Shopping for Pretties

Today, I took my new GPS for a test drive over a very long lunch. I wanted to pull up in front of all of my art places and set the GPS that way. It was way fun! I didn't get through as many as I wanted, but I got most of Tempe covered and even found a new place (Jerry's Artarama).

While I was out, I just HAD to stop in a couple of the places, the ones I hadn't been in for a while. As a result, I came home with a handful of pretties and a blender marker to try some image transfers.

I'm also taking notes on several more projects, including a project for my nephew who is a high school band director, and one for his brother who is a huge sports fan. These might be Christmas presents, depending on when I get them finished. I've been collecting public domain images I can use for both projects, which has been a blast by itself. I love the research part of my art!

Happily Organizing

When I pulled together my studio, I knew a fine tuning (or two) would be needed. After I finished the Punk'd mini book, my workspace was a mess. I tried to pick it up, but everything I picked up ended right back on the table. There isn't a place yet to put things away!

About 10 days ago, I ordered a few organizing supplies from Scrapbook.com. I already had a few of the Cropper Hopper embellishment boxes, and they seem to work for me. I ordered a few more, and a drawer to hold them. They came last week, and I spent some time filling them up from items tossed into the bins in the bookcase cubicles. When I ran out of boxes, I tried to estimate how many more I might need. And then I realized that the drawers were perfect for holding most of my ribbon spools! Needless to say, I put in another order last week, and they should be here by the weekend.

I'm sure it sounds strange, but I can't explain the happiness I feel when I'm working in the studio organizing the bits and pieces. I'm also struck with the contrast between having things in labeled little boxes and neatly available in cubbies compared to the years they spent in tubs I would push into the closet when I finished a project, totally haphazard.

I like organized much better. It frees my mind for creative ideas.

Reflections on Joy

I'm in such a great space in my life these days, and it feels like a happy accident that I'm here and I'm so happy. And yet, when I really think about what has been happening, I can see that my own work and intentions have brought me to this happy place.

I found myself with a project delay that meant I had a couple of unexpected weeks off in October 2006. Facing a blank schedule, I made a decision to spend the time investing in something purely for myself. Ever since I moved into this house, I have had a few boxes marked "important papers" that I hadn't touched that had become a cloud following me, nagging me, reminding me of things undone. It was quite a chore to sort, file and shred these papers, but I didn't stop until I was done. I developed a new paperwork system for my personal finances, product manuals, warranties, and personal documents. A system that really works! I knew the undone work was weighing on me, but I didn't realize how much until it was gone. I felt like I was walking on air for some time.

That got me rolling. That winter, I made a decision to focus every night before I went to bed on the things I want in my life. The list ranged from objects (like a new truck) to experiences (like doing more art) to character qualities. The results were extraordinary. Things that I didn't even have on my list showed up in my house, people invited me to come along to do some really fun things, and I took many steps towards acting and thinking like the person I really want to be.

In January, my client shifted my project schedule and I again had time on my hands. This time, I took apart my junk room and created my studio. I pulled every tub and box of art supplies into the garage and sorted them. I bought a bookcase to house them, rebuilt the closet, and painted the room. I gave myself a space where I can express myself easily. No more taking over the kitchen table and island to do projects and then struggling to make meals and living with the art mess all of the time. I had a huge garage sale, and gave away the remaining stuff. Again, I felt I was walking on air.

These things have stripped away the crusty layer of living and have set me free to live more of the life I have imagined. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Project: Tim Holtz Distress-a-polusa

[Note: I've updated the photo using my new Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W80]

I just got home from a fabulous class with Tim Holtz at Scrapbooks, Etc. I took a quick picture of my finished project with my cell phone, but it does no justice to the project. I'll retake the photo after I replace my digital camera.

The purpose of the class was to experiment with the distress product lines. And who better than Tim to teach them! The class was full, I heard there were 40 attendees and a waiting list. I went in with high expectations, and the class exceeded them all.

First, Tim is great. He's down-to-earth, a guy who is living his passion in life. His passion is contagious. His teaching style is laid back, and he knows how to plan a class. It's the first project I've ever finished in a class! He totally tells you to do anything, do random things, and not to overthink it all. He's friendly and accessible. And did I mention that his projects totally rock! If you ever get a chance to take a class with Tim, do it.

The project is based on a 10" IKEA mirror, just like the one on my studio worktable for the wedding project. We were given a series of chipboard pieces and acrylic shapes from his Fragements line. We distressed each one, and they got glued to the mirror in a patchwork pattern. Then, we attached bits of found objects to the tops of them.

The heart of the project is the chipboard pieces. They fell into three groups for distressing.

1) We used crackle paint on the largest pieces. When the crackle dried, we used distress inks over the top. The crackle colors were a bit too pure for my liking, so I was thrilled to see how totally the colors changed with the addition of a layer of ink. It's not so much the color of the ink that changed the crackle paint, it was the texture of the ink that changed the texture of the crackle paint more than the color impact. I wish my photo showed that kind of detail. All I can say is you have to try these paints and ink over them, even if you use the same color ink.

2) We used embossing powder on the smallest pieces. The distress embossing powder is different from regular powders because it has grains that are supposed to fall away to give the distressed look. So the color after embossing is splotchy. We next inked over these, and again, the ink changed the entire look of the pieces. It filled in the distressed splotches.

3) We inked the remaining pieces, and then used black archival ink to stamp on them. We didn't use the distress inks for this because the products would have blended together instead of giving a sharp black stamp image.

We next created the acrylic squares by gluing them to pieces of paper from Tim's discontinued ephemera paper line.

Once all of the pieces were crafted, we arranged them around the mirror using a template Tim gave us. We tweaked the placement by swapping out pieces of the same size and shape until we liked the layout. Next, we selected from the bag of found object goodies the items we wanted on the pieces, and arranged them around the mirror. This was a blast. The goodies included things like a game board spinner, a small lightbulb, pressed tin crown, game pieces, and a button Tim made to hand out to the class attendees, among other things.

As much fun as I had all of the way through, I thoroughly enjoyed gluing down the individual pieces. We used a Ranger product (I don't remember the name) but it is clear and dried very quickly.

It was fun to see what everyone else created. We had the same materials available to us, and they all look so different! I had Tim sign the back of mine, too! I can't wait to hang it up in the studio.

Bottled Appreciation

Mom got her Mother's Day present yesterday. She called me when the box arrived and I was on the phone with her when she openned it. She loves it. It's on her kitchen counter where she sits to drink her coffee throughout the day.

She said something very interesting. She thought it would be hard for me to give it away. In truth, I couldn't wait for her to get it, but at the same time, I do miss being able to look through it. When it was here, I couldn't keep my hands off it. I looked at it a lot. I told her I could always see it when I visit her.

It was so nice to have a moment where someone was showering me with appreciation. I made a consious effort to soak it all in and save that feeling for myself. There are plenty of places and times in my daily living where I know I'm doing good or doing the right thing, but I don't get that kind of feedback. By capturing that feeling when it was fresh, I can replay that feeling for myself any time I want it.

Recently, I've starting incorporating into my personal growth work the idea that rather than tell my story the way it is, I need to be telling my story the way I want it to be. It's a way to keep the vision of what I want next in my sights and on my mind in the small moments of life, the times when I have the most power to create. The big moments are when choices are made, and the little moments are when progress is made towards goals.

This isn't about living in a fantasy, it's about framing the events in my life so they support the direction I want to go. It's about saying things like: I'm figuring this out as I go, instead of saying: I'm not sure what I'm doing, or I'm confused about what to do next. By making a positive statement, I help myself to figure it out (in this example), and I give myself credit for wanting to do the best thing, even if I'm not sure what the best thing is right now.

By openning the bottle of appreciation, not only can I feel happy (which is the true goal of my personal growth efforts), but I open myself up to actually being appreciated more often by others. I want to be the kind of woman who has the grace to do all things with joy, in spite of my surroundings and the reactions of the people around me. I want to tune into my own source of joy within so my happiness doesn't depend on the circumstances of my world or the reactions of the people in my world. It's a big goal, but I believe I am becoming that woman more every day. In fact, I'm sure it is happening.

A New View

Thursday night, I had an amazing dream. I interpret my dreams based on the work of Carl Jung because I have found his approach to really help me understand my dreams in terms of personal growth. My dream was about a shift in my work life and my perspective on my work life. How appropriate for someone who is working to make art part of her working life (instead of remaining an escape from work)!

I attended a class on Friday taught by Carol Wingert at Scrapbooks, Etc. It was fabulous. We made an easel project that included three different metal techniques using copper. The largest copper piece we dipped in liver of sulfur, stamped with black ink, and then embossed the design. The next piece we also dipped in liver of sulfur after we stamped it (so the image was the only part that wasn't patined by the liver of sulfur. The third piece was copper mesh which we used heat to patina and then stamped. When I get my piece finished, I'll include pictures of it here. The class was so much fun, and Carol is great. She is teaching a series of classes now at Scrapbooks, Etc. for those of you in the Phoenix metro area.

I'm working again through the weekend on my other occupation (I'm a technical writer), working to meet a huge deadline in early June. As I ponder the life/work changes I'm making on the back burner, I'm excited and happy about the changes. And at the same time, there are other feelings and other thoughts that surface and sometimes surprise me. I understand that change is the blood of life, and I'm entering into this change willingly, but I know that every time we gain something, we let something go. I'm willing to embrace the change, accept the new, and release the old.

Here's to happy art for everyone!

Project: PUNK'D

This project has been so much fun! I started with a clear idea of the narrative, the story I wanted to tell. There were key points that I wanted to make. I went through my photo archives to find every photo I could find to cull out the ones that were the cutest and the ones that supported the narrative. I even collected a picture from my nephew's cell phone that appears on the inside back cover.

I knew that I wanted the colors to emphasize the orange fur, so I picked teal and green for my paper colors and highlighted them with orange accents. I was inspired by the grass in the background of so many pictures, and the fact that blue and orange are complimentary colors.

I don't have a good picture of the entire project, but this shows the ribbons and the things that extend beyond the cover. The cat's name is Punky, and he got his way with us, so the play on the name PUNK'D seemed a natural. I stamped the name on orange paper and cut out the letters. I knew I wanted this shot of him on the cover, and after a bit of experimenting, this was the only layout option. I am happy with it. I would have liked to had more interest on the cover, it seems plain to me. I had considered using a transparency for the title, also, and attaching it with brads, but the letters were too big for any other options.

Each page consists of a 4x4 paper background with one or more photos and cut out strips of narrative. The narrative element is the same throughout the book. The background papers change to add a bit of interest. After I finished this page, I decided that I didn't like the hole punched through the narrative, so this is the only page where that happens. I used a standard hole punch after applying the background papers, and lifted the metal clamp to release the pressure on the pages.

Each spread also contains a page turning device on the right page. I made two folder tabs, used two clips, and used a ribbon. Some appear on the top, others on the side. I like the variety. I also varied the layout between the spreads. On most, I had a photo on the top of one page and the bottom of the facing page. This spread I really liked because I used the photo mat paper to align the content on both pages.

On this spread, I used paper strips on the outer page edges to tie them together, and pulled the narrative strips to the outer edges as well. This worked really well. Overall, I'm very pleased with all of the layouts, and with the resizing of the photographs.

For the inside back cover, I went with another large picture on the right, and used the left page for narrative. I also stamped a crown on his head to reinforce the idea that he is the King of Disneyland. I'm not thrilled with the result, and I'm not sure why. Maybe as I stare at the photo longer I'll figure out what I need to tweak in the future.

I spent a lot of time experimenting with different fonts. It turns out that my narrative was quite long, and to keep the strips to four per page, I had to switch to a condensed font. I ended up using a new font, Niagara at 16 pt. It's readable, and the text fits the available space, but it's not a font I plan to use again. I need to review my available fonts, and perhaps organize them differently so I can easily find condensed fonts in the future.

Overall, I'm please with how this turned out, and I know Mom will be thrilled to have a keepsake for the little man in her life. I just got it to UPS today, so it is late, but she knows the kind of hours I've been working, too.

Project Update: PUNK'D

I finished this project today. I'm a little disappointed that I haven't replaced my digital camera yet. This leaves me with my cell phone and scanner to capture images. They are not nearly as good as a camera, but under the circumstances, I'm glad to have them. I'm going to get this project shipped off to Mom tomorrow, and after she receives it, I'll post the project pictures.

I love the way this turned out. I tried several new tools and products, and I spent some time tweaking layouts. I learned a lot. But the most excited part is anticpiating Mom's reaction to this. She is going to love this.

Project Update: PUNK'D

I have my pictures ready and I've prepared all of the page backgrounds. I'm sitting at the computer ready to start typing up the text and captions. I'm going to use Microsoft Publisher and create a series of 4x4 text boxes. My plan is to test the text using plain paper, and then run it on patterned paper for the book. I have the stack of pages, loose backgrounds with loose pictures, on the desk in front of me. I'm so excited to be at this stage!

Design and Production Notes

There are several projects on my work table. These are the ones that I'm currently working on.

Project 1: Wedding Gift

Several months ago, I saw a chipboard product that inspired this project. It was a picture frame that uses a clip to hold the glass (the picture goes behind the glass), and used a long screw as a leg. When I realized I wanted to make this, I went back to the store, but they had discontinued that item. I am not sure who made it. So I've come up with an idea based on that. I'm using an IKEA 10" mirror with a wooden frame. I'm not going to use the mirror, I'm putting the glass for the picture over the top of it. I found a clip (like a clip board clip) from 7gypsies. I'm going to attach it, decorate the background with papers, and perhaps add a red rose and French wire ribbon around the clip area.

This is for my sister's step-daughter's wedding, so I want to personalize it. The groom-to-be proposed by spelling out the big question inside of the Scrabble game, and she found it when they went to play. So I found some similar word tiles (had no luck finding Scrabble tiles!) and am going to spell out both his question and her answer. For delivery, I have a candid I snapped of them the last time sis came to town and the four of us went out to dinner. I'll leave a note to replace it with a wedding shot.

I've attached the background paper to the frame. I had a time deciding what adhesive to use! In the end, I went with gel medium, which did cause some ripples and bubbles in the paper when wet. I thought I was brilliant when I thought to use a sheet of wax paper and brayer over the wax paper to push down the paper. What I didn't expect: the brayer also pushed out the excess medium, which caused the wax paper to adhere to the background! I pulled it up carefully, but still managed to take off some of the paper in the process. Maybe if I had let it try and then pulled it away, or maybe if I had brayered less... or if I had dry fitted the paper better first. I'll have to work on that technique a bit. It left the background a bit distressed, which has changed the direction I had planned to go. I'm rethinking everything about the rest of the project now. I am thinking about using Stickles on top of the glass, or a flourish style stamp.

Project 2: Mother's Day

I just realized today that Mother's Day is this weekend. I somehow thought I had another week and that my gift would be on time. Thankfully, Mom is completely flexible about such things.

After Dad died, a wonderful orange tabby cat adopted my Mom. It had belonged to one of her grandchildren (my brother lives on the same block). He just moved right in, and after some initial resistance, Mom adopted him right back. It's been such a great thing in her life. The granddaughter named the cat Punkin, and we all call him Punky. He had a problem with one of his eyes, so soon after she adopted him, she took him to the vet and they removed the eye. He's a one-eyed cat who still climbs trees and chases squirrels.


The book is a collection of pictures of Punky around the house and the yard, doing some of the things that make her laugh. I'm going to call it PUNK'D. I decided to use a 4x4 format and wanted to use the same Maya Road scalloped coaster book as my Words to Live By project. But two different stores in my area didn't have it, so I picked up their 4x4 chipboard book instead. I spent yesterday reviewing all of my pictures, pictures from family member's cell phones, etc and cleaned them up, cropped them, and reduced them to 2x3 for that book size. They were printed at Walgreen's this morning.

I stopped today to pick up some papers for the project. My favorite picture of him (for the cover) is him laying in the grass, so I went with a green/green-blue paper scheme with orange accents. I have some ribbon in black and white that says "I love my cat" and some ribbons and yarns that will go with the colors as well.

This is the first project I'm going to work on, hopefully this weekend I'll find some free time.

Project 3: Gibraltar Travel Journal (continuation)

I have some blank spaces, so I went back through the photos and did some cropping so I have additional pictures to add. This project is nearly done.

I'm thinking about adding a copy of the article on Gibraltar from Wikipedia as a huge journalling block on one of the tags. I could print it out and fold it up accordion style. There is a lot of great info there, and it would make a nice reference.

Life is Beautiful

The greatest truth I have learned about life is that it comes in cycles. There are times when opportunities abound and I'm full of fresh ideas, people, and new things. From there, things start to get really busy and I realize there isn't a limit to what I can take on. I have to get practical and set priorities, and then run with what seems to be the best of the crop. Eventually, the pace slows back down, and after a time, I find myself at a pause. With time on my hands and a bit of exhaustion, I rest and regroup, and start longing for new, fresh things.

For a long time, I thought that I should be able to manage the highs and lows out of the process of living. I felt that I had failed somehow when the normal cycle came round and round. I've learned to make peace with the cycle. I've also learned that I do have some influence over the impact of the highs and lows on my life. I've learned that at the high points, I can make smart choices that prepare me for the low points to come. I have learned to save some of the abundance (both money and ideas) to pull out later when things are a bit empty.

In fact, I've come to see the beauty of the cycle. It's like my life breathes. There is an inhale where it seems that the inflow of good will always be there, followed by a pause at the full point. And then the slow exhale until I again reach a quiet spot on empty. Like breathing, my life can't constantly be about filling up. I have to let go to have the room/space/energy to breathe in again.

When things are filling up, I get a chance to apply my priorities and values in new ways and in new situations. And then at the empty spot, I can evaluate how well I did on my inhale. Was I well prepared for the exhale, or do I need to adjust anything in my priorities or values or practices?

My work life is crazy now, but I'm calm in the midst of it. I have deadlines that seem impossible when plotted in the project plan, and yet, I believe that somehow it's all going to come together. I don't know exactly how. I also realize that I might not make all of the deadlines as written. But I'm calm in knowing that I'm doing my best to reach these deadlines, and focusing on the process of the journey. I'm letting go of the outcomes. I'm letting things unfold as they will.

It's interesting to be back at a crazy too-much-work place and see how differently I'm reacting this time. Every time I cycle through, I do something better because I'm consiously choosing to learn from situations and improve myself. So today, I find myself back at the completely predictable spot at the end of the inhale, and I get to see myself against this unchangeable backdrop. I'm different. I'm better. And that makes me happy.

I'm a life artist, and my daily moments are a collage of my experiences, perceptions, understanding, and life's surprises. Today, I see with fresh eyes that my life is beautiful.

Project: Gibraltar Travel Journal

In my studio time last night, I nearly finished my Gibralter travel journal. This project started from a Rusty Pickle kit in the class taught by Lance (Got Pickle?) Anderson at the Paper Vineyard last month. It had a travel theme, and because a Gibraltar trip was my first really well researched trip, it seemed a likely combination. The kit and the resulting accordian envelope with tags book is adorable, and I haven't strayed from its design. I've just updated it with my photos and ephemera and experimented with some tools and techniques.

The Catalan Bay tag fell together nicely and I love this composition. The photo is the Caleta Hotel in Catalan Bay. I filled in the blank spots of the photo with the title and an old postage stamp that includes an image of Catalan bay. I love the way these details pull your eye around the entire tag.

Here are a few of the customized tags. Again, the basic tag features and design come straight from the kit. My apologies for the images. My digital camera died and I haven't replaced it yet. These are scans, and they lack some detail.




I used Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Vintage Photo to age this one. It's a fun look, and the photo now matches the vintage look of the journal. I didn't use it on the landscape images because I didn't want to obscure the views.

I'm still working out the technique I'm using for the page titles. I used the same technique in Words To Live By and had better results on plain paper. I'm experimenting with various paper weights and other options.

It's Art Time

I've forced myself to work at the things that currently pay the bills for long days and long weeks for almost two months. The last week was brutal! I reached an interim deadline tonight (after working more than 10 hours on a SATURDAY), and I've decided to reward myself with some time in the studio. Never mind that you can write your name in the dust in every room, or that I'm almost out of clean laundry, or that I need to unload the dishwasher, straighten up the garage, and clean the floors.

It's art time!

I expect that I will only have time to really pick up the studio a bit and perhaps start laying out my Gilbraltar travel book. Or maybe I'll start the wedding gift (since the wedding is in two weeks!) I'll decided when I get in there.

In the meantime, let me leave you with a thought.

Project: Words To Live By (coaster book)

Last Saturday, I attended two classes by Kim Kwan at Devine Memories and had a blast. Kim is the kind of teacher that creates a safe environment to play and explore, and her kits (from her recent trip to France) were fabulous. It was such a good time!

Kim's morning class was a kit she called "Grant Me A Wish" based on a Maya Road scallop coaster book. I changed my theme slightly to "Words to Live By" and included a picture and a single word on each page. I made it to remind me to continue to make the decisions in the small moments of life to be the kind of person I want to be.

It was my first time using semi-opaque pages, so I had some fun experimenting with double sided papers and layouts that showed items from the back side of each page. It was also my first time using Diamond Glaze, and I found it to be a bit runny. I got it on my fingers and it squirted out from under the pictures, so I have a bit of mess on the pages. The goal was to get it spread thick enough that it was shiny on the opposite side. I only did a fair job reaching that goal. I used a foam brush, but perhaps next time I'll use a small paint or watercolor brush instead. Also, I'll pull out some clamps to hold it so I won't have glue on my fingers. Lots of good experience with new tools and techniques.

But the real problem is that in the days since the class, some of the content has popped right off the plastic! The page content is stuck together (I used a glue stick to hold things to the background paper), but has come loose from the coaster. I think I'm going to see if I can pop any more off, and reglue all of them using a different glue, perhaps Ultimate this time. Any suggestions?

If anyone is interested, the swirl stamp (orange StazOn ink) is Flourish Haven from Rusty Pickle White Chocolate Bunnies. The papers are Sarong from Luxe, an unknown color Bazzill Basics, and the page title is on Speckletone Kraft I got from my local printer supply. The flower is from Floradoodles, and the yarn is a piece of recycled silk yarn from Tibet I found at an import shop.

Better Living Through Art

I have a theory that our environment pulls out of us the things we have within us that match the requirements or conditions of the environment. For example, I make my living manipulating information, mostly words, to help people integrate software into the workplace. My inate skills allow me to do that well. I excel at this work. But if I had been born 50 years earlier, or 100 years earlier (or even 10!), I wonder what skills would have arisen from within me, and how these information skills would have manifested in that work.

Over the last few weeks, I've discovered some changes in my interests and a change in the activities that seem juicy to me. Activities that used to totally engage me, activities I've participated in for decades, suddenly seem dry and uninteresting. It's more than a passing phase. I realized yesterday that those activites fed my art while it was underground in my life. It was the place where I could study designs, break apart inspiring examples, and think about how to apply and reinvent techniques for various effects. Of course that was my art at the time. And now that my art is more mainstream, I don't need that outlet.

I'm wondering what else is going to change in my life now.

I am pretty burnt out from working too many hours last month, with no end in sight. I had a hard time focusing on work today, so I played hookey. Normally, a day of hookey means escaping from the house, shopping, exploring, and looking to the horizon. All fun things. But today, I stayed at the computer. I did some online shopping (for art supplies, of course). I reviewed some of the inspiring websites I've collected in del.icio.us. And I made the banner graphic for the site. It's not exactly what I had in mind when I started, but like any collage, I started by finding images that capture the meaning of what I want to say, and then I experiment with ways to put them together to tell my story. Today's story, the blog banner's story, is about the messy energy and vibrant colors of art, mixed with the joy of laughter and the freedom of flight. I had a blast looking for the images that captured the essence of these things. Of course there would be a crow, but what crow? And the watercolors seemed perfect as soon as I spotted them.

Perhaps I will soon be scanning a custom collage for the blog banner. But in the meantime, this one says that I want to say: I'm living my best life today by embracing my art.

Welcome to my Studio

I'm a long time blogger, but this entry is a big deal for me. This is the first entry in my art blog. I realized last night that the renewed focus on my art in my life is taking me places I didn't expect. One of those places is here. I realized that I need an art journal, a place where I can write about my art, keep notes about what I'm learning, and review my progress. I love the idea of a handwritten journal, but I'm a realist. If I can type, I can get more said quickly, and the easier it is to write, the more successful my journal will be. So here I sit at Blogger, home to my 6 other blogs, starting a new one.

I don't know if anyone will find this blog. I don't even know if I want anyone to find this blog. I'm really writing this just for myself.

Since January, I've coverted my junk room into a studio. Inspired by photos of someone else's studio last November, I created a wonderful workspace for myself. Just clearing out the junk (which resulted in a garage sale in April) gave me such a lift that I felt inspired to begin work. I've done a rough sort of my supplies, with most of them in cubbies in the room, and some of the larger supplies in the newly painted and organized closet. I still want to build in shelves to give me more closet organization. I removed the closet sliding doors and replaced them with curtains to match the window curtains with grommet tops so they slide open so easily. I love sitting in there working.

Since January, I've taken several art classes, and I'm currently scheduled for two more in May. I don't find classes on interesting techniques or projects very often, but when I find a teacher who has something for me, I don't hesitate to sign up.

I've got a whole slew of potential projects that I'm itching to get started. Just last night, I sent a round of pictures to Walgreens that will make up a project. I've got photos already printed for at least two more. I'm so excited. I need this journal to give myself a place to keep track of my projects, review my results, and critique my efforts.

In future posts, I want to cover the following: each art class I've taken, my project list, my finished projects, progress in creating a working studio, how my life is changing from exploring art again, and my efforts to begin supporting myself through my art.

If you are reading this, I promise that you will find my honest opinions here, not something I'm saying because I think I have an audience. I'll let you see what is going on inside my heart and head as I begin this new phase of my art journey. It might be raw and rough, but it will always be real.

In the few minutes I have been typing this, I have again that sense of profound awareness that I had last night when I realized I must start a blog. The reality of my journey is so solid and so real since I've started writing. I am a person who responds to journaling. I'm having a journaling response now. By starting this blog, I've changed the course of my journey, I can feel that. Just like I changed my life when I cleared out the junk room, when I created the studio, and when I started signing up for classes.

Art is back, baby. Big time.