Artful Journey

Yes, tonight's the night when little ghosts and ghoulies hit the streets.. happy halloween And witches stop from a broom ride to hand out candy... my favorite witch And at my favorite neighBOOrhood bistro..somehow the wine disappeared before a picture could be taken...now that is Spirits at work! Tough night to be an m and m.. Luckily they are in the pumpkin witness protection program... Happy Halloween.

Nothing says traditions like a holiday...and in our house Birthdays have always been treated like holidays! We hold firmly to the belief that if there is a day you are ever going to celebrate, it's the day you were born. Luckily for Fi, her birthday is October 8, which coincides with Columbus day this year, extending the Birthday to Birthday weekend. We lined up all kinds of special treats, starting with a Half Marathon on Saturday, if you can call that a treat..followed up with  some other birthday specials, breakfast out at our favorite diner,  presents, bookstore coffee and browse around,  made to order breakfasts and dinners,  chocolate cake (yum!) and a wind down with one of our favorite hobbies on Monday... painting Halloween Vignette Years ago, I painted unfinished wood and sold it at craft fairs. Fi loved to go with me to purchase supplies and attend craft shows looking for ideas.  Although it has been a long time since I have participated in a craf...

After the horrific massacre in Las Vegas, thoughts can be suspended in anguish, frustration, and disbelief. How can this happen, why does this happen? And our hearts go out to the victims and their families, and respect to the first responders and the ordinary citizens that put themselves in harms way to assist the victims. In the face of such tragedy, there is a glimmer of hope in humanity. That morning, on my walk, I took a different route, and visited the grave site of Ross Almeddine, who was killed in the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007. While there, I saw two butterflies on daisies someone had planted at a grave site. butterflies at the cemetery This was the inspiration for this piece, created to honor the victims of this tragedy. There is one of my favorite Maya Angelou quotes, and a quote from Catherine Woodiwiss' article   New Normal - 10 things I've learned about Trauma .  As Catherine says, "there is no getting over it.  There is no back to the ...

I've been intrigued and impressed by so much of the mixed media that I have seen since starting blogger.  Yesterday provided an opportunity to pull out some of my art supplies and play...an easy decision on a rainy day with everyone else busy and no distractions.  Try it on Tuesday  has a time challenge going on, so I thought I would join in. I love the theme of time, so the inspiration was easy; putting the pieces together was a little more challenging. Clocks and locks I used a variety of techniques on this page: watercolors distressed with cling film for the backround. blind embossed clocks colored with faber castell gelatos, some locks and keys fussy cut, Tim Holtz clock face and a rubber stamp:     Take Time to Enjoy the Simple things in Life I added my haiku that I handlettered and thermal embossed: Oh, what would I do, if I only had the time, start now, said the clock. Creating the piece was a lot of fun, and I have some ideas for anot...

as in sports... Last weekend was a big sports weekend here...NFL..go Pats! Premier League...Juan Mata and Manchester United, and the All Ireland Gaelic football final. That meant alot of sports in the Man- cave.. with some pizza and beer! Football and Beer. Sunday Tradition in the Man Cave. I really like these shandys, so that is my beer of choice...and the trifecta of Irish, English, and American football is great too.  The coffee table is a cast off that I hand painted to look like distressed leather on the top, and granite on the legs.  The kids gave us a couch with two recliners and a side recliner a few years ago, so the area is totally kitted out for comfortable viewing. We have amassed quite a collection of craft beer which you can get a glimpse of on the shelving unit in the backround. Great craft beers and labels! We brought the first empty bottle from Ireland about 10 years ago, before craft beers became popular over  here.  It became a throw dow...

magic can't happen here...or at least, with a little bit of time and effort, a little creativity is always possible. my art space... I really have the room and supplies not to mention the inspiration... CJ thinks I make a difference some favorites, a card from Janet, a picture of my girls, book of lists a gift from Onz stained glass dish from Eoghan from Spain   Supplies All that is missing is the plan...so here it is... mantras, watercolor and plan                                                             close up of my tracker... Thursday's task is tidy the study and family room. The study looks pretty good as does the family room, especially since Eoghan is reclining down there!  Now if I can get  it to look as good as my garden. flowers are still happy Looking f...

Every click of the television remote or blast from the radio brings more aggressive news of hateful words and actions.  The stress of the situation is exacerbated by the sad fact that I have no impact over the current environment.  All of the lessons of history seem to be lost.   I can only hope that at some point peace, respect and common sense prevail.  Amid all of this discord and hostility, Nish and I went in search of some tranquility. There is no place it is easier  to find than in nature, so we headed to Heritage Museum and Gardens in Sandwich. Majestic trees Beautiful Vista And then we moved through the labyrinth. Moving meditation Labyrinth move within, let go circle, center, continue  end, let go, begin The current exhibit is Painted Landscapes: Contemporary Views.  Some of my favorites:  So much inspiration taken from the beauty of nature. It was back outside to one of my favorite water featur...

Last week was a hectic one for me, and I am hoping to get out from under it soon. Today's rain may help with completing some of the projects on tap, with the added benefit of keeping my lawn well watered. While last week was busy, we managed to include a few good things, including breakfast at the oldest tea house in America. sign at The Wenham Tea House We made it a point to visit the Sand Sculpting Contest at Revere Beach. Absolutely amazing! Just a sampling... The professional sand sculptors travel from all over the world to compete in this weekend event. Their work is awe inspiring! Although extremely crowded, it was well worth it, especially considering today's constant rain.  I am so happy we had the opportunity to view this magnificent, temporary art. Sand Sculpture Contest Handling grains of Sand Sculptures created, magic Then, suddenly, gone. And finally delivered, PTE exchange, from Jean  More great ideas to try. H...