Following the Creative Path...: Gifts from Bo, New Work, Happy Mother's Day

Yellow flowers in Afghanistan picture by Bo. :)

There is a Sunday market that happens on the base that Bo has been to only twice. The first time was just to see what was around and take pictures and I have an entry on that right here http://abigailscreativejourney.blogspot.com/2011/01/bazaar.html. The second time was to look for some gifts that he can carry home to me. His base doesn't have an American Post Office and at this point I really do not want him going out of area just to figure out how to mail something to me. Not worth it in my eyes. So when he went to the market he kept a look out for small things he can just bring home to me.

I woke up to an email with him excited of his finds.

First was a beautiful handmade bag. I told you he always looks for elephants for me. LOL! He knows how I love hand made things and color so when I saw this I knew, he really knows me well. :)

The second find was what he was so proud of. You all know how I love texture in my art and I have been working on different projects with images being stamped on my paperclay projects. Well Bo found these printing blocks. Here is what he wrote. "The biggest find were these block prints, since you are all in the paper clay stuff with the impressions, I thought these were a huge find, so I bought you 3 of them....The guy said they are about 200 years old, and they were used for imprinting ink onto fabric, such as dresses, blankets, and other textiles....I figured you could use them in your artwork....What is cooler than knowing your stencil patterns come from something like that."

I am so excited. I have an old printing block similar that I bought from an antique store here and just love the designs on it but the grooves in it are not as deep as the ones above. It is such a great find and what a neat thing to keep even if I didn't use it in any of my art. :)
Even if I am happy these are coming home to me, I will be even happier and will have the best gift of all when I hear the news that he is coming home. Things have changed and now its all up in the air but I am praying within the next month or so I can finally see an end in sight. Cross fingers.

In our news here at home, we have been busy with testing, AP testing, track meets until late at night, yard work when we are given one of our few sunny days. We are averaging around high 60's right now and just taking care of the everyday busyness of life. So when I have a moment to spare or a time to escape into my little studio downstairs I set up for painting, I steal away.

Here is my 2nd fearless painting for Abstract Adventures. My mind was so busy that day and I had to quiet down the chatter. Glad I did. :)

Then I put some paint on a leaf collage project I am working on. It is not finished yet. I do multiple projects at a time. :)

The first days of the project:

With paint added

I am hoping that with a weekend of no sports events that as a present from my kids I will have some free time to work on more of my projects. :)

I am blessed to have a wonderful caring, strong and artistic mother that has instilled value and morals in me and always told me to never let anyone turn me into someone I am not. She always gave us kids the freedom to be who we really are even through criticism of others. Thank you Mom!

I am also proud to be a mother to two handsome young men who have been my inspiration to life, who opened up the world to me through their growth, and who have been the best teenage boys anyone can ask for mostly through this deployment and all the other events that have been thrown at us this year.

And of course I cannot leave out that I am a happy furkid Mom to Kaiah. :)Here she is chilling out while I was painting. She was watching the rain fall out the patio doors.