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!