ! The weather isn't supposed to be too great but that's okay 'cause being away, hanging out with a good friend in a cozy cabin by the Lake, with a pile of art stuff, yummy snacks, and a fire place sounds like heaven !!! Oh and maybe a daquiri or two....

I am bringing the camera and will hopefully have some fun shots when I get back ! Have a great weekend, y'all !

Slightly Scary Monsters - New Journal Pages

I can't believe it has been 7 days since my last post ! The days have flown by. I have noticed that things are pretty quiet in Blogland. I think people must be busy with life and maybe trying to soak up the joys of spring...

I have been really trying to work on the pages of my art journal as I only have 5 pages left to fill. It will be my first completed art journal ever ! I have never filled an entire writing journal either. I usually buy a new one when the whim hits and have several with many blank pages at the end. There is something really special about having this document of filled with my thoughts, dreams, inspiration and my own creative process. I am already feeling a sense of anticipation about it's completion. You can do it, Kimbo !!! See it through to the end !!!

I have also noticed a new trend in my pages these days. In the past, I have used my creative art journal play time to explore beauty, to get away from hurts or ugliness, and even to make positive affirmations for myself (And dang it, people like me ! They really like me !!!). In the past little while, a darker side has been coming out. I am liking it though ! It feels almost like if I fill the page with the "ugly" stuff, then I don't have to carry it around in me so much anymore. Cathartic I guess. And yet, I am finding a real beauty in what is coming out as well. A kind of dark beauty....

Expressing the darker stuff sometimes influences my mood a little too. Today was a sucky day in my head ! I was really angry ! Angry at others, angry at the world, and angry at myself. I am not usually an angry person. I know I don't express my anger very often that's for sure. Sadness, yes but anger, rarely ! I sometimes think I hold all my anger in until I have to have a pissy day like today ! Then tomorrow, I will probably kick myself in the butt and just get over it ! I may have to punch something tonight or yell at the dog or cat a few times, but I really will probably feel better tomorrow ! I thank God for the strength I have to do that. I would hate be be like this everyday !

Here's hoping tomorrow will be better ! And thank God for strong shoes !

Hating Thy Neighbor's Mess

So the hubby and I live in a pretty yellow house on Orange Street. Colorful, eh ? It is a really nice street. We and our neighbours really try to keep things nice. You know, the usual lawn mowing, flower planting, keeping our yards tidy and keeping our house value up by making improvements were needed.

Unfortunately, our back yard abuts a not so nice street that has quite a few rental properties on it. Why is it that some renters are so much less caring about how their homes look than home owners ? Don't they want to live in a nice environment , even if they don't own it ? Why is it that some renters are just plain slobs !!!!!???

This is the view from my big back deck :

What a mess ! It looks like the whole contents of a garage is dumped in the yard! It has been like this (and sometime worse!) for at least two years. The tree between us is growing which helps a little but this is the view we have whenever we use our deck. These neighbours hang out in their yard a lot, and they have a clear view onto our deck which makes me feel like I am being watched whenever I sit out there. They are also very noisy, use foul language incessantly (even in front of their kids)..... I could go on and on but that's too much rant as it is (not to mention the incriminating photo !). The noise and stuff is really hard to do anything about - they are just living their noisy lives and they do usually stop the noise by 11:00pm in the summer.... But the view ! That was something I was determined to do something about this year so I could use my own deck with pleasure and in privacy!

You can't build a twelve foot fence - maybe you can but that wasn't in the budget or the vision! The hubby and I decided on a privacy curtain - something that wasn't too permanent, didn't cost too much and would look okay from our side as well as theirs (see, we really are nice neighbours to have !) We used metal pipes screwed into flanges, a cable with a turnbuckle, some pretty outdoor table cloths cut to size and some shower curtain hooks to create this :

The next thing is to change the back of the bench to have less space in between the cross beams with means adding 2 more 1"X6"X12' to the span. That part of the project will be done tonight ! But I am happy with our handy work so far.

I finished the curtain yesterday and set to work by adding my plants to the deck. Hopefully, frosts are over ! Let the spring really begin ! I have seeded some babies in the house for a few weeks - cosmos and morning glories. I pulled our dahlia pots out of the basement where they slept for the winter. I also brought out the three year old hibiscus that graces my studio window during the winter and her new friend, the one year old mandavilla, that survived the winter indoors as well. I added a couple on pots of annuals as well, just for some color until the other stuff comes in. It still looks a little bare right now but some sun, some water and some time and my fun, PRIVATE summer time oasis will be in full bloom !

Mandavilla, sleeping dahlias, pansies

Daisy-like annuals (?) and cilantro seeds

Baby cosmos with pansies

Hibiscus with annuals