Followers........Where are you hiding?

When I go behind the scenes, my followers are all sitting there nice and pretty, but today they are no longer visible when I open my blog!! Does anyone have any idea how to correct this? Very disheartening.......I love when readers/followers post comments on my FB wall, but please also post remarks right here on the blog.......it would make me so happy!

Well, after 1500 miles on the road this week, I needed to look the other way at the disarray in my house and head to my studio to create for a while tonight. Can't quite decide which room in my house requires the most attention, but I do know that it must look perfect in 2 weeks for company! I need to wait about a week before posting my LO from tonight though.

I will soon be posting info on some classes I will be teaching in the fall in Lancaster, NY. I'm excited about preparing for them and looking forward to meeting new people and having some creative fun!

Well, 5:00 a.m. will come early tomorrow, so I'm going to tie up a few loose ends and call it a day!

WOW! It has been so long..........

Can't believe I have not blogged in so long! Life has been incredibly busy but I think often that I need to post a new entry......and then I get caught up in something or other. It is heavily on my mind today after getting home from my first ever CHA in Chicago.

I am exhausted from seeing so many awesome products that I absolutely must have, meeting people who I have connected with on FB, sitting in business seminars and classes and well, that heat could tire anyone out! Special moments included watching Dyan Reaveley demo while working in her art journal, watching Tim Holtz do his magic and meeting Linda Cain while at Tim's booth. I did wish I had the ability to bi-locate so that I could also be in my art room to create!

This spring and summer have been crazy busy: a trip to NYC, several trips to NJ and Philly, helping to organize a brain cancer walk in May, and a surprise visit from my son 2 weeks ago when I turned 60. The rest of the summer looks to be just as busy: a wedding this weekend, a family reunion picnic, and a house concert by the incredible Vance Gilbert to celebrate my birthday in early August......and wonderful projects at the St. Jude Center.

I have alot of artistic ideas weaving through my brain and will spend a lot of time in my art studio translating those ideas into art pieces or layouts. I have 6 classes to create samples for and a huge project to prepare for. Whew!!!!!!!

I do commit to stopping here on a more regular basis so.......check in!

Looking Forward.......and Back........

I created several LOs this week that are kind of indicative of what I was/am feeling. Everyone who knows me is aware that I am not fond of winter. OK.......I hate winter with a passion. I desperately need for spring to get here quickly. So, I started the week by creating a LO to remind me of beautiful weather.......and the beauty that existed during my September trip to Hawaii with my son. My son, Jim, published a book with his photos as a gift for me, and dedicated to my husband, that is breathtakingly beautiful. Doing a LO helped me to become a little hopeful that better weather, and a little sun, will soon arrive........or else another trip to Hawaii will be on the horizon!

One of the other LOs I did was to help me remember Art's surprise 60th birthday party, 4 years ago. On Tuesday, March 1, he would have turned 64. This is the 2nd birthday he has not been here to celebrate and it is a most difficult day. I go to Red Lobster for dinner, because it is what we always did........Art thought that was the best place EVER. I'm sure that he is running a franchise up in heaven now! I also have a Mass offered for him on that day. This year, as a special tribute, the 2011 Thunderbird calendar dedicates March to Art and contains a picture of our son's 2002 Ford Thunderbird convertible. Art loved a multi-day celebration of his birthday, so an entire month is a home run!

I'm moving forward, but along with the painful moments, there is so much joy to look back on for so many years. Love you Artie! (The first picture is from his birthday in 1973......the year we were married).

Creative Chaos!

Have been working on class samples surrounded by the chaos of ongoing construction.......but actually have enjoyed having people in the house. The house has been way too quiet since Art has been gone. Love the smell of wood and paint and the sound of drills and saws........not to mention the way the guys kid with each other. I don't even mind the mess........which almost concerns me! LOL.

One of the classes I will be teaching in May will be Creative Configuration, using the amazing Tim Holtz configurations. Students will pick their own theme........a person to honor.......a special event or place........and get creative with representing it! My sample is centered around my husband Art. Creating it made me focus on all the happy, silly, memorable things that made him so lovable! You can see that he loved trains, candy, his faith, astronomy, finding the biggest shells at the beach, playing solitaire, and found so much joy in life. The huge pear represents a very funny story that took place when he was sick. He received a gift box from my sister, which contained alot of fruit, but Art had to wait a certain amount of time after his chemo before he could eat. There was a gold foiled wrapped pear........at least Art thought it was a pear! He held that pear in his hand watching the clock for 2 hours, waiting to bite into the juicy pear. When he finally could tear off the foil........it was a chocolate pear! Art ate that and then one of the real pears that was not wrapped up at all. How we laughed.......and we always laughed! I have attached a picture of it below.

I used alot of Tim Holtz products, including tissue tape, grunge board and metal embellishments, as well as some Tattered Angels products: Gumdrop Glimmer Mist, Chandelier Glimmer Glam and All That Jazz Glimmer Glaze.

So...........get creative.........and get happy!

Making Progress.........

Things around here are hopping this week! Contractors working in both the upstairs and downstairs bathrooms, and I'm updating the NY calendar for National Entrepreneurship Week (all this week.........so Happy National Entrepreneurship Week to all my fellow artists around the country) and also working on my class samples. I will be doing a series of 4 workshops over a 6 week period starting on May 2 in Western New York. Pretty excited about that!

I'm going to share a layout I did recently from my wedding in 1973........wow, a really long time ago! Later this week, I will post a couple of class samples as well. Until then............stay warm and pray for spring!

I used some Prima flowers, laser cut paper, bling and added Iridescent Gold Glimmer Mist, which is my favorite! Just a simple LO, but full of glorious memories!

Time is moving too quickly..........

I find it difficult to believe that February is almost half over already! I think I spent so much time enmeshed in living vicariously through all the lucky designers and retailers that were at CHA, peeking at all the new products and being excited at winning new Tim Holtz stamps and starting to Skype, that time has passed me by!

One accomplishment though was submitting all the necessary paperwork for 12 hours of classes I will be teaching over a 6 week period for Maryvale Continuing Ed. Registration will begin in 2 weeks and classes start at the beginning of May, so I am about to enter the process of preparing my class samples for 4 projects over that 6 week period.. I will share them here as they are completed. I'm hoping that registrants will be "new" to the world of art, and get hooked to continue to experience the journey of creativity. I will post the registration details as they become available over the next 2 weeks. I haven't taught any classes since Art got sick, so am excited to get back into it.

My world of entrepreneurship education is also about to explode in a flurry of activity as National Entrepreneurship Week arrives at the end of February. Seems like I might be facing 2 major conferences instead of 1, but touching over 500 potential business owners. LOVE the excitement of it! Go ahead.........say it.......it's not like I don't recognize the fact that I am crazy!

And then there is hosting that Academy Awards party.........yep, I am a true nut case! LOL. But I relaxed this past week, so theoretically I am well rested and energized. We. shall. see.

Remembering........

Today is the first anniversary of my husband Art's death. The first year has been a difficult journey, but has been made with the love and support of some pretty awesome friends. I'm sure he is celebrating in Heaven today..........he always did love attention, great food, and the control of the TV remote!

Also spending time putting together 3 new classes I will teach in the spring and I'm pretty excited about that! The classes will come under the umbrella theme of "Celebrating the Journey." I'm hoping that alot of new people will sign up.........you know who I mean........those that have artistic tendancies buried in their souls that have yet to be discovered and embraced!

So, I am off to celebrate the journey today.........of remembering Art and all the gentle, loving beauty he left as an imprint on this earth.

The Journey

The journey to this blog has been long and full of joy..........and heartache. I spent 34 years working as an educator, and professional development provider and 16 years (of that 34) as an entrepreneur, as well as teaching business ownership to at-risk youth and doing international business education consulting. I've been involved in the arts in some capacity for my entire life. During 2009-2010 I was even the Director of an arts coalition made up of 17 arts organizations. But in November of 2009, life took a very unexpected turn when my husband Art was diagnosed with brain cancer. He quickly lost his battle on January 30, 2010. After an incredible 36 1/2 years as his wife, my battle with grief has continued. As the first anniversary approaches, and the healing process continues, I know that I need to focus on what feeds my soul........and that is art and the process of creation. I have always enjoyed writing, and am confident that it will aid healing, and so doing a blog at this time just seems to make sense!

Newbie

Finally, after years of contemplation of blogging, I am finally building a blog! Imagine that. Perhaps it is the sunny day, or my sunny disposition which is the impetus for today. There is much yet to do to make this blog artistically pleasing, but I have been motivated by the example set by my friend Martha, on her blog at Mermaidscloset.blogspot.com. Perhaps she is simply making me feel like an underfunctioner...........I will need all of you viewing this to follow me, which will be my impetus for moving forward!