in a winter wonderland

we woke to this glory.
of course C had to drive in it -- and called from church to say that the car slid down the hill out of the neighborhood with the brakes locked. all was fine though...gravel placed on the road near the intersection kept the car from sliding into traffic. There's a sign at the base of the hill saying the road is closed, fortunately there is a flat-er way into the neighborhood for the return home later today. And perhaps all of this sun will make the roads a bit less icy.
So, knitting, of course.

And lots of wintery themed mixed media work going on (nothing ready to show quite yet...you'll see though).

sugar: so good v. so evil

The last time I did this detox I had a wicked headache and was so, so sick for a couple of days -- and I thought it was all about the giving up the caffeine (loved it, no i mean it, *l*o*v*e*d* it!) Well, I have stayed off caffeine. However, this time *sugar* is kicking my butt. At least that's the only thing I can figure out, it's the worst thing I consume now. I had really stayed off sugar for the most part until Thanksgiving - and then, wow...did we get sugar gifts! So much chocolate - really good chocolate, homemade chocolate covered things, fancy chocolates (Fran's - omg!) and really while we do *still* have some left, we were somewhat moderate in our consumption, but still, way more sugar than I had had in months...so I promised myself to go back on the detox right after vacation. And it's good, I remember the glorious feeling of that clean, healthy feel, the energy, the ease of sleep, the sleeping straight through the night. Love it! So, back on the wagon. And, walking and/or on the elliptical every day. Because it'll be sunny *and* warm here one day, and I'll get to wear skirts again, and I'll get those Chaco lines back on my feet.

full moon = super high tides! my favorite.
you can see the mountains when the sun shines. though it's hard to find a good spot to take a photo because of all the car dealerships and random strip malls along the highway. this summer we'll go on hikes and find better photographing spots.

oh how i love the ocean...and sunshine! the sky has been sunny for *five* days in a row...not a drop of rain (knock wood).
sunny
but *cold*
(my favorite - i like to bundle, and love to wear my woolie knits)
i busily took lots of photos of our view...not so many of the art i created, so that'll be posted later.
this morning i'll leave you with these images. later i will post photos of the art.
enjoy the outdoors today!
i think i took more photos of the moon. i love me some moon.


fishing boats out there day and night.
not sure what the history of this is, but you can drive your car on the beach - we didn't feel the need.
love this! lots of photos of this too. if it had been warm enough i would have brought a thermos of coffee, my sketchbook and spent some time sitting in here.
from our balcony. yep, that close to the water. amen.

1. seeker

One of the words I'm picking for the year. I'm making a mixed media piece for each of the words. I'll be adding them one at a time to my etsy store too. (I'd love to make a special one for you, let me know). I'm also making some silver necklaces with the words - because I love to wear my words.

I *so* love meeting these women at our local third place. Inspiring artwork and conversation is so wonderful -- and I will continue to go out to meet them even if it is raining buckets!

We are heading to the ocean for a few days. I'm taking two totebags full of paint, paste, paper, brushes -- and a couple of canvases. I have to fill a couple of walls at church as soon as possible, so the art supplies will be flying - watch out! (I'm taking another bag with a swimsuit -- hoping for a hot tub, longjohns, a couple of sweatshirts, lots of socks and miscellaneous other casual (winter) beachware). Yippee.

a little high right now...

The beginning of a stencil obsession. Picked these plastic doily's up at a thrift store and knew this was what I was going to do. Some day I would like to cut some stencils too, but, hmmm, when will that be? (I have used these circle stencils on the encaustic too...I love me some circles!)
Took it outside with a couple of waxed sheets from my Chex Mix making stint this holiday season. (Those Chex cereal bags are the biggest ones, I always save them for art painting - gesso'ing and matte medium slathering). Even though I sprayed outside, with plenty of ventilation, the fumes still affected me.
Flipped the still a bit wet stencils into my art journal.

Also posted a few more collage a day cards...more to come.

it should have been a snow day...

...but we went to the old spaghetti factory for lunch...
which was pretty crazy because it was pouring down rain,
which soon turned to this beautiful stuff, and we had never been there, and we had to take several highways and a freeway to get there and back.
and the food wasn't as good as either of us remembered.

but, oh how i love the look of the spaghetti factory (not that i'd live in anything that victorian looking, i'd love one or two of the gorgeous lights they have in there)
Once we were safely at home, I pulled out the new box from Trader Joe's to give it a review. Quite simple. Very tasty. Two thumbs up.
And pretty too.
Now it's time for a soak and finishing another library book.

and now it's time for more chili

Orange is one of the new colours. There certainly is something wonderful about squeezing a new colour out of the tube! Though I do love mixing colours too. But, oh, the fresh paint. Love it.

New place for my paints. received this huge cookie jar at my recent art play date. I've always wanted to have these big clear glass containers to hold art supplies. This one is a perfect size to fit my paints in. Also got a bunch of new paint colours to play with.

Other loves today: the sun shone again today
and it was light-ish out until 5:20 today
the glory of the sung benediction
a big batch of homemade chili (and those fixin's - fritos, cheese, onion)
peanut m&ms in pink

the tribe

great things about today (again, no particular order)

the sun peeking through this morning

yummy triple decaf mocha

dancing folks during the ice=breaker this morning

such a great connection at the all church retreat this morning

oh, how i love that Carolyn Myss quote (we evolve at the rate of the tribe we are plugged into.) it's *so* true, non?

5 x 7 rainbow index cards

smelly markers (the ones that smell like fruit and mint and stuff)

clementines with the little i heart cuties stickers

getting to know a tribe through 'people bingo' - seriously no one in our group of over 30 people had a tattoo...(no one had dressed up as Elvis or a Bible character either)

getting new comments on my blog and flickr accounts


an hour with a mug of decaf coffee and a stack of magazines at b & n

a night at the museum. really enjoyed this movie tonight.

good conversation, laughter, connections.

such a good day.

thanks.

encaustic day

Had the wonderful opportunity to meet up with a group of amazing artists today. And this is one set of what I created today. (I made two other pieces first, these are my favorites).


What a great day. Super sweet women, lots of sharing, laughter and tears. A perfect day. We even witnessed the most beautiful huge rainbow after the big rainfall. I was too engrossed in art and conversation to grab the camera to get photo of the rainbow. You all know what rainbows look like anyway, right?


House hunting continues. Some crazy yucky places, one totally perfect house -- except that it was about 10 yds from the highway and we'd *never* be able to step outside for a barbeque or a morning cup of coffee, or an evening glass of wine. But, oh, the house was *so* cute.

excited about my crafty t-shirt

i'm totally going to make one of these t-shirts for myself next summer.

i'm really trying to get caught up on posting all of the collage a days to my flickr (and taking the photos of them). i got behind on photographing them because it's just not as sunshine=y here, and i had this deep aversion to photographing with the flash. i'm over that. so stay tuned to flickr. there will be more and more and more of them coming in the next few weeks. until i finally catch up, and then it'll be back to posting one at a time.
what are your crafty + arty intentions for the year? I continue to highly recommend doing something every day. you'll be amazed at the results. Some days I don't like what I end up with at all. But, I feel like I've learned a ton in the past year.

the sun shone and we walked on water

so beautiful here today. sunshine and warm for a couple of hours. went for a walk along the water in kirkland. did a little window shopping. it's a little too foo foo and glittery in the section we were walking around in today. there was a tully's though! which kept us warm as we walked around later in the day. it's a bit cold and wet by the water.
there's another shot of this sculpture in flickr, without the mirrored building in the background. i like both the shots, but this one is edgier i guess.

make art everyday

it's good to have an art group to meet with.
i was able to go this saturday and had *such*a*good* day.


on the drive there i stopped at St. Vincent de Paul.
bought two plastic doily like things for stenciling
and a big wheel of vintage crepe paper
then in the free pile outside found 7 solid wood frames!
big plans for those.

then...
Tully's - this one has a drive through, nice because there were no parking spaces left in their tiny lot.

fortified and ready for hours of making art and conversation in a public place.
wonderful, sweet, talented women all.
i did some backgrounds for more collages.
finished one.



got some more decaf at great harvest for the drive home.
super inspired, i got home, changed into art clothes and stumbled into the studio for more hours of making art, on the cards, in the journal, and more additions to the welcome sign for church.

I picked Seattle when they asked which American city I'd live in if it couldn't be Europe

You Belong in Amsterdam

A little old fashioned, a little modern - you're the best of both worlds. And so is Amsterdam. Whether you want to be a squatter graffiti artist or a great novelist, Amsterdam has all that you want in Europe (in one small city).

What European City Do You Belong In?

25 things I really miss about the Bay Area

(in no particular order):
1. eyebrow threading (if you know of a place to get eyebrow threading near me –Eastside of Seattle- I’ll be your best friend)
2. the Cheeseboard (pizza, garlic, and those cornmeal & cherry scones)
3. the first Peet’s store (never could remember the name of the streets, it’s in the gourmet ghetto)
4. Picante
5. Half Moon Bay
6. East Bay Depot for Creative Re-Use
7. SCRAP
8. BART
9. my friends
10. my job & co-workers
11. In & Out Burgers
12. breakfast chats
13. fresh pineapple morning treats at D’Autremont
14. lunches out with co-workers
15. Farmer’s Markets
16. honey chicken & fresh fried rice by the TJ’s
17. Japanese dollar store
18. sunshine
19. wearing Chacos nearly every day
20. Barbara’s Fishtrap
21. Walks along the beach in HMB
22. the ocean waves
23. our walking route in San Mateo
24. being able to take photos of my work outside in the sun
25. that little ice cream store on College Ave

can't stop sneezing tonight

I read it and liked it…and started answering the questions myself, so decided to do it. feel free to steal from me too.
What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now?
Green Tea from Trader Joe’s. And a Lime handmade soap I traded for at my last show.
Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator?
No. This must be an *old* meme.

What would you change about your living room?
We *just* got our new couch and two cushy armchairs yesterday = yippee. I’m anxious for the brand new, glue smell to leave (we have an air purifier running and the window open). We’re still searching for the perfect coffee table. I need to make some new pillow covers, the throw pillows that came with the couch are hideous.
Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty? No dishes in the dishwasher. I keep forgetting we have one as we lived without one for 4 ½ years.
What is in your fridge?
Milk. cheese. Extra sour sourdough english muffins. Fire roasted tomato soup. A bit of letover pad thai from New Year’s Eve. olives. Wine. Lettuce. Basil. Carrots. Crimini mushrooms (sliced – I’m lazy that way). Whipped cream cheese. “fake butter”. Real butter. Eggs. Flax seed oil. Almond milk. Flax seed. Ground turkey (making chili tonight). Leftover cioppino.
White or wheat bread?
Whole wheat. (and extra sourdough white)
What is on top of your refrigerator?
A brown paper bag full of paper products that a congregant brought to us our first night in this rental. (so sweet). A pottery crock full of kitchen utensils. And the little rag we use to clean off the write on board we use for to do list and to buy lists (separate ones for each of the main shopping hotspots – Trader Joe’s, PCC, Costco, Target)
What color or design is on your shower curtain?
white, waffle weave.
How many plants are in your home?
Two.
Is your bed made right now?
Yes.
Is your closet organized?
Sort of. Everything is hung up or on a shelf. But it’s not in rainbow order or anything that spectacular.
Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home?
Glass. Or stainless steel water bottle.
Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now? No. Not a fan, and um, how old is this meme?
If you have a garage, is it cluttered?
Yes. No.
Curtains or blinds?
Both. And neither, depends on the room.
How many pillows do you sleep with?
Four. two to sleep on, one for knees, one for tummy.
Do you sleep with any lights on at night?
No.
How often do you vacuum?
when it needs it, not often, we’re a shoes off household.
Standard toothbrush or electric?
both. I’m the manual one, I can’t stand the way the electric one tickles.
Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch?
Yes.
What is in your oven right now?
not a thing.
Is there anything under your bed?
No.
Chore you hate doing the most?
weeding.
What retro items are in your home?
a couple of my favorites: a bird planter, a slipper chair with cool bright green and blue basketweave, granny square afghans, cast iron pans, loop woven hotpads, and so much more.
Do you have a separate room that you use as an office?
Sort of. I have a separate table in my studio with office type stuff there.
How many mirrors are in your home?
One in each bathroom (3) and the doors on the closet in the master bedroom have mirrors (2 each closet – that’s really *way* too many mirrors for me, but, hey it’s a rental).
What color are your walls?
white (rental)
Do you keep any kind of protection weapons in your home?
never. Though I have compromised on allowing a baseball bat to be kept on hand.
What does your home smell like right now?
glue of the brand new couch and chairs.
Favorite candle scent?
beeswax.
Ever been on your roof?
not this one.
How many TVs do you have?
two.
How many house phones?
One.
Do you have a housekeeper?
No.
What style do you decorate in?
Classic, with eclectic fun.
Do you like solid colors in furniture or prints?
Solid colors.
Is there a smoke detector in your home?
Yes, several.
In case of fire, what are the items in your house which you’d grab if you only could make one quick trip?
I have lots of canvas bags easily accessible on a hook in the kitchen…baby jesus (see recent post), laptop, the Bible my grandmother gave me (though right now it’s in the books boxes), my art journal bag, iPod, camera, purse.

25 things I’ll never get tired of

1. fireplaces
2. decaf dry cappuccinos
3. the quality public library (King County - love it!)
4. NPR
5. quotations
6. swimming
7. my visual journal - paste, paint, ephemera
8. the ocean, river, water!
9. picnics
10. handknit socks
11. a hot bubble bath with beeswax candles & a book
12. fresh baked goods
13. handwritten letters
14. handmade gifts that really *fit* the person
15. game night
16. thrift store, estate sale, garage sale shopping
17. having a view of snowy mountains
18. teaching
19. learning
20. hanging out with friends, laughter, food, stories, games
21. peace
22. working for freedom in the United States
23. day trip adventures
24. taking photos
25. my family