Following the Creative Path...

Season's Greetings 2011

2011-12-26T10:04:00.000-08:00

Wishing you all a blessed Christmas and a great start to a new year!

We are busy spending time with family and traveling for wrestling tournaments. I will be back in January. :)

Enjoy your holiday season! :)

What has been going on...

2011-12-05T11:41:00.001-08:00

We finished Cross Country season with a bang. :) Experienced the pride and happiness of both our boys and girls team running in State. We then ended with a great banquet honoring our top runners and saying goodbye to our seniors. One of them of course being my Nick. I was in charge of the collages and made everyone of the seniors one and also our Volunteer parent of the season Mr. Tim P. I will miss this group of kids and parents and coaches but will see them one more time during track. :)

Thanksgiving was great for the simple fact that Bo was here with us this year. Just the time we spend as a family means so much to all of us.

With cross country over we walked right into wrestling with Nick only have 3 days of practice before hitting the mat for scrimmages. This last weekend we were in Oldham County for duals and both boys did well. I am really looking forward to a great season for them both.

Our Seniors

Our Varsity and Junior Varsity Central Hardin HS Bruin Wrestling Team

In the midst of all the events I re-opened my Etsy shop. A little snippet of what is in the shop.

As for me I am finishing up my college classes for this semester. Our group project for a class is turned in and we present this week. Then I have two finals and I am DONE with this semester. I will have a little break in which my time will be consumed with decorating for Christmas, wrestling meets, and hopefully being able to again work on creating. My next classes will start again in the middle of January.

I hope you all have had a wonderful November and the start to a great December. I will leave you with a picture of my baby girl Kaiah. :) She is my unconditional love and is always by my side to make my days better. :) I cannot believe like the boys she is growing up fast and turns 2 years old this coming February.
Have a great week and thank you for stopping by to visit. :)

Loving my little books....

2011-11-10T10:44:00.000-08:00

I am very thankful for the talented artists like Stephanie Lee that pour so much of their passion and love of creating into their classes. She travels to teach at workshops but she also teaches online workshops. Which is great for people like me that cannot always travel. Workshops like these though,not only give you the push to be creative and the confidence to push past your boundaries but you meet others who are also in the experience with you and share, communicate and support. The talent and support and friendship taken out of these courses are always worth so much. It also helps to have such talented artists who are so giving and so passionate that they infect you with that enthusiasm and the drive to explore and create. Thank you Stephanie for giving us so much to take away from your class and for also being there to help us and to confide in us and to support us.

I started in 2007 to finally open my heart and release all the criticisms of others and just create. My love for wearable art became my passion making glass jewelry and sharing them with others who appreciate and love my work and fortunately enough hooking my husband into the passion as he learned to create beautiful glass beads. The doors then opened for me to finally explore my creative side. So little by little I gave myself the permission to learn how to draw, paint, take better pictures. In the midst of a busy "Mommy" and "Wife", I found myself craving for more "Me" time in the sense that if I didn't journal, or paint, or go for a spontaneous drive for photographs or created a new piece of jewelry I was going crazy. Not everyone around me understood that feeling, but its all good...I found my little spot where I could disappear to. :) Now as I take more and more workshops I have realized I need this in my life and will always find a way to make time for my learning and creating.

Here are the snippets of my experience of making my Handbook of Elements books from Stephanie Lee's online workshop.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures. These are just the start. I am now hooked and ordered more metal sheets and adornments to make more of these little books. :)

Have a great Veteran's Day weekend. We are headed out to Lexington, KY for State Cross Country Races. :)

Once again I find myself trying to catch up...

2011-11-08T08:18:00.001-08:00

October flew by along with November at its tail. Here is a little recap of the events that have flown by us.

Halloween was spent carving pumpkins and painting skulls and we had a lot of fun as a family but disappointed that even if we live in a neighborhood not one trick or treater came. :( So now I am left with ALL this candy...um not a good thing. LOL!

My week then was filled with tests, quizzes and homework and events. Nick's Regions for Cross Country was an hour away at Bowling Green, KY. It was an intense event for both teams but a nail biter for our boys. Come to find out Nick was the one that placed right to be able to secure our spot for State! So we are headed to Lexington, KY this next weekend to compete in state. This was momentous for our high school because this is not only the first time our boys team are going to state as a whole team but we are sending both our boys team and girls team at the same time! We are so proud of the whole team and I am glad Nick's last season with the team will end in such a great way.

With such a goal achieved the boys spend bonding time at my house last night. The kids didn't have school Monday and Tuesday so we opened our doors for all the teenage boys that could come to spend time here. They were strewn out all over my den last night. :)

In all the whirling of events I did find some quiet time to finish my Handbook of Elements books. These are just my first but hopefully when I receive my metal order I can concentrate on making more.(I will dedicate a whole entry to the experience.)

So without further ado...I will share the events....

Carving pumpkins..

Kaiah decked out for Halloween. :)

Our painted skulls

Our pumpkins and outdoor decor

Regions

Our team going to State

And due to making history for the HS our guys shaved their heads!

And I will end with what I had waiting for me to finish...:)

October is about..

2011-10-29T18:58:00.000-07:00

Spending time with family, hot soup dinners, early cross country race mornings, snuggling to watch football, hot cocoa days and just being in the moment and loving every minute of it.

Smitten by simple gestures of love.(Bo picked this pretty Daisy for me when he was walking Kaiah one morning.)

Cooler days to walk Kaiah and enjoy the leaves turn our woods into a blast of color.

Finding the last of the wildflowers.

Decorating our porch with Mums and pumpkins.

Craft Fairs (I am only attended one this year, last year I was a part of the juried Art In the Highlands but they weren't hosting it this year.)

Continuing my homework with college classes and having fun with my online workshop.

Giving in to more creative musings.
Took Stephanie Lee's Handbook of Elements Class. :)Will share soon.

And of course a trip to the pumpkin patch. (Will have more pictures on next journal entry)

How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days. ~John Burroughs~

Exploring on a beautiful autumn day....

2011-10-06T11:42:00.001-07:00

What eases our soul after a long hectic week? A beautiful autumn stroll in the woods and fields behind our house with Kaiah. :)

Would not like to meet the spider responsible for this web-(creepy!) but I do sure admire the talent!

Fall is here as the leaves are changing.

There is beauty in even the smallest details in nature.

We unleashed Kaiah and she was in heaven prancing around chasing butterflies and grasshoppers although not catching any. *Smile*

Yes it was a beautiful day for exploring.

September Ends...

2011-10-01T14:16:00.001-07:00

As the leaves change and the cooler weather has arrived we know a new season is about to emerge. Autumn is in the air. :)

Our September ended with:

A romantic weekend getaway with Bo to Louisville, KY

Nick's Senior Night with his date Nici who happened to be a dear friend from Alaska that moved here and now goes to the same school with Nick. :)

New art homework and project.

Full swing into Cross Country Season.

Welcoming October with open arms. :)

Happenings around here....

2011-09-22T11:20:00.001-07:00

The cooler weather and rain has arrived. The leaves are slowly changing to accept the new season to come.

Bo is gone again but should be home soon. I know I dealt with a deployment but for some reason even if this absence is not that long it feels like forever before I finally pick him up from the airport. As usual when he leaves my to do list grows and my calendar filled. But I try to take things day by day and prioritize what is important.

Snippets of happenings around here....

Homework...

Immersing myself in Jane's online workshop. I have started my projects but haven't had the time to upload them yet and will hopefully soon.

http://www.janedavenport.com/workshops/

Our first homework challenge..

Flowers for the porch to welcome the cooler weather.

Enjoying the fall wildflowers in bloom in our neighborhood.

Happy Fall....October is just around the corner.

Goodbye August..Hello September!

2011-09-01T19:21:00.000-07:00

September came a bit quick and around here you wouldn't think it was with how the heat index went back up again. Nick's cross country meet had to be canceled due to it. :( I am just looking forward to much more cooler weather in the fall.

So...September comes with so much. I start my college classes, Bo's Birthday is tomorrow the 2nd, My Brother's is on the 3rd. Our anniversary of 18yrs happens on September 11th but for our second anniversary this year Bo will not be here(Our actual one is on May 18th then our church one Sept 11th) yes the Army is once again sending him away from us. Thankfully this time its only for a course and its in Texas but still any time away from us always throws us for a loop. Just hope after what I just endured with him gone to Afghanistan this will be a piece of cake. Then all the Senior happenings in school, off season for wrestling and a full season into cross country. So can you say a lot on my plate? But you know I wouldn't have it any other way. This is life being a part of all my kids events and just being a part of the everyday stuff. Of course at times its not as easy as it sounds..life is never easy and we are always hit with challenges and uphill battles that seem to test our characters but as always I trudge through knowing the next day is a new one. :)

In the midst of all that I still have my online art classes and take time to tinker with my jewelry. I wish I had more than 24 hours to a day...I would get so much more done. LOL!

Before I welcome in September this is what my August encompassed. :)

Reconnecting and bonding with friends.

Jen and Heather's visit to Louisville.

Cross Country Pasta Night

Nick's first official Cross Country Race-Tiger Run in Louisville.

Practicing drawing faces.

Experimenting with paperclay projects from my 21 Secrets class Silent Messages

Total Alignment Invitation #1-"Opening the heart center"

Frosted Blue Bracelet and Earrings set

Repainted the Accent Walls in the Dining and Living Area: Out with the Red (5 coats of it) and in with the Burnt Caramel

Before picture:

After picture: We also changed out the chandelier and will be looking for new artwork to hang.

Finished Abstract Paintings.

As we welcome the new month in, I wish you all a great and safe Labor Day Weekend.

Kaiah waiting to play frisbee with Daddy. :)

On gloomy days....

2011-08-19T13:28:00.001-07:00

On rainy gloomy days,this is where my soul takes a trip. :)

Creative week

2011-08-18T12:03:00.000-07:00

School has been back in session now since Aug. 3rd and I am finally catching up on my artwork. The summer was spent traveling and enjoying our time together so I didn't have much time to create other than to journal.

On our trip to Santa Rosa Island in Florida we combed the beach everyday. :) I left with a pretty good amount of shells. When we came home I cleaned, labeled and put aside some to use on my art pieces.

Here is my little stash from Florida. :)
(Actually this wasn't all of it the bags were full by the time we left Florida)

I had a dream of these cute little creatures that were water sprites. A water sprite is a sprite (an elfish person) known to inhabit or haunt in water-water nymphs. I painted and assembled a collage to try to convey what was in my dreams using the shells and other found objects to create them. Here is the outcome. They are not completely done yet but close to it.

My sprites

The next day I painted my piece for Total Alignment.

Total Alignment-Balance

I am also working on my table leg dolls :)

I am thankful to have the time to immerse myself in my creativity mostly when my nerves are frazzled. I am very proud of both my sons but also nervous at the same time because both of them passed their driving tests. My eldest Nick passed his actual driving test to now have his intermediate license which will last for 6 months then his actual license will be given to him. Jared my youngest passed his written permit exam and now can start driving to log his hours in so that in 6 months he can test out to get his intermediate. So the other day I couldn't sleep well and was nervous that morning when Nick drove his brother to school. Watching them drive off just sunk in the reality that our kids are growing up. I must not be the only one having a hard time with letting go because Bo chose to go to work later so that he can follow them to school the first day to make sure they made it safe. I was proud of myself I didn't cry but even this morning it was so awkward not to see them get on the bus and to have Nick wave goodbye as he got into the driver's side of the car. Time is flying by.

First day Nick drove to school on his own with Jared.

On other notes the weather finally cooled off a bit for us. We are in the cross country season for Nick and Bo is in full swing at his new job. I will also start online college classes on the 1st of September. It will be a busy year but hopefully we will have time to stop and enjoy the meaningful moments and not forger to smell the roses.

Been off the grid over here....

2011-08-03T11:33:00.000-07:00

Yes I am alive and here and busy. I think I over use that word now. LOL! Since Bo arrived we have traveled pretty much the whole summer. Spending a week in Florida in June then a sporadic trip to Asheville, North Carolina in July to run away from the high heat index here in Kentucky and spend more family time together before Bo signed back in. Then last weekend we were in Mt. Juliet, TN for a wrestling camp for the boys. The great thing was that we were able to finally see our great friends, Jen and Amy and spent a wonderful brunch with them. 5 years has passed since Bo and Amy graduated nursing school together so it was really nice to see her in person again and reconnect. Then today was the first day of school for the boys. Can you believe it, I have a Junior and a Senior now!!

I have so much to share and I know I will do it one post at a time. I feel so bad for neglecting my page. :(

With much heaviness in my heart at times and frustration it impedes on my creative processes which then I tend to put aside my creativity. That of course is not such a great thing for not only my psyche but my soul. So I am very grateful and thankful to have met Connie Hozvicka in one of my online workshops. On her Dirty Footprints Studio she has a free online course on Total Alignment. Here is a snippet of the course.

My intention behind Total Alignment is to share with others a series of powerful tools and techniques that can be used to help "totally align" one's body-mind-spirit with Creative Source. Through the fusion of FEARLESS™ Painting and basic Yoga techniques we will move through five invitations designed for you to explore and experiment with in your own creative process and life. The invitations will be centered around:

1. Opening The Heart Center (Monday, August 1)
2. Balancing (Tuesday, August 2)
3. Energizing (Wednesday, August 3)
4. Full Self Expression (Thursday, August 4)
5. Grounding (Friday, August 5

I dove right in staying up late at times to paint. Not all the time would my paintings come out "pretty" but the energy of delivering the paint to a board or canvas was therapeutic. I am hoping with my classes I take for painting or mixed media it would open the doors for more creativity with my jewelry.

If you happen to have time hop over to Connie's page and check her new site out and her workshops offered.http://www.dirtyfootprints-studio.com/

Today I am running off to deal with cross country team pictures plus senior picture with Nick. Sigh.... I cannot believe that much time has already passed. I will be back to share pictures of beautiful sights this summer and hopefully get back into the grind of sharing my creations.

Talking about my jewelry I opened up my Etsy store again if you want to pass by and check it out.

Whirlwind Month of Events...Bo is home from Afghanistan!!

2011-07-05T15:57:00.000-07:00

First off I wanted to let everyone know Bo is home! :) It was a chaotic, stressful, and frustrating trip back to the states but all that fell behind us when we finally welcomed him home to us here in KY.

June came with Jared turning 16 years old, my husband finally coming home, Father's Day, then us leaving getaway and just falling off the grid to coming back home to celebrate July 4th with friends. The time flew but at the same time it was memorable and every day spent knowing we were a complete family again just made my heart soar.

My now 16 year old son. :)

I am not done downloading all our pictures from the trip yet but will share some that I do have and Bo's homecoming.

June 2011- Welcome Home To Bo...

Waiting for the plane to arrive in Louisville, KY.

Bo with Boys...

Bo and I..

A stranger came up and was so sweet to offer to take our family picture.

For the first meal back with us he chose Lynn's Paradaise Cafe in Louisville, KY.

Father's Day 2011

A few scenes from our getaway..we left our hearts there and will be back. :)

View from our 18th floor Condo...bay on one side, gulf waters on the other. :)

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July! I am back to the grind trying to get things back to normal again in this full household and should have more pictures to share and new art soon. I came home with so much inspiration. :)

So much so much.....

2011-05-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

May 2011 Daisy

I know it seems I have neglected my blog, but really I have been around just have not shared much due to so much happening at once all with its own attachment of emotions. Yesterday I got a scare, thankfully it dwindled down to just a worry but it just made me realize the real sacrifice those in uniform make and those of us who support the ones in uniform. Peaks of stressed emotions like that just makes all the beautiful moments in our lives really worth having even if its as simple as watching everything green up for the summer or watching your kids walk across the podium to receive their academic award for the year despite all that has also been thrown in front of them.

For those of you wondering no Bo is not home yet and we really do not know when he will be coming home. Their replacements got pushed back and so until they step foot on their base to replace them we are still in limbo. But unfortunately life doesn't wait and the boys and I have celebrated events and holidays without him.

May 18, 2011 was 18yrs of marriage for Bo and I. This one even if he is not around felt more meaningful than the last years. I think its because the true form of love, patience, communication, trust and values were tested this year and has persevered to show us what is important in our lives and how we are reminded that it is hard work in every level that gets us to that point, its not luck, its not given, its earned.

I have so much to share but do not want to ramble throughout this so I will share in the best way I can, visually. :)

So here we go...

Another season of track for Nick.

Mother's Day with the boys.

18yrs together:
May 18, 1993 wedding at our courhouse.

4 months later at our church.

Meeting up with lifelong friends for a baby shower

My first finished journal girl for my The Goddess and Poet portrait class from Suzi Blu.

2010-2011 CHHS Academic Awards-you have to have a 92% along with a GPA of 3.5 or higher to receive an award.

Jared. 3.9 GPA with all honors classes and AP Biology

Nick with a 3.8 with all honors classes and AP US History, AP Chemistry and Pre-Calculus

I hope you all have a great Memorial Day weekend! Stay safe and have fun!

Gifts from Bo, New Work, Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-06T16:52:00.001-07:00

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.

I want to wish all the Mother's out there a Happy Mother's Day.

Charm Necklaces

2011-04-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

Usually around the winter, since my garage is not heated like in Alaska, I take a break from making glass and jewelry all together and try to spend time on other projects and art works or take classes online. This year I was unfortunately a bit unmotivated due to my lampwork artist being gone. He left me a couple sets to work with but it just didn't seem the same to finish it and not be able to share it with him. I dragged my laptop and table out of my art room into my room so I can hear the skype calls at 1am and put another table in there just to keep up with my other projects. My bead table, I left as is.

As March rolled around and I was busy with a painting class and visual journaling, I really wanted to finally make my charm necklaces. But I always found a way to put it to the side. Then the news of my Mother in law passing came and the the anxiety and nervousness of my husband making an emergency trip out of Afghanistan cost nights of no sleep. Well I couldn't really paint, well I could, but then I would be cleaning up a mess every 2am so I thought well I can quietly sit in my room and bead.

Since I make my own jewelry. I usually do not buy jewelry, but I could not pass up a sale in American Eagle of these long necklaces that mimic the charm necklaces I wanted to make. So I bought two of them with the chains I wanted and some pieces in the charms that I liked. I took it home, took it apart and then added my own flair to it. So I cannot really claim the whole necklace as mine since I didn't make the chain and some of the components but I did make it to a point that most of it was mine and that the pieces I incorporated into it meant so much to me.

So here they are:

My first one with charms of thing that remind me of what life is all about for me.

The elements that I incorporated were: The love life pendant, brass leaf, and antique key. The rest were already a part of the necklace.

This is the second necklace:

The elements that I incorporated in this necklace were: The Green Girls Studio pendant of strength with Swarovski crystals,Bo's organic blue glass bead with a sterling seahorse, sterling key, rock, coral beads, and my hand made imprinted dragonfly wing and sterling hoop from metalsmithing class in UAF. The only thing not mine is the chain.

I love how long the chains are and how they dangle and clink. Not a necklace you can wear ALL the time but I feel as if a part of how I express myself is always with me. :)You see all the nature elements and the sea that I long for and my keys. :)

It felt good to put my energy into creating with my hands rather than stressing as my husband made his travel home and all the other anxiety and worry that came with our news. This is when I realized how deeply my creations do affect me and how it will always be a part of my life. No more pushing it to the side because of how others view it as not "being a job". I worked enough my whole life from 11yrs old on. Now as I am given the opportunity to finally tap into what my passion really is and to take the time to raise my boys I will do so with my head up high and knowing that I love life more now, once I have finally dropped others expectations of what my life should be like.

Creating those pieces then gave me even more inspiration to start back up with my jewelry. I probably need to anyway and rotate out my jewelry from Woodland Gallery out for new ones. This summer will be busy for us so I am not sure if I will be doing any art shows or bazaars. We will see maybe an opportunity will pop up that I cannot pass up.

Before heading out of Biloxi, MS when we went down for the funeral, we had to pass by the Bead Shack in Gulfport. My brother in law told us of the place and how the owner makes her own lampwork beads too. So of course Bo had to check it out. :) Her beads are beautiful but larger. Bo likes the simplicity of our beads that look closer to rocks and organic to nature and ours are still different so he was satisfied that our beads are still ours in design. :)But of course I could not leave without some goodies. :)So I picked up some silver components and a beautiful string of blue gemstone beads. I have not made anything with it yet but I am itching to so hopefully I can make myself a Mother's day gift soon. :)

I know time will be ticking but we found out that my husband will not be coming home around the time frame we thought he would be headed back. So once again it is a waiting game for the date. I try to keep my spirits up with being busy with the boys and their activities and my online classes. I am also blessed to have such a supportive group of friends online and here in Kentucky that make sure we are doing okay. Thank you for your friendship. It is greatly appreciated by our whole family.

Well it looks like the sun is finally trying to come out and our half mowed lawn looks really awful now. But Bo kept on telling me to wait until the ground is dry or else I will tear the yard up. So hopefully it does dry so I can finally finish it up and tidy it sometime this weekend.

Have a great Friday...off to a track meet I go this afternoon. :)

Rain, rain, Go Away!

2011-04-27T20:12:00.000-07:00

Wow we have been bombarded a whole week now with severe weather. Night after night of rushing the kids and the dog (who also gets anxious) down to the basement as our tornado sirens go off. This Alaskan girl is not used to being freaked out by the weather like that. LOL! Last night was about the scariest for us when we found out a funnel cloud was spotted not too far from where we live and we watched the wall cloud and the rotation in it come through our back yard and made everything eerie, quiet, and dark until it unleashed its energy. SCARY! As I write this the wind is still kicking outside. We have had so much rain that the other half of our neighborhood is flooded and we have to find a different route to school. Yes you heard right the kids are still going to school and yet if an inch of snow falls they close it. We were on an hour delay today and they pushed testing for tomorrow. The boys have state testing this week then their AP exams next week.

No we do not have a creek out back, that is because of how much rain we have had. As you can see it pouring down.

Poor Kaiah all she wants to do is go play and she can't. The backyard is soaked, the mat she lays on is soaked and there is no sunshine for her to sunbathe in. :(

The rainy days though call for being at home. I do run my errands but I prioritize what is important, like picking up the kids. But if I really do not have to be out in it, I will not be, mostly after a scare of it coming down where you couldn't see in front of you to drive right and I was still far away from where the boys were. It can be depressing with no sun. You all know me, I love my sunshine. But I have put my energy into my arts. I really love the 21 Secrets workshop I am part of and I try to pace myself on what workshops to do first and try to finish projects before I start another but that isn't working too well. Laughing...I want to try all the different techniques that I have multiple projects going at once. LOL! But that is a good thing right? :)

Here are more Silent Messages Workshop projects made with paperclay. In these pictures they were just made and so I had them sitting out to dry.

I love how some of the textures came out.

I experimented with putting it on canvas.

I cannot wait to paint and finish these pieces. Other than that I am working on other projects for the different workshops and just joined "Drawing Happy" and "Collage Paint and Soul".

I am so happy to be learning and creating. It puts me in such a positive mood no matter what challenges have risen throughout this deployment. Thank you to the artists and instructors who has given this opportunity to me.

21 Secrets projects

2011-04-23T11:27:00.000-07:00

I am very thankful that we have artists that are so passionate of their craft that they cannot wait to share with the world. Living in the area that I do, I do not have much interaction with artists. Most of the workshops or classes would have to be a commute, and so with my hectic schedule with the boys and my hubby gone, I tend to immerse myself in books and magazines to inspire and motivate me to create. But lately I have taken online workshops where I have met others that share the same interests and also have learned different techniques without having to be in a traditional classroom.

My Get Your Paint on Workshop kicked off my hunger to learn and now I am part of 21 Secrets. I love how we have 21 artists sharing their secrets and teaching us different techniques and at the same time giving us the motivation to create and the confidence to be brave and just be ourselves. The way the workshops are set up you can have discussions and share your work and I think that is so valuable to have. So thank you Connie Hozvicka of Dirty Footprints Studio for your hard work in getting these classes going and to my fellow artist friend Rachel Whetzel for introducing the site to me. If you are interested please check it out. The classes are at your pace and lasts until August. So with that said let me share some of my work. :)

Playing with Patterns by Debra Cooper

These are patterned papers handmade with stamps and paint that will be a part of a handmade journal. Right now I am experimenting with different stamps and effects.

Silent Messages Workshop Rachel Whetzel

The beginning progression of my project with paperclay.

Abstract Adventures with Connie Hozvicka

My first Fearless painting. Painting with intuition and concentrating on the process and not the end result. It was a very fun and freeing experience and it felt so good to paint with no obligation to anything but my heart and soul. :)

And yes I recycle so these are some of the paper towels used to clean my brushes. They are being dried so I can use them in my journals and collages. I like how it looks dyed. :)

As you can see I have been busy in a happy way. :) Sorry it took so long to write this.
As of today I learned in wet nasty clay and grass to mow the lawn(this is Bo's realm not mine so I felt like a dummy). We have about an acre or so of land and with all our storms its made the grass and weeds grow out of control that they were taller than my ankles! So Nick did half of our front since we are on a slope and we kept on getting stuck in the mud, and I finally finished the back. It doesn't look as pretty as when Bo does it due to wet grass but I had to do while it wasn't raining since our forecast is to rain all week again! Well I just got done sweeping when the sirens for a tornado warning went off. Great! I am so tired of these storms.

I hope the sun will come out soon and dry up our yard so we can do the side of the house before it becomes a jungle of weeds. :(

I want to take a moment to say Happy Easter to everyone and I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend. :)

21 Secrets

2011-04-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

Been busy with a new workshop. :) If you want to know more about it here is the link http://www.dirtyfootprintsworkshops.com/2008/09/21-secrets-art-journal-playground.html

Will tell you more about it soon. I have been busy with the boys wrestling banquet, Nick's track meets and so forth and dodging all these horrid weather coming our way with storms that had us in our basement until 3am this morning. :(

I am sorry to have been gone from here. I think I needed to recoup after Bo left and our trip to MS. But will be back tonight to blog. So be watching out for my new entries. :)

Another Goodbye....

2011-04-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

Goodbye again my love....

Sorry I have not been around. I do check everyone's stuff just have not really been into blogging with all that has just hit our family these last weeks. We did try our hardest to spend every waking moment with Bo before his return to Afghanistan. Which brings about this blog.

Yes he left today. :( We drove to the airport and I held my composure as much as I could until our last hugs. Then had to straighten back up because I still had to drive out of Louisville and it was a busy Sunday on the interstates and highways. Thankfully the boys are old enough to help guide me through with the signs, so I didn't get lost. We got back into town even faster than when we left headed to the airport, but now I know what I did wrong that got me lost when we picked him up and this time I will be in a hurry to head there when he comes home for good. He has a long flight back, so please keep him in your thoughts and prayers that he makes it back to his camp safely.

Here are today's pictures:

Right before the tears started flowing...

There was happy and creative moments while he was here. He always puts that fire and energy in me. I will share those soon. For now I have to get back into a routine. The boys go back to school tomorrow, this week was spring break but we took them out a week early due to the funeral so they have a lot of catching up to do and so do I. Hopefully with all the events before the end of the year the time will go by much more quickly than the first time Bo left.

0n a good note, it was a beautiful 86 degrees here today. :)

In Peace

2011-04-05T13:15:00.000-07:00

We are finally home. It was a long week. The up and down roller coaster ride of emotions getting my husband home from Afghanistan to a trip down to the Gulf Coast for his Mom's funeral. Everything worked out right and her service was beautiful but it still seems so surreal to me.

I find solace and calm in the sea, and thankfully our hotel was off the I-90 with a view of Biloxi Beach. Waking up in the morning and drinking my cup of coffee while staring off into the water put me at ease before tackling the day. It was gloomy that day which went with all our emotions.

I know Mom is at peace now and we left an angel at her site to watch over her. This Mother's day will be different and so will all the other holidays. I am not sure if I have mourned properly yet, I just feel like I am still in a daze. The excitement mixed with sadness in welcoming my husband home to seeing family on the coast we have not seen in years. Sad that everyone finally gets together on such an occasion. We should have always been together like this when she was alive. Then this week I will once again have to say goodbye to my husband for his return to Afghanistan.

The events this year that we have encountered has tested not only our strength but our love and our dedication to those we cherish and to ourselves. I hope that through these moments there is growth and acceptance that will make us stronger for the future. None of us ever thought we would be saying goodbye to a parent this soon. I know it shook us all but hopefully we can carry on what she would have been happy to see us accomplish.

We love you dearly Mom and even though we were not ready to say goodbye, I hope that you are surrounded by angels and are finally pain free and in peace.

Heartbreaking week

2011-03-25T21:01:00.000-07:00

On March 22, 2011 we lost one of the most important person in our lives.

I was woken up by my sister in law frantic on the phone that our worst nightmare came through. Bo's Mom passed away. She has been sick with breast cancer then it went into remission and came back as bone cancer. Slowly we watched the painful disease take over her life. We visited this summer so that Bo could see her since he had a weird feeling that he was going to deploy, which he did. She became more sick a month or so ago but we thought despite that she was hanging on and we all really thought she would be around for Bo's return. But that didn't happen and I had to break the news to my husband in Afghanistan that his Mom has left this earth. That is probably the hardest thing I have ever done in my life and to hear his sobs miles away tore me apart.

I did the Red Cross message and his unit was really great with already getting the paperwork started to get him home. But his travels has been a nightmare. He left Wednesday night and is still in route and with troubles of the route they need to get him home and also them losing his luggage. If things work out right he will be home late tomorrow night or Sunday morning. Then we have an 11 hour drive to his home on the coast of MS.

I have my moments of breakdown. I don't even know how we will all react, mostly the kids when we see her. It is so surreal right now that its hard to digest. I am excited to see my husband but I didn't want to see him in these conditions. But all I have to think of is we all have to be there for each other through this difficult time.

I am not sure what else to say...I was going to keep this off here but I need to write it out. I already miss her and yet it hasn't sunk in deep yet that she is gone. I have my moments and hopefully can get it out of my system so that I can be strong for my husband who just lost his Mother. Please pray for all our family that we can all get through this.

I have to share this is a photo of Bo and his Mom on our wedding day in Alaska. She was so beautiful in the color green. It always brought out her eyes. This picture sits at his night stand besides the picture of him and I. We are the two most important women in his life. I thank her so much for raising such a wonderful man that I chose to spend the rest of my life with.

Bo and his Mom September 11, 1993

Dad and Mom with me on my graduation day from college in MS.

Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Charlie with the boys

Grandma and Grandpa with the boys Summer 2010

Bo and his parents Summer 2010

I miss you so much Mom, but I hope you are now with no pain and suffering and being pampered by angels.

A Celebration of Life....

2011-03-20T22:21:00.000-07:00

Our news, and our emails nowadays seem to be just inundated with mental images of how life can be devastated in minutes by a natural disaster or how a person you were communicating with can be gone forever. Japan's disaster dominates the pages of our news and reminds us of how powerful and uncontrollable our world can really be. At the same time receiving news of the passing of a cousin and a friend who happened to also be family sunk deep in my heart. The shock came in such a way that I couldn't even outwardly cry, its was a painful weeping inside.

All this came in such close proximity to my birthday and at first of course it was hard to even think of celebrating anything. But I had to. Despite all of what can be sorrowful I have to still appreciate that I am not just breathing another day but was blessed with being able to have lived another year. We have to celebrate the life we are given, what else is there to look forward to if nothing is worth living for? I have a million things worth living for and the the top of that list are my boys and my husband. So when I celebrated my birthday it was not just my day, it was a day of being surrounded by those dear to me and enveloped with love from all my family and friends.

That day started with a wonderful dinner out with my two handsome boys. Then coming home to a handmade card from them both created by Jared and Red Velvet Cupcakes baked by Nick and decorated by both for me. :) The thoughtfulness and the togetherness was the best gift I could have ever asked for and so I know in my heart this is not just another day. It is a day to celebrate life and everyday after should be constant celebrations of "living" the life given to me.

Nick Baking

Red Velvet Cupcakes

My special cupcake, LOL!

Then my week took an even better turn when I received a phone call from a dear online friend being in town. We have known each other now for years and first met in Bowling Green, KY when her and her husband came up after this deployment to Afghanistan to visit his family in Kentucky in 2006. This time where I live is closer to his hometown and they were coming with the two additions to their family and so I was so excited to plan a meet up at our historic Glendale, KY restaurant called the Whistle Stop. Just that moment of being with them elevated my spirits and made me realize how precious friends really are.

2006 Meeting with Brent and Becca

2011 Meet Up with the H. Family

Baby Ellie

Brent, Becca and the Girls

Me, Becca and the her precious girls. :)

Brent and Belle

Princess Belle

Abby and Becca

I had such a wonderful visit with a great family and I already miss them.

In my hectic schedule I try to harness any time I can at all to create and have been happily busy in my creative bliss. It is nice to be able to finally take the time to experiment and just play. Here are some snippets of progressive works.

Experimenting with texture-coarse modeling paste

I finished my third "Get Your Paint On" assignment and will hopefully be sharing that soon. I realized in this class that I do have a bright color palette and that everything inspires me. :) Art Journaling during down times has also kept the creative mode moving. I am now at a point where I need to create everyday, it eases my soul.

I hope that everyone is doing well and that you are also celebrating life in your own ways. :)

People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child - our own two eyes. All is a miracle.
~Thich Nhat Hanh~

Another year older

2011-03-11T11:46:00.000-08:00

Once again I have been absent. I am trying as much as I can to be busy with the things I love which is my art along with the boys stuff. Nick went straight into track season from wrestling and Jared has been working out with friends. My belly dance classes has ceased for now as my instructor is getting her new studio ready so I will be taking yoga classes starting the 15th which I am very excited to start.

Also have been busy in the house:
I cleared out the area by my patio doors downstairs for another art space. My art room is pretty but only big enough for it to be my beading station and office area. So I moved all my painting supplies downstairs where I can take full advantage of the natural sunlight. For now it looks bare since I just started down there.

Before picture when cleared-the other side is our entertainment area and the doorway leads to the stairs.

Looking a little more like a working space.

I cannot wait to create more and mostly when the sun will shine through the doors. The weather here has been so dreary that today is the first day I have seen sun and its not raining!

My early birthday presents from Bo came in and I couldn't wait and opened them up last night.:) I love it! Its more art books and 2 of them I have been waiting to have and a Vera Bradley tote bag to carry my sketchbook and art supplies in when I journal on the go. :)

I love how he really thinks of what I need and want and even if it may be simple gifts to most people its from the heart and he knows its the little things I get all excited about. :)

So not sure what the plan is for my birthday yet. Its hard to celebrate it without him here. I know the boys and I will go out to dinner but maybe I will have the day of my birthday a chill out do nothing day.
It is also hard to celebrate with all the tragic world events going on which I wanted to assure everyone our families and friends in Japan and Hawaii are okay, but I am grateful for another year given to me to live my life.

Well just wanted to let everyone know I am still around. About to spend tonight with my favorite group of people. :)

Inspiration through colors

2011-02-21T12:55:00.000-08:00

Only in quiet waters do things mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world.
~Hans Margolius~

Days are passing and at times you just have to stop and take it all in. I had one of those moments the other day. In the midst of running errands I took the time to see my surroundings in a different light. There is a realization that comes with solitude that despite how busy, chaotic, or fast life can become, you can still stop and choose that moment to slow it down for at least second and take it all in. These moments keep me grounded and gives me the opportunity to weed out the negative and be thankful for the beauty around me.

My walk through Glendale, KY 2011.

Valentines came and went. Usually we do not celebrate it since we try to do that every day. :) But this year it meant something more and I was not only surprised but my heart melted when I received flowers from Bo. They were a beautiful mix of Lillis and Roses.

The fragrance it put in my home and the visual impact keeps my heart soaring and patiently waiting for his return.

In other happenings, I have been diligently working on my painting assignments. I a a bit behind right now because I week has just not been enough time for me to "finish" a piece. But the great thing about this online class is we can work in our own pace and then choose to share it or not but actively still be a part of discussions and support for each other.

Our second painting assignment was to take an artist that inspires us and create a painting that incorporates some of their techniques but in our own voice and subject. The artist that inspires me so much right now is Flora Bowley. Her vibrant abstract paintings takes on an emotion of its own and I hope to one day be able to use color to convey how I feel on canvas. For now I am a beginner and shy actually to share my work but you know I guess at one point I will have to put it out there and keep my inner critic quiet so that I can continue to learn and explore.

My second painting started off in a disaster, I put that canvas to the side and started fresh and so far this is my progression. It is not finished yet but soon to be. :)

Here are other paintings I am working on that will end up being a triptych in out living room.

Throughout the class and exploration, I am learning that I do love color more than I realized and I love vibrant and bright colors. I already saw that when we painted the rooms of our house but now it comes out more in my artwork. It has become a nice bright spot in my day to paint as the Kentucky weather still is grim and dreary. I know though spring will come soon and our environment will once again be bright and cheery and full of color. :)

The whole world, as we experience it visually, comes to us through the mystic realm of color.
~Hans Hofmann~

State Bound!

2011-02-19T20:34:00.000-08:00

Once again I am running after the days! This is what happens when you have two teenage boys! LOL! So I will break it up in a couple entries so it is not too much to take in. LOL! :)

Last weekend was Regions for high school wrestling and our high school was the host this year. I was busy making sure I had food for the hospitality room, my gifts for the seniors and also making sure I take pictures of our wrestlers. We were up bright and early and was at the high school all day. So I boarded Kaiah so she can play with her friends at Sam Russell's. :)

Nick competed in his weight class of 112 while Jared was one of the helpers at the tables(he did not wrestle in Regions because the Varsity in his weight class was a senior). I ran from mat to mat taking pictures and when it came time to honor our seniors and their parents I stood up with the coach to hand over my presents to them. I made collages for all 6 of our seniors as a memory to take with them. They were just simple but they loved having pictures of their hard work. :)

Jared working the clock and score.

Nick on one of his matches.

Helping Coach hand out Senior Gifts and honoring their parents.

Collage gifts to the Seniors

A few pictures of Nick wrestling.

Its a pin

Another pin.

Nick fought his way through a hard weight class and placed 4th which made him eligible to go to State. And our team took 2nd in the Region! :) I was so proud of our wrestlers that competed and also all the parents and kids that spent their whole Saturday volunteering their time to make sure our Regional Competition went well.

112 Weight Class

CHHS Bruins taking 2nd in our Region.

This week before the guys left for their road trip to state I went to the school to get some snapshots of our State team. :)

Our State bound wrestlers.

I know this road trip will be an experience to some of the wrestlers like Nick and the last for our seniors. I know they did the best they could and no matter what I am very proud of their hard work and all their accomplishments. :)

In other news, I have been busy still working on my painting for the 2nd Assignment and working on my 3rd. I am hoping to have progression pictures up soon.

Until the next time...have a great weekend!

Feeling Accomplished :)

2011-02-07T13:58:00.000-08:00

The weeks are finally starting to move for us. Not as fast as we want it to but enough to feel like a day is over and another one starts. Our family has experienced some emotional ups and downs this last week as we heard bad news throughout the week. I know it has to be frustrating for my husband being not only is he far away, but countries away. :( We do the best we can for what we can do and just hope it all works out from there.

On the positive side of things. I am really enjoying my American Tribal Style belly dancing class. I feel worked out and it is also a time to be able to just learn something new with other women and step away from the reality of things for a little while at least. My instructor is very patient and informative and really comfortable to be around so I look forward to the classes even more. :) If you happen to be in the area she is teaching in two different places. Here is her information if you would like to learn. :) http://www.urvashidance.com/

I am so proud of myself that despite being "busy" as I always am, and besides fulfilling my to do things I have also accomplished what I enjoy to do and that is learn more about painting. I have always been creative all my life, whether its to doodle, journal, write, collage or make jewelry. And lately I am finally feeling more confident to give myself that opportunity to explore and to understand the need to create. I started with my glass jewelry because it was so hands on. I could shut the door to my studio or space and just create losing myself in my creative mode. What was a hobby is now a little more and I hope that it grows. But in the in between stages I get a creative block and have to switch gears into my mixed media art. Although I have pieces hanging in my home my confidence to actually paint was always lacking. I had an inner critic that would just destroy my hopes of learning the media better, until I found the Get Your Paint On Class.

Stumbling upon this class was a great thing to happen. I was afraid at first not knowing really what to expect not out of the class but of myself and thought what is there to lose. This last week was our first assignment and even if I had some rough moments or unmotivated days, I pushed through and enjoyed the whole process of creating. I also realized when I dedicated a whole day to painting not only for the class but for my personal projects that it was such a rewarding and therapeutic feeling. I am not an expert by any means and still a very fresh beginner but I have realized it is okay to let go and give yourself the freedom to just enjoy learning, experimenting and creating.

So with that said here is my first assignment:
Our first week assignment for our class was to be inspired by Gee's Bend Quilts. The history and the quilters behind the quilts were inspiring in its own right but seeing pictures of the geometric and gridded quilts was so inspiring. I usually just start throwing paint on a canvas but this time I did sketch it out in my sketchbook and sketched it out on my 11X14 canvas.

Images taken from the internet from different sources for inspiration:

My first assignment in progression:

The finished piece after sanding it down and spraying matte varnish on the painting.

I feel so accomplished that not only did I finish the assignment on time but I also enjoyed it and took my time to work on it. This week I picked up our second assignment which will deal with Subject Matter and Painting Style. There is a lot of information and inspiration and I know this will be more of a challenge than the first, but I am looking forward to it and this is the reason I took the class. So thank you to Mati and Lisa for challenging us and yet making the class so fun that we look forward to the new assignments. :)

Besides the painting assignments I have been working on a triptych for my living room wall. Bo already put the hooks up on the wall to remind me my canvases should be hanging there. :) I will share those with you in the near future as this painting class has given me a boost of confidence to just paint what does feel good to me and what I like. :) Bright colors to be my main palette as you can see. :)

It is snowing again and looks like a complete blizzard outside. The boys were let out of school an hour early today. Days like this give me more time to work on my projects.
So off I go....:)

Filling my days with productive creativity..

2011-02-01T11:31:00.000-08:00

Bo sent me this picture to brighten up my day. Aah if I had Dorothy's red shoes to click myself there. :)

My days have been busy with creative adventures. I started my tribal belly dancing class last Thursday and look forward to two nights a week of sharing my time with a wonderful instructor and other women who are taking the class as well. Its nice to be around others that share the same enthusiasm and eagerness to learn.

The second class I am so excited to be a part of is a 5 week painting course online. We received our first assignment yesterday and inspiration today and it makes my day to see the inspiration and support from both the instructors and have a community that is supportive and creative. At the end of each week we can choose to share our work with each other and it will be nice to see what others have created and the feedback that I will also be receiving for my pieces. This is a nice step out of reality for me and keeps me focused on the things that make my world happy. :)

Besides that I have updated my Etsy site and will be sprucing up my jewelry at the gallery. Here is the link if you want to stop by and take a peek.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/abbyandbodesigns

So my gray winter Kentucky days may be filled with color anyways. :)
Have a great week.

Productive and creative mode..

2011-01-26T20:45:00.000-08:00

Lately I have noticed how drawn I have been to the colors of turquoise and teals. It shows up in my work, my pick of clothes, my accessories, and things I am drawn to pick up or look at. Is it due to the lack of color this winter? Or the longing to be back on a sandy beach watching the greenish blue waters wash up on the shore? Whatever underlying reason, I gravitate to it, and it gives me a calming effect for it to be in my vision.

So today when I walked outside to take the boys to practice I noticed something that caught my eye. My teal colored bird bath had melting ice in it, in a perfect circle. I knew I had to catch that image. When will that ever happen again, to have not only my favorite color but my favorite geometric shape in one glance? I know the simplest things make my day. :)

There are times in life when you just have to slow down and take in what is around you. My last months have been busy on top busy and I know why I am piling it on myself. It is because I want the time to pass quickly and I think that putting so much on my plate is the answer to that. But its not and we learn the hard way when our body finally tells us we have to slow down when you get sick. I am getting better from the flu but the residing headaches still get to me. I keep telling myself my "to do" list is not a life or death situation that I can put it to the side but the A-type personality I have makes me feel so unaccomplished when I do. Yet, I put things to the side that could make my mood better and be a happy type of busy. So I thought long and hard and I will take a plunge on a couple things I have been waiting to do. I learned that doing little things for myself doesn't impede on being a Mom or a Wife and I need those moments to re-energize or relax me.

With that said I am so excited to say I will be taking two classes one starting tomorrow night in the arts.
I will be dropping into a belly dance class that is being offered twice a week at a fitness center near me. The instructor teaches the Pure American Tribal Style that I have been wanting to learn. I took classes in Alaska in the Egyptian and Oriental style and looked forward to every class with the amazing women that taught and danced with me and gave me something to look forward to for myself during our hectic weeks. I am so happy to have found an instructor here that I don't need to drive 50 plus miles just to take a class. Although despite being excited I am also nervous of going back out there and meeting new people. I know I have to take that plunge or else I will regret not even trying.

I dragged my coin skirts out tonight and my lyric sandals and set it up in a bag for the class. Its nice to hear the jingling coins again and to see the beautiful colors of the scarves.

My other venture is an Ecourse in painting! :) I found this awesome class that will encompass 5 weeks of a painting course all online. For me that is great considering my time restraints. So I am looking forward to focus on a class that will be filled with not only skills but inspirations from other artists that make a living off their art. Besides that it will be so much fun! It is called Get Your Paint On and is open to beginners and experienced painters.

Now that January is almost over, I am starting to realize that I have to stick to my goals that I had put for myself. The main one was to stay creative in every way I can. I have works and pieces that are half done because of one reason or another, main reasoning to be due to no motivation or a creative block. Instead of hiding them in closets I have put them out in plain view so I can remind myself that it is either a continuing piece or its done.

Here are a couple of those pieces that will hopefully be finished soon.

And this means my table leg dolls will actually start having a little more personality to them. :)

My art room will eventually get messier than this..but I can at least shut the door and not have my clean freak critic come out when I am in the middle of finishing up projects.

In a nutshell I will in productive creative mode. And looking forward to it. :)

I will then leave you with this saying:

(Excuse the crookedness of the picture I tried to take it the best way I can)

I love this saying and picked this up from a street artist in Louisville. It hangs above my art room door and it so cheerful to look at and a reminder that you have to see life in color even when it seems to lack it.

I hope you all have a great midweek.

Update Jan. 25th of 2011

2011-01-25T11:48:00.000-08:00

It has been a busy week into the weekend, but I wouldn't trade that kind of time for anything else when its spent with my boys. We had the North Hardin Invitational this Saturday and both boys placed 4th in each of their weight classes and our team took 2nd. Then we woke up Sunday to find out that Nick was featured in the front page of the sports section! :) So this was his week. :) Besides that he also placed last weekend at the Lafayette 5 star classic. Its just I wasn't there to take pictures. :(

So here is a little snippet of those moments...

Jared's cool singlet he was able to wear for the tournament. :) Its called Mythic Magic. All the coaches and wrestlers loved it. :)

Jared not wasting any time pinning his opponents.

Nick getting ready for his match.

Nick pinning one of his opponents.

Jared on the podium taking 4th in 103 and a teammate taking 2nd.

Nick on the podium taking 4th in 112 in a highly competitive weight class.

Our CHHS team taking 2nd in the Invitational.

My handsome Coffell boys. I am so proud of them that they put their dedication and heart into all they do.

Nick's feature in the paper. :)

I hate how Bo is missing all this and can only see the events through pictures and that is if he even has time to download them to see them. I have two more sports to get through without him around. :( But despite his absence I am so proud of the boys that they are still going strong and achieving the goals they have set for themselves. My heart melts every time I see them help each other on things or help their friends and teammates. Regions is coming up soon. Nick has a chance at state for his weight class.:)

On to other things....
The other week I bought a ring from a friend on here, Cassie. http://mbjewelry.blogspot.com/ :) I have always wanted one of her rings but knew I would have to special order one since my fingers are so small. Well this ring caught my eye and it seemed just so appropriate of a word for the start of this year.

I received it all packaged up so cute!

I have been wearing it everyday since then. :)

These gray days are working on my mood but I am trying to stay motivated and creative. I finally started my triptych for the living room and actually moved my stuff to the living room so I have more natural light and so it forces me to work on it little by little everyday.

Here is the progression...

I am not sure when this will be done. I will work on it as time allows and my patience of having my stuff out in the living room prevails. LOL! This is just the first layering. What is the end result may not even look anything remotely close to how it started.

Really looking forward to the weather drying up! It snowed then rained! So we have a mess outside. :(

Spring please come soon. I need color and warmth!

Bazaar

2011-01-18T18:37:00.000-08:00

I have been sick lately. :( Yeah the whole flu symptoms type of stuff. It finally got to a point today where I seriously could not function and just laid in bed thinking where is the sun and please make all this dreary wet and cold weather go away! But you know how it is, a Mother can never just lay around. So up I went running errands and picking up the boys. We made grilled cheese sandwiches and had chicken soup and mac and cheese from Panera Bread. I just wanted something simple but warm.

With all the gray and neutral colored days lately it was nice to receive an email from my husband full of color. He checked out a local bazaar held on the base every Sunday. He said it was raining that day too but the colors on the textiles popped. :) For now he just took pictures to give me an idea of what is around. Of course they have some booths where its the knock off items but he passes those booths up and looks for the real handcrafted items or the neat things.

Bags-I love all the colors!

Rugs

Dresses

Jewelry

Other crafts

My day was brightened up not only from an email from him but also with the colorful pictures he gifted me with. Enjoy.

Silence...

2011-01-16T23:00:00.000-08:00

Yes I am still around.... I was really sick this weekend but getting through it now. Despite being busy with the kids and some deadlines that I had to get through, there are moments more often now, that I find myself just enveloped in silence. I remember times when I would have craved to have solitude, but lately it has come with a realization that I really am on my own most of the day and it does become lonely.

I have teenage boys who are their own social lives and busy schedules that even if I am there with them I am not a participant of it, just an observer. I am also grateful of the times that my husband can communicate with me but at the same time it is still a reminder of how far away he really is and how no matter how much I try to keep a straight face and a strong heart the emotions of missing someone that is really a part of your life can become overwhelming.

I try to stay as busy as I can but there are those moments where I find myself alone. I know the days will pass.....just wished it passed faster.

As the season passes from the quiet winters and gray days, I will welcome spring with open arms when I can finally hear the song birds by my window, the spring rains, and the buzzing of bees. I never thought I would miss such sounds and miss the visual energy of blooming flowers and butterflies in the garden.

January 9, 2011

2011-01-09T12:06:00.001-08:00

As I caught this reflection of a beautiful Kentucky sunset on your truck, I think of it as another day that has passed, which means another day closer to when you will once again be in my arms.

Missing you greatly my dear!

An end to 2010 and a welcome to 2011

2011-01-08T15:43:00.000-08:00

January 2011

I cannot believe 2010 has come and went. Although I was counting down so that the new year can start and we as a family can finally countdown for Bo's return. The holidays were busy. After our wrestling tournament we had Christmas then another wrestling tournament out of town which I was so happy Jared took 5th place at.

Then the next holiday of New Year's came around. New Years Eve is special not only because of the upcoming new year but because Nick turned 17 yrs old. Can you believe I have a 17 yr old? So we celebrated it with taking him and a couple of their wrestling friends out to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant followed by cake and ice cream at the house and the guys playing games all night long. I am just glad Nick enjoyed his day.

Guys at the restaurant

Embarrassing Nick for his birthday. :)

The guys

Nick and I

Blowing out his candles

The 1st day of January 2011 came with taking down all the Christmas stuff. There wasn't a glitter in site after I was done. Even if it was a bit sad to have this season go by I was so ready to take down the holiday decorations. It was nice to have a nice clean and organized home again.

I have a blank wall waiting for new art and some charms sitting on my jewelry table waiting to be turned into a charm bracelet. New year and new goals and intentions and this time I will keep track of it like I do with my "to do" list. :) This will guarantee me having to cross it off the list. :)

We have had snow again but our sunsets have been gorgeous with bright peach to pink skies. Always a treat when I leave to get the boys from practice.

January skies

I hope you all enjoyed your holidays and are ready for 2011 to be a great year. :)

The Holidays

2010-12-26T19:41:00.000-08:00

This holiday season is different for us, with Bo being gone, but we stayed busy and was given the present of his Skype call on Christmas Eve. :) That day also marked our year here. I hope all of you are able to spend time with those you love.

Tidbits of 2010 Christmas in our household.

Christmas spirit in our home

A little spirit spread to Afghanistan. Bo's tree we sent him and our first packages along with a package from a dear friend from California. Thanks again Chrissy!

Bo in the Spanish tent with their Christmas tree.

The boys had a two day Tsunami Duals the days before Christmas and here is a snippet of that event.

Nick's pin

Jared's pin

Our team took 3rd!

The boys, Kaiah and I Christmas Eve

The best Christmas present for our family. A Skype call from Bo. :)

Surprised with a white Christmas.

Looking forward to the coming of a new year with changes and new goals, but will end 2010 with my eldest turning 17yrs old. :)
Happy Holidays to you all!!

Kentucky Snow and Ice

2010-12-16T23:18:00.000-08:00

Snowflakes are kisses from heaven. ~Author Unknown

The weather has been a wintry mix here in Kentucky. Monday it snowed so much that it reminded me of being back home in Alaska. Although it came with warmer weather.
Trying to stay up beat on these chilly gray days, I would drive around at times to try to capture the scenery in my lens.

Yesterday came with an ice storm. Thankfully this one was not as bad as the one that hit in 2009, but I did prepare for it. The kids had no school Thursday but had practice for wrestling. As I drove back and forth from home to bring the kids to and from, I brought my camera along to see if I could catch the beauty of ice.

My Japanese maple tree encapsulated in ice.

More evidence of icicles.

Of winter's lifeless world each tree
Now seems a perfect part;
Yet each one holds summer's secret
Deep down within its heart.
~Charles G. Stater

Christmas time is near...

2010-12-02T23:50:00.000-08:00

The last time we had a tree up and fully decorated the house was in December of 2008. The year after around the holidays we were on the road on a move to Kentucky. This Christmas is to be our first in this new house. Usually I would have already dragged out all our Christmas decorations and lights right after Thanksgiving. Although the motivation this year is hard knowing a major part of our family is gone.

So I may be slow going but it will happen. I am just deciding on whether to look for a smaller tree for now or put up our big one. Then with being new in this house where the tree will go is another major decision. We have more room in our den downstairs but I would love to see it upstairs in our living room so that we see the beauty and feel the spirit when we wake up in the morning. So, it looks like some rearranging will be happening soon. I may choose a day that the boys are on a road trip for wrestling. Then I will have the time to concentrate on where I want stuff and get it ready so that they can decorate the tree with me.

Looking back at the past Christmas of 2008 inspires me to start going through my storage room and little by little drag my decorations up. Who knows I may go into historic Glendale and scour their antique stores and boutiques for more unique things. :)

Until my tree and decorations are up here are some images of the Christmas spirit in our house in 2008. We were in Fairbanks, Alaska. I miss the winter wonderland but not the temperatures they have already been enduring. I like the 30 degrees around here, but not a fan of rain in the holiday season.

Christmas 2008 Ft. Wainwright, Alaska

I collect Snowmen and Santas. :)

Our main tree.

Nutcrackers

Small tree in the dining area.

Outside decorations.

Hope you enjoyed a step back in time with me....now to get this house decorated. :)

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-28T11:40:00.000-08:00

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. There is so much for all of us to be thankful for.

We had two celebrations. One before Bo left and another with just the boys and I. We are very grateful for being able to have two turkeys and two celebrations with the ones we love dearly.

Thank you for the gift of sight...so that beauty I can see.

Thank you for my heart..for my love to the beautiful and loving family I have.

Thank you for the unconditional love of our puppy Kaiah, who gets us through our days.

Thank you for all the military men and women who spent their Thanksgiving away from their families to do their duty for our country so that we may live free. One of them to be my loving husband.

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. ~Thornton Wilder~

Keeping busy

2010-11-22T22:28:00.000-08:00

As the holidays are coming close I noticed the packed parking lots of malls, department stores, Walmart, and grocery stores. I just shake my head. I already picked up things for the boys and I for our second Thanksgiving. We celebrated it before Bo left, but I wanted to still do something special for the kids, plus I want to try my hand at baking new things for dessert. :) I am also looking forward to a little bit of a break of just staying home, other than bringing the boys to their wrestling practices. I will not be out on Black Friday. I will be chilling out with my boys making hot cocoas and hopefully playing some board games together. :) I believe in buying handmade gifts and so my gifts for my family will be from local artists or from Etsy.

This last weekend was hard for us with our first wrestling event without Bo, but the boys and I did have a good weekend together. I am really trying not only to stay busy with the boys and some of the projects I am working on, but also getting others lined up for the near future. I happen to stop by Barnes and Noble last week and picked up 3 books that I know I will dive into and be inspired to do the exercises. The first book I picked up just seemed to jump out of the shelf at me. The other two I have been waiting to purchase.

The books:

Inner Excavation Explore Your Self Through Photography, Poetry, and Mixed Media by Liz Lamoreux.

When I first flipped through it what caught my eye was the exercises on writing and taking photos. I love to write in my journals and you all know I take pictures constantly, but to put it across in not only a creative way but also in a way to show your inner self would really be such a benefit to me. Not only will the skill be handy but it will also give me the opportunity to express myself in a much more meaningful way. I am halfway done reading the book then will turn around and re-read it with actually doing the exercises. If things like this interest you, you should pick the book up. If you want to know more about Liz and follow her blog here is her link.http://www.lizlamoreux.com/

52 Creative Exercises To Make Drawing Fun. Drawing Lab for Mixed Media Artists by Carla Sonheim

I have waited to buy this book. The exercises look like fun and not intimidating like most drawing books. I don't draw too well so I think putting skills like this under my belt will be such an asset to my artwork. I cannot wait to start. If you would like to learn more about Carla here is her link. http://carlasonheim.wordpress.com/

The Collage Lab by Bee Shay

This book offers different experimental ways to make art. Not only will it be fun to do the labs but it will give me the freedom to just explore and hopefully I can learn to just let go and create without that inner critic in me interrupting my work.

I think these books will sure make the time pass and yet give me the opportunity to just lose myself to experimenting and creating.

Just sharing how Kaiah has been everyday now. She literally sits staring at the door whining. Every time she hears a truck pass by her tail is already wagging hoping it will be Bo ringing the doorbell. It just breaks my heart at times to see her like this. She is also affected by his absence and will be waiting for his return.

It is late(insomnia)..excuse if I ramble at times.

Thank you for taking the time to come by and see how I am doing. The notes and emails of support really means a lot to not only me but my family as well. Thank you!

As the days came and went...

2010-11-21T11:46:00.001-08:00

"The butterfly counts not months but moments." ~R. Tagore~

As Bo has been gone it has been a struggle through emotions but I will find my routine and seek the strength in me to get through the days until it is time to reunite again.

The packed duffel bags.

Kaiah's last snuggle with him.

The night before.

What gets me through my day.

My unconditional love.

What keeps me busy.

A sunset means another day has passed.

Counting down until his return home to us.

"The reason it hurts so much to separate is because our souls are connected."
~Nicholas Sparks-The Notebook~

Days flying..new projects and new website....

2010-11-08T16:03:00.000-08:00

Sorry I have not been around. These weeks have been not only crazy busy but crazy emotionally. My husband leaves us for deployment with a different unit not even from this Army Post. I know I will have to be strong and get into a routine with the boys school stuff and sports but still my stomach has been in knots and I just try to take in every moment with him because the days are just going by too fast.

On other things happening...
Nick is now at wrestling practices with Jared. He did very well at Regionals this last weekend but the boys took 5th and they only took the top 4 to state and the fastest two runners of the team. I am very proud of him. He knocked off time on his runs every race and has been very dedicated to the team. It also helps that we have 2 very dedicated, organized and supportive coaches and an awesome group of parents that would host pasta nights for team bonding. Not only would the team bond but also the parents. I know most of them will be my support while Bo is gone and I am very honored and grateful to have met such caring friends.

Jared has been busy with wrestling and all his school work. I am also proud of how he has been and how I know he will be a help when I need him. I just want his season to be a good one.

As for me I have been working on an online mixed media journal class and is part of a sketchbook project.

My online class consists of 31 jump starts for journaling. The class is taught by Traci Bautista who is known for all her colorful journals and now a new line of collage papers and materials. If you want to learn more about her, her work and classes here is the link to her website. http://treicdesigns.com/create.html

I am enjoying all the different techniques and also the inspirations. I know this will help me through my dreary days while Bo is gone, but it will also add more techniques to my artwork.
Here a some of my work:

I have also been using some of the techniques in my own sketchbook/journal. Its nice to open it up and be inspired to work on my artwork by the ideas in my journals.

The sketchbook project:

"It's like a concert tour but with sketchbooks.

Thousands of sketchbooks will be exhibited at galleries and museums as they make their way on tour across the country.

After the tour, all sketchbooks will enter into the permanent collection of The Brooklyn Art Library, where they will be barcoded and available for the public to view.

Anyone - from anywhere in the world - can be a part of the project. To participate and have us send you a sketchbook that will go on tour, start by choosing a theme to the right."

Anyone can do the sketchbook project but it has to be turned in by Jan. 15, 2011 for it to go on tour.
Here is the link for more information and participation.
http://arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject

Besides all that we have been finishing up our unfinished part of the basement. It has our weight set and treadmill in it. We have painted the walls with an accent color on one wall and a lighter hue in the others. Then Bo laid down really good and durable mahogany laminate flooring down and is finishing it up with baseboard. We also added lighting and will finish the room up with a large mirror. I am hoping to be able to go down there and practice Yoga and Tai Chi and have that room for the boys to be able to work out at home. All the things on Bo's to do list will actually be accomplished before he leaves us. I know he wanted to get it done for us and so that he didn't leave with unfinished projects.

I have also been busy with a new website for my jewelry. Here is the link if you want to check it out. :)
http://www.abbyandbodesigns.com/
I am still in the process of adding more pieces.

I hope all is well with everyone...until the next entry.......

Colors of Fall

2010-10-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

My favorite time of the year is Autumn. I love the vibrant colors that the trees display before they let go of their beautiful leaves and become bare for the winter. A walk through Bernheim Forest right outside of Louisville, KY gives us time to reflect on the beauty of nature and time that has already passed.

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."~Albert Camus~

A bonus was to run into the local residents of the park. :)

As the sun started setting we knew it was time to go home....

Painted Stones

2010-10-19T09:34:00.000-07:00

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive." ~Anais Nin~

Not too long ago I became friends with a fellow artist Amy Komar from my hometown in Alaska through a shared friend. Both Amy and I used to be in the same gallery/shop together but we never physically met each other. I started reading her blogs and fell in love with her painted stones. I collected stones since I was younger. In fact traveled with a few of my own from Alaska. Her stones though were not only beautiful but a couple of them caught my eye and I couldn't stop thinking about buying them, so one day I just did. And along with the stones I liked I also bought one that I thought would be neat to travel with Bo over seas.

Here are my beautiful stones from her Etsy shop. (All images are courtesy of Amy Komar)

The painted stone heading with Bo on his travels. He said it will fit right in his uniform pocket and will always be with him.

I was so excited to receive the stones and they were even more beautiful in person.

Then the other day Amy shared a picture of more painted stones that she is sending to us for Bo to be able to give to any patients that may need it. Not only were honored to have her artwork travel with him but was in awe of her kindness.

In Amy's words.
"These sweet stones were inspired by Abigail and Bo Coffell of Entwined Designs. Aside from making beautiful jewelry, Bo is also a nurse and will be on deployment. I admire his selflessness as I am sure it is crazy tough to be away from your family for any length of time.
Earlier this month Abigail shared that she purchased one of my painted stones to send with her husband over seas... that is when I got the idea to create a handful of stones for Bo to give to a few of his patients that may be in need of some kindness and love.

Thank you Abigail and Bo for inspiring me!"

Thank you so much for your kindness and friendship Amy. I know my husband will be proud to bring these stones with him and be honored to hand them over to whoever needs a little more love. :) I will make sure to keep you posted on it.

I am very grateful for the friendships I have formed over the years with fellow bloggers, artists, and being able to reconnect with others online. It makes life a little easier to bear when you know your support is only a click of a mouse away even if physically they are miles away. These next months will be a change to not only me but also to our boys. I know that I will have to keep my head up high and go on with the challenges and the benefits each day will bring. I thank my family and friends already in advance who have been supportive of this limbo time before Bo gets on the plane. We appreciate all the love and care given to us.

And once again thank you Amy!!

If you want to check Amy's artwork and blog out here are her links.
Amy Komar Art
Amy's Blog
Amy's Etsy site

Besides the work I am still doing with jewelry I have committed to an online class and also a sketchbook project. :) More on that on the next entry. :) Have a great Tuesday!

Finding serenity in my rock garden

2010-10-17T10:33:00.000-07:00

The week of fall break the boys and I took away all the brown dreary looking mulch off our front garden and started clearing a way for a new rock garden. We dug up the existing plants to replant in a different location, then I planted new ornamental grasses and day lilies and put the weed barrier down.

Patiently I waited for Bo to have a day off so that we could finally order the river rock to be delivered. That happened this last Thursday and again was outside working (I should have muscles now with all the work I have put out there.LOL!)until the river rock was put in its place. The garden will be a work in progress as the seasons change. I bought decorative rock to sporadically put around the garden and will find odds and end to pop color into the yard. A gazing ball is on that list and pumpkins for this fall season. :)

As for now it is just so calming to look out my art room window and see simplicity, stability and serenity out in my garden. I have no idea what made me so connected to rocks. I have always collected them since I was little and even travel with my rocks from Alaska on every move we have made. So I don't know why I didn't pick a rock garden to begin with. Now after all the hard work it will be nice to just upkeep the new garden as needed but enjoy the benefits it will bring. :)

A little walk through the progress.......

We went to the Glendale Crossing Festival in Glendale, KY yesterday and I picked up some bronze fairies that now sit on some of my rocks. I wanted to buy more of the wrought iron pieces but I will do that in time, so I always look forward to adding more to the garden. :)

Enjoy my new garden. :)

Tonight we are headed into Louisville to watch Stomp! :) I have been excited all week about this and cannot wait to see the show. I hope you all have enjoyed your weekend. :)

Future Rock Garden

2010-10-08T09:39:00.000-07:00

Days seem to be flying by when I want them to slow down. We have finally painted the whole kitchen and living room and I love the color. It is such a cheery color and will help during the dreary days.

I then started work on my front garden. The boys have been on fall break so I put them to work the other day raking out all the mulch and helping me pull out all the plants. The mulch ended up making the area look unkept and attracted every critter in the world. I am all about simplicity and maintenance free so we are changing it out to a rock garden. It will be work but worth it in the end.

Between the heat this summer and the bugs my poor garden is holding on.

The boys hard at work getting all the ugly mulch out.

We are hoping to turn that area into a rock garden with ornamental grasses and the front of the porch to something similar to this picture.

The garden area is right outside my art room window. It would be nice to be able to look out there to a simple and serene garden. So we are getting the ground prepped to get the edging in and the weed and grass barrier down and the ornamental grasses in so that all we have to do is get the river rock delivered to us. :)

Snippets of our visits to garden places.

New art room and finally painted walls! :)

2010-10-03T10:27:00.000-07:00

(This must be the life...:) Totally opposite of what our days are like for the humans in our household. LOL!)

Since the art show weekend we have been steady on getting our to do list for the house done in between cross country practices and Bo's work. He wanted to finish the painting he started so that we can move on to finishing the other half of the basement and landscaping before he leaves.

He used to be a painter with his Dad before heading into the Army and during our break in service. So he is very particular about the paint and how to paint right. He is meticulous, so I don't touch the paint brush. I leave it up to him to be able to work so that in the end it is rewarding for him.

You probably remember the post I did on how we repainted the master bathroom after our trip to Florida.http://abigailscreativejourney.blogspot.com/2010/08/getting-ready-for-show.html Well he liked the Benjamin Moore Aura paint so much he wanted to paint the rest of the house with it. We did paint the house when we first moved in but he wasn't satisfied with it and now with the house settling we are seeing all the screws and nail spots that he has to fix.

So we are on this painting marathon. LOL! He started with the office room in our house used for my arts. The paint on the walls were a faded pink. I wanted a chic room but we realized fast that when it is cloudy and dreary out the pink actually made the room unwelcoming. :( So I wanted a brighter color that despite what the weather is like outside I can feel energized in my room to create.

My before art room:

The new paint: Benjamin Moore Pear Green

My new art room. :)I LOVE how bright the color is!!

After my art room he progressed to the boys rooms and finally put some colors on their walls. :)

Nick picked a burnt orange color called Burnt Caramel. He is a Texas Longhorn fan and wanted his room that color. Now all we have to do is put his posters up and window coverings.

Jared picked a slate blue color called Atmospheric

Rolling right alone he then started on one of our hallways. We had picked a golden type color for our living room and kitchen area against our red accent walls but despite how warm it makes the room feel he wanted something a little brighter so we ended up with a color called Squish Squash and it did brighten our hallway up! This color will end up in the living room and kitchen area.

This is the walls we have right now and you can see the swatch of Squish Squash up against the door.

This is the color going up. The newly painted hallways with the new color Squish Squash.

Today as I blog, my living room is in chaos. Bo is painting the living room and kitchen area. So I cannot wait until we are finally done with the painting upstairs and can finally start on finishing up the room in the basement. We can then concentrate in re-seeding our lawn and changing our landscape. I was going to change the front garden into a rock/zen garden. I think it would be a much easier upkeep plus the rocks will not attract bugs like the mulch did and it will be a peaceful sight from my art room window. :)

I hope your weekend is going great. Now I need to go outside int he nice 50 degree weather-yes it has finally cooled down here- and pot my new Mums that I bought from Three Springs Farm. :)

Have a great day!

Art In the Highlands

2010-09-29T18:59:00.000-07:00

Bo and I were thankful for the opportunity to be part of Art in the Highlands the weekend of September 18 and 19th on the beautiful grounds of Louisville Collegiate School in the highlands area of Louisville. We love the area to begin with and so when we found out we were juried picked to be a part of the art fair we were excited. Our booth was in the same row as known KY artists. It really hit when Jared mentioned to me "Mom, you used to be the one to go to these art fairs and now look you are part of it. " That is really when it sunk in that yes we are part of such a creative outlet and are among a group of talented artists.

Despite the heat that weekend, we did enjoy the fair and being part of it. I will already apologize for the lack of pictures. We only had time to take pictures before we actually opened up on the first morning. There was entertainment and the Juicy Lucy(Juicy Lucy is the first mobile glassblowing studio of her kind. Traditionally, glassblowing equipment is contained in a trailer pulled by a vehicle. Juicy Lucy's equipment is creatively and efficiently designed to pull out and be operated from the rear and side of the van.) was also present with the glass blowers from Glassworks working in the heat. Other tents featured hands on workshops for children and adults.

The Juicy Lucy from Glassworks(pictures from the Glassworks website)

Our booth and jewelry.

Artist booths throughout the fair.

Besides enjoying the time at the fair and meeting new fellow artist friends I came home with some goodies. :) A beautiful copper bracelet from Dancin Dog Designs, a lampwork ring from Beads by Jackie and a beautiful scarf from my neighboring booth The Tangled Web.

I want to thank Jennifer H. from Louisville Collegiate and Lynn C. from Woodland Gallery for giving Bo and I such a great opportunity to be seen. We also met other talented artists that were so friendly and welcomed us into the area.

I hope you all have a great evening. :)

Sept. 24, 2010 Lunch at Lynn's Paradise Cafe on the 17th

2010-09-24T19:11:00.000-07:00

The weeks have flown. :( Not that I want them to but it became very hectic right before the Art In the Highlands,(Sept 18th and 19th)then that weekend went by like a whirlwind then this week became even more busy that I have to stop for a second to make sure the spinning in my head stops! LOL!

First off I have to say that I enjoyed being a part of such a great art fair among other artists who are not only known here in Kentucky but also such talented people. I learned so much and is very grateful for the experience of being with this group of artists and a great school that volunteered their beautiful grounds and time for us. Despite the heat that came around this last weekend(yes I made it through without melting)Bo and I not only enjoyed our time at the art fair but also in Louisville.

Friday was set up day and so we needed to go to Louisville to set our booth and tables up then drive back to Elizabethtown to situate Nick to head on to a friends house since he had a race that Saturday and Jared to come to Louisville with us. After our set up we decided to eat at Lynn's Paradise Cafe. We saw this restaurant featured on the Food Network channel along with a throw down with Bobby Flay so we wanted to check it out. We were not disappointed. Not only was the restaurant very neat and eclectic but the food was awesome.

It really did help lift my mood which was nervous for the art show and sad in my heart over news we received just a day before. As Bo and I were running errands for last minute things before the weekend he received a phone call that would alter our plans for the next year. I knew the news would be coming at some point but this soon? So you can imagine it threw me for a loop and I had to really get myself back together to concentrate on that upcoming weekend.

So time spent with him not only for lunch but for the whole weekend of the art show became more important to me now more than ever.

So here are pictures of Lynn's Paradise Cafe in Louisville.

The lamp at our table

Bo playing with the toys on the table. :)

I thought the legs on the walls were so cool! :)

After lunch we headed back to Elizabethtown about 50 miles away to situate Nick and grab Jared. We drove back to Louisville that night and ate dinner across the Ohio river at Rocky's in Jeffersonville, Indiana and stayed at the Sheraton there. I love the night skyline of the city and was able to see it with the sun setting.

This was the view from our hotel window.

It was going to be an early morning for all 3 of us, so we headed to bed. The next day was to bring about the first day of the Art in the Highlands at Louisville Collegiate.

The art fair was a great experience despite the heat and as we rounded that weekend off we came home to more of a to do list since Bo was to be leaving us soon. We ended up painting my art room and the boys rooms in a span of two days that Bo was off. The next thing we will tackle is our living room(he is changing the color we painted it) and finishing our unfinished side of the basement. He wants us to be comfortable and feel like this is our home mostly when he is not around. And yes I don't live with a procrastinator so we went from one project to another. LOL!

Tomorrow we are headed to Bowling Green for Nick's cross country race. It never ends in this household but I did want to update and hope to share pictures of more recent work and also the art fair soon.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Happy being busy...busy being happy. :)

2010-09-08T20:31:00.000-07:00

I am still diligently getting my jewelry situated for the upcoming show and happily busy preparing for it. :) I am a bit nervous but I love my work and I just hope others who pass by my booth will enjoy it too.

Here are more fused earrings and lampwork bracelets made this last week.

A sneak peek of what some of my displays will look like.

In the midst of all the working and all the other commitments we are still situating the garage as a work place for both Bo and I. The other day he found on Craigslist a work table for sale. It was a really good price but needed a little sprucing up and so he brought it home and worked on it today. Not only did he add more wood on the table so that it is sturdy for me to work on, but he also painted the boards and the legs and added more hooks on the peg board for me to organize my tools in. So it was table makeover today when he came home from work.

The before picture of the work table:

After pictures:

Now we just need to situate the garage so that we have enough light in there to work. I love my new table and cannot wait to set it up and start working on it.

Today I worked on my jewelry pictures to make a a collage poster for the show and 16X20 posters of other jewelry to hang in my art room. I should be picking them up tomorrow. I will be repainting that room again. The light pink in there is actually depressing in the light that comes in. :( So I picked a pear green that is a vibrant color and very energizing. And being that green is one of my favorite colors I know it will change my mood every time I walk into the room. :)

The poster heading to the show with us:

The other posters made to be framed:

Glass Bracelets

Metal Work

Glass Earrings

I am excited to pick them up tomorrow.

These last days have been beautiful out. I always feel like I have neglected to go out and just enjoy it and take some pictures, but with how busy I have been, I just take in the moment I can sit out on my back deck and drink my coffee while I watch Kaiah in our back yard in the morning. Around this time of the year, I know it was starting to get chilly and rainy in Alaska. Even though I miss the scenery very much, I don't miss being chilly. I know the fall season here will last for a while and I am hoping to enjoy every minute of it. So fall drives are in the agenda once the leaves start turning. And I have two flower presses waiting for fallen leaves to be pressed in them. *SMILE*

Well it is late and Kaiah and whining to go to bed. She tries to sneak into our room and jump up on the bed. LOL! And the boys need to be in bed. I hope you all are enjoying my updates leading up to the show.

Until next time.....

September 4,2010

2010-09-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

The summer is still here with temps still high until this morning. I woke up to fall weather with cool temps and a breeze and it must have felt good for all the kids running at practice this morning. I am hoping this is a hint of what will be coming soon. Kentucky has had the hottest summer this year and so everyone is looking forward to the seasons changing. Fall is my favorite time of year and now I will enjoy it in a state that lavishes in colored trees around that time and cool days. We are hoping to go back to Huber Farms in Indiana and pick our pumpkins from a real pumpkin patch. :)

This weekend is still work for Bo and I. He has his shifts and I am still working on more inventory for the show and starting to figure out how we will displaying our jewelry now that I received more of my display pieces.
The countdown is literally on now. :)

So here are more jewelry pictures to share.

More Earrings.......

One of the newest bracelets.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Have a great Labor Day Weekend.