My Art Journal-Week 2

Journaling. Truly poetic writing doesn't come naturally to me unless I am in the zone. To just randomly jot down something perfectly powerful isn't my style. Perhaps I am not serious or self-reflective enough to let myself reside in that not-fully-conscious-I'm-writing-something-important-please-leave-me-alone state often enough. There are simply too many distractions to be witty and graceful and powerful and deep very often.

When journal writing, I catch myself writing the same happy wishes over and over because I tend to turn my back on the really hard, intense, emotionally disturbing stuff because to write about that stuff....well, that would mean that I would have to glance back at the pile of ugly experiences and feelings that I am not entirely proud of:

• the tissues full of frustrated tears
• broken promises
• angry emails/texts that I deleted before I actually hit send
• oops--crafts
• stained sweaters
• single earrings that I won't throw away just in case I might find the missing one
• dirty looks
• slammed doors
• the fact that sometimes I want to be really passively aggressive just to prove a point
• 'dropped calls' that weren't really dropped--I did hang up on you
• bad photos with double chins
• burnt toast
• the wad of hair that clogs the drain
• that new recipe that I tried and didn't really turn out so I threw most of it away
• the smell of dog poop that sears its brand into your nostril hairs even after you clean off your shoe
• nostril hair
• the candy that may or may not have survived the ten second rule--but you ate it anyway
• letting someone try your drink even though you didn't really want to share your straw with anyone--especially not them--but you are too nice to hide your disgust at drinking after them so you share with them anyway
• bad hair days
• clothes in your closet that are too small never get thrown away--just in case
• farting, belching, blowing your nose--the gross realities of humanity
• silent treatments
• bad breath
• broken nails
• sulking about not getting your way
• the story you started to tell but no one was listening so you stopped mid-sentence and continued eating your lunch--feeling like a total loser
• the really advice you gave--that your best friend ignored
• spending way too much on something you don't even need--or spending  too much at the Target dollar section on a bunch of junk you don't need
• not tipping enough because you only get paid once a month and you could barely afford to go to dinner in the first place
• stubbed toes
• deleting that Facebook friend just because their status updates annoy you
• crying at network t.v. and pretending that you are just tired because you are embarrassed that were moved to tears
• actually crying because someone hurt your feelings
• dusting, dishes, and laundry
• confronting a coworker
• road rage
• throwing away birthday cards or photographs
• forgetting someone's birthday
• pretending to be listening when you are really daydreaming

....you know...all that crap...the crap that happens but it isn't really worth a journal page...or a tweet...or even a single written word...I want to cover that stuff with a a rug....and pretend that life is always happy and pretty and easy and fun. But life isn't like that and I know that my journal pages need to reflect some of that really ugly stuff in order to be more beautiful and real.

there is a lot of power in truth. the truth is more interesting than the shiny, happy facade.


I am sure that everyone has a story to tell...and I know that I have some very raw experiences that would make great blog posts, journal entries and short stories....but for now I am keeping the really hard stuff locked up in a vault because it isn't pretty to look at...and it doesn't make me happy to drag it out and show it off...but someday, maybe I will write about more of the ugly stuff....

thank you for reading my blog. I truly try to create a beautiful place for inspiration. The photos in this post are from my art journal. 


Check out my birds of a feather blog post today to see a review of a gorgeous journaling book by Sabrina Ward Harrison.

Style Sunday {12}

Marlo Thomas was the star of the popular 1960s television show That Girl, where she played an aspiring but out of work actress who just moved to New York to pursue her dreams. Despite working a number of temporary jobs Ann Marie had a wardrobe full of fabulous mod outfits. I love Marlo’s hair throughout the series and her later 70s look. Continue reading for additional photos and videos. I found these lovely photos of her on RDuJour.com.

I was told in Vegas that I look like Marlo Thomas....from "That Girl"....ha! Gotta love locals. This guy was so sweet:

Universal Truths

I am generally just annoyed by about 80% of the forwards I have gotten over the years....I do not believe any wishes will come true if I do not forward on the chain mail so I rarely share those forwards with other people.

Every now and then, a funny forward finds its way into my inbox. Earlier this week, I received one that  I just had to share.

I could've written most of these...In fact, I wish I HAD written them! I may have to write my own list! I laughed out loud on some of them, they are universally funny and totally true! Enjoy!

UNIVERSAL TRUTHS:


1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing stinks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How in the world are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page  research paper that I know for sure I did not make any changes to.

14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this - ever.

15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Hello?), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What did you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste!

17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

18. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

19. Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.

20. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

21. The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

22. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

23. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

24. Shirts get dirty. Underwear get dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

25. There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

26. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

27. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet my behind everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time!

#28 (this one is mine!) Every time I see one of those mini tents or mini trampolines at a sporting goods store, I wish I could get out some barbies and play!!

Guest Blogger: Not So Still Life

 I am so excited for you to read this guest post! My friend Josie has an amazing spirit. She is so passionate, dedicated, talented and extremely fun. We can literally talk for hours and hours. She inspires me as a teacher, artist and woman....she is so incredible! I cannot say enough great things about her! To read more about her, visit her blog: Call and Response. Thanks Josie for your beautiful guest post! I can't wait to try this! ~Nellie

Not so Still Life   I am an artist and teacher, much like my good friend Nellie. She inspires me. Art teachers often have to teach this idea of “still life”, you know, oranges and lemons in bowls, piles of seemingly random junk cleverly arranged on wooden tables, flowery table cloths, or chipped-paint shelves.    One of my missions as an artist and teacher is to take old ideas and try new mediums and processes to put my own spin on that old (OK, “traditional”) idea. I was stuck one day in my studio, and first looked for a surface to play on. I found a piece of plexiglass. I had a sharpie in my hand, and as I walked back to my table, I saw my shelf full of art supplies through the plexiglass.  So I stopped in my tracks, propped the plexi on my hip, and traced my stuff as I saw it THROUGH the plexi directly ONTO the plexi with the black sharpie.  I next considered painting with acrylics, but wanted something more tactile and time-consuming. I turned to a big box of yarn and went crazy, first gluing down the contours with black yarn, then filling in with whatever colors I felt like using at the time.I am excited by what is happening. The lines give these usually boring objects some intense energy. It is taking many hours to complete, but the process has been both a design challenge and a meditative exercise for me in this crazily-scheduled spring. And bonus, a happy accident!    I noticed that the yarn was starting to peel off the plexiglass, intact because the glue was holding it all together. I hope that when it is finished soon, I will be able to peel the whole piece off like a band-aid and tack it up on the wall.

Holga Fish Eye part 1

Eeeep! I got a fish eye lens for my birthday. My Holga loves it!! Not all of these are fisheye photos, but they are some of my most favorite toy camera shots lately. I am in the process of taking lots of photos for an end of summer photography show--I just hope I can take enough awesome photos for a really great show! I would love to know what you think of these so far--Enjoy!!

Film: 120 Slide film
Camera: Holga
Lens: Fisheye

More to come, check back next week!

Nelliepalooza--best weekend ever!

A couple of weeks ago, I told you about a really, really fun weekend that I was getting ready for....Nelliepallooza!

This was one of those weekends where I said, "I have a dream..." and "If you build it, they will come...." and you know what? I did have a dream and I did build it and they did come!

A local campground has a wonderful facility and a very reasonable rate it is available to groups that want to rent it out. I started advertising my 'crafting, birthday, retreat weekend' several months in advance...at first I was worried that it would only be a group of 4 people (or less)...but soon it grew into a group of 13 wonderful women that were just as eager as I was to get together and craft.

 I advertised a flat rate for anyone that did not want to be in charge of cooking or providing meals....and I offered a cheaper rate for anyone that would be willing to be in charge of meals, snacks, deserts, and supplies like cups, plates, etc. This worked out extremely well, my friends are great cooks! We pigged out all weekend.

(This was my afternoon snack soup!)

We stayed up late and got up early and it was so relaxing and fun! We listened to all types of music and played games on Saturday night. We watched movies while we crafted, and I even took a nap on Saturday afternoon--(when I was a kid away at church camp, I always wanted to crawl up on my bunk bed in the heat of the day for a little nap!)

It was an amazing weekend and I am really excited for our next installment--September 17th, 18th and 19th. If you live in Missouri and are interested, email me for the details, I would love to have more people and I would love to meet you! Most of my friends are scrapbookers--but any artist or crafter is welcome!

(Thanks Abby for my awesome cupcakes and thanks Michelle for my birthday cake!)

Love this girl! So much fun!!

Thanks for reading, hope you are having a great week!!

Weekend Fun

I went down to Table Rock lake this weekend for a chilly, but wonderful camp out. This is the best time of year...especially since there aren't any bugs yet!!

The lake was absolutely gorgeous--we were on the water fishing as the sun came up---brrrr...and the fish weren't really biting, but it was so nice anyway!

I was super bundled up---and you can also find this picture in the back of your U.S. Weekly in the 'what not to wear in public' section!

On Saturday night,  we played cards using jigs as our betting 'coins'....it was so fun!

Oh, and I worked on my art journal a lot this weekend! It was awesome!! I got so much done...more pages coming soon!

Did you have a good weekend?? Mine was magical!

If you want to read a fun DIY that I put together after I saw it somewhere else....check out the Birds of a Feather Girls blog today!!

Style Sunday {11}

Scarlett Johansson is an American film actress and (sometimes) singer. She is glamorous and beautiful. She is the type of woman that could wear a trash bag and make it look stylish and fancy.

She always looks totally beautiful in her photos and movies. Here is a collection of images from last.fm there are many more...I just picked out a random sampling of gorgeous-ness!