Lunch at American Girl Restaurant

On my last trip to Los Angeles, we all had lunch at the American Girl Restaurant at The Grove. Hannah and Bitty Baby had a great time as did the rest of the family. Dada especially likes eating at the hot pink restaurant with all the other little girls and their mothers and grandmothers. One group had four generations of girls!

Altered Photographs

This one of the pieces I did in Stephanie Lee's workshop, Seeing through the Mind's Eye (I think that was the name) I took at The Artists' Nook in Bellvue, Colorado! Although I loved when she had done, I didn't think it was really something for me, but once I got into it, I loved it. This was originally a Volkswagen Bus with Miss Paige Kindergarten and Dancing School. The kids were all bundled up for cold weather. It was just a great technique to learn. Stephanie Lee is a fabulous instructor and makes it all seem so easy.

Chocolate Brownie Chef

Here is the cutest little brownie baker in the land! I am not sure how many brownies she actually got into the oven, but a good number went into her special dessert tummy. Of course the fact I am the grandmother doesn't factor into it.

Halloween Cabinet Cards

Happy Halloween! Well in a month. These are some of the altered Cabinet cards I made for a swap with my Yahoo group. They were very fun to make.

School Days

Here is my envelope to start a RR in the group for mailed art. We start with a large envelope, decorate it to start, send it on to the next person who adds their vision, etc., and when we get it back in the mail, what a surprise! I did my first one with a Beach theme. I loved it so much, I have already gotten my envelope ready to mail for the next one, School Days! I wonder if anyone from the group will catch me posting this early! I am never early so this is something to celebrate. I will post the finished version of the Beach theme later.

More mess from my art space

I am working on using up leftover paint on different pages in a journal so I will have a background to start with when I get inspired to write or add something. Here is an example. It is fun to just use up whatever paint you have and wonder where it will lead you. The design on the right is a strip of fabric left over from some pillow cases I made my granddaughter. I used a pencil eraser to make the dots from left over paint.

My craft table today!

I have been having so much fun just playing with my art junk, I mean supplies! Now that I have my little corner all stacked precariously around me, I have most of what I need at an arm's reach. It is dangerous. So, I am working my way through the new Somerset publication on art journaling. I remembered that all the great masters studied for years copying the great masters who came before them, hours and years on end. So, why can't that work for me? I started with Pam Garrison. I love her use of pastels and intricate designs. This is the start of a page in her style. My goal in this exercise is to learn from the masters and take the techniques that fit my "style" and go with it!

Piano Hinge Book

A friend of mine was needing a little gift for her new sister-in-law to be. I had just finished a book/journal from a kit I got by Carol Wingert at Creatologie.com. I love her kits as they are eash to do when you really want to do something but don't feel particularly inspired. I always learn some new technique and am always amazed at her originality and attention to detail! Plus the finished product is always wonderful. Anyway, I made another one similar in Tiffany blue and brown for the gift for the new bride. These are very fun to make and I was so surprised, I didn't need to go get anything except Tiffany blue flowers! I thought I had every color of paper or silk flower known to man, but no, no Tiffany blue! Thank heavens for the local Archiver's.

Market Skirt and Knitted Top

I saw this adorable skirt online at dana-made-it.com

I just had to make it for my granddaughter and then found a yarn that would make a cute knitted sleeveless top with ruffles down the front to go with it. I think Hannah needs this for the first day of school. Making things for grandchildren is very fun and much quicker than knitting or sewing for one's self! I have been sort of possessed about getting this finished this weekend. I will be close, the sweater won't be quite finished. I have the back finished and the front is nearly finished, then just add the trim around the neck and armholes and voila! I can rest.

Reclaimed Journal

Here are some photos from a Reclaimed Journal I did in a workshop with Kelly Kilmer last weekend. She always has such fun projects and is very stimulating and fun. Not to mention talented. We took an old book, I used a journal style engagement calendar. I used a transparency of a baobab tree I took in Africa on the one with the tree. I really enjoy doing the collage techniques Kelly teaches. I also love her addiction to decorative tape. However it is catching. The script around the tree is tape. The red hearts and circles on the mime collage is tape!

Photos from my Trip

Elephants on parade up from having a drink at the river. Lots of babies! This was taken at Tarangire Safari Lodge in Tarangire National Park. It is my favorite lodge to stay, we get to stay in tents and hear the lions at night wandering around the tents. Why that doesn't make afraid, I don't know.
Acacia trees have such beautiful sillouettes. This was taken at Undutu Lodge, an old hunting camp at the edge of the Serengeti. It was a favorite of Hemingway in the 50's.
They have such rich sunsets on the Serengeti. Of course it is because of how dusty it is, but they are beautiful anyway. No tricks to this photo, this is exactly how it looks, well only it is better in real life!
Necking zebras! They are such beautiful animals and they frequently stand nose to tail so they can swish the flies away from their neighbors.
Mama lion with a wildebeast in her sights.

Here are some photos from the trip. You may want to go view a site where I put lots more. They can be found at: http://tanzaniaeastafrica2009.shutterfly.com/

My Favorite Journal Entry

One Saturday we went to the Maasai Market. It is held in a village in a large open field. There are tons of things for sale there. The fruits and fresh vegetables are so beautiful and perfectly displayed in neat piles, each little blanket has it's own display, very individual! Animals, grain, spices, clothing, fabric, just about whatever one might need. There were so many people, all in such bright dress. It is just a sign one will never forget. It is truly a cacophony of riotious color! I love that saying. One of my fellow travelers came up with the cacophony and I can take credit for riotious color!

Visual Travel Journal

I very much enjoyed my art journaling kit and working in my journal on my trip to Tanzania. Here is a photo of me working on it. I was amazed how much I enjoyed putting the sights down with pen, paint. The mini watercolor set from Windsor Newton was perfect, as was the water pen. I used a watercolor Moleskin journal. It was just the right size.Here are some of the paintings, sketches I did while I was there. I love giraffes, so here is a cute one. They are so graceful even though they look as though they would be so awkward!
Everyone bought green bananas at the market this day. If I saw one, I saw 50 women carrying green bananas home. I am not sure I got the proportion right as those bunches of bananas were huge and the women carried them up the hill on their heads with what seemed like, no effort at all. The mountain in the background is Mt. Kilimanjaro. However, the snow on top is not an accurate depiction. The snow has melted so much. There is hardly any icecap left on the poor mountain. I believe in global warming after seeing the changes that have happened to that mountain! It will have far reaching effects to the towns and villages at the base of the mountain who depend so much on the water from the mountain. Some day it will be gone. What then?

There were hundreds of mangos on this tree! It would be great to have this in my back yard!
This is the view on the road driving in from the airport. Kilimanjaro Airport is about 45 minutes out of Arusha Town, our home base. The soil is volcanic and rich and there are cornfields, sunflower fields and bananas growing all along the road! And the road is smooth! It was not in 1998 when I went for the first time!

Mini Art Journaling Kit

I just finished putting together my Mini Art Journaling Kit, ala Nancy Brill. Everything fits in the pencil box except the actual journal, which I intend to band to it. I have water colors, pencil, water brush, stapler, mini gel pens in neon colors, my favorite Uniball Vision Elite in all colors, two black Sharpies, two black Pitt pens, three different alphabet clear stamps, a mini stamp pad Brilliance, in black, Africa themed colored Color Box Cat's Eyes pads, Scissors, Eraser, decorative papers, glue stick. I think that is all. I also got a Polaroid Zink portable printer that prints 2"x3" borderless prints in one minute by simply plugging your camera into it. The prints are sticky backed already. It is about the size of a passport and about 3/4" thick or so. That isn't in kit either. I still have some room in my kit, believe it or not. Hopefully I will produce something with it!!!!!!!!!!