Duct Tape & WD-40

Placing the Blame Where It Belongs

I have made a lot of purchases recently - lots of new things to play with and crowd my studio.
Claudine Hellmuth, I blame this on you.
You showed this kit from SiSTV on a recent blog post, and I just HAD to have it. Have no idea what I am going to do with it.

This one, I totally blame on Stephanie McAtee.

She had to know that after taking her art journal class that I would no longer be satisfied with working with ordinary pens. No. Now I must have nibs of all different sizes and India Ink.

Donna Downey made me buy lots of canvases in every size. That and they were on sale for 50% off at Joann's. That, of course, means I can buy twice as much.

Tena Sprenger, you're not getting off the hook here. I actually donated alcohol inks that I had because I never used them. Now, because of your acrylic album class, I have to buy them all over again. I am just showing the brushes because Joann's had them on sale for 20 for $1.00 and the cashier got all annoyed that she had to scan every one of them separately for .05 each. I was like, "can't you just put in 20 @ .05?" and she was all "hmmmph... No. I have to scan them individually." But, I bet she could have done it, she just didn't know how.

Finally there is this because of Kal:

Seriously. Oil pastels.

But while I am placing blame and must also give serious thanks to these women. Because of them, I made two pieces of art. Donna provided Inspired and Kal inspired me to just do it. Just draw something. It doesn't have to be award winning. It doesn't have to be a museum worthy. Just sit down (or stand up) for a few minutes and do something. You will love yourself for it. And you what, they were so right.

Bloom and Grow

Pencil crayons, oil pastels, ink, metal dragonflies on vinyl mounted to and 8x10 canvas covered in collaged patterned paper and acrylic paint.

Fear of Flying

Oil pastels, ink, and glitter paint on 5x7 canvas board.

I Got This For Free

So, Friday night was Spring Fling. It is the annual fundraiser and party for SEA parents. I always look forward to this event, because I like to dress up every now and then. Also, it is priceless to see the looks on some faces when they get a look at me with a dress and makeup. They are so used to seeing me in sweatpants and a ponytail that some people don't even recognize me!

So this year, we had Hall of Fame football player, Jack Youngblood attend our event. He used to play for the LA Rams in the '70s and '80s. I remember him because I had a HUGE crush on Vince Ferragamo who played quaterback from the Rams. Anyway, Mr. Youngblood was kind enough to donate a signed football jersey for our auction. The winner got the jersey AND a photo with Jack Youngblood. It sold for $1,500.

Well, I had had a couple of drinks (don't act all surprised!) so I turned to my friend Denise and told her, "I'm going to get a photo with me and Jack Youngblood for FREE!" She laughed and I told her, "just watch me."

So, when the live auction was over, I spotted Mr. Youngblood. It looked like he was headed for the door, so I grabbed Denise and my camera.

"Mr. Youngblood, Mr. Youngblood. I'm a big fan, could I get a picture with you?"

He was so gracious. He said, "of course."

During this encounter, I had the opportunity to put my hand on his chest. Let me tell you, that man still has it. His chest was rock hard.

But I digress.

Here is my FREE picture with Jack Youngblood, former NFL superstar and owner (or something like that) of the Orlando Predators.

Oh, and if you ever wondered why I hate flash photography, here is an example. This is me and Hall of Famer, Gary Hudson.

Shirley, Do Not Read This Because You Will Be Incredibly Jealous and Sad and That Will Put A Lot of Negative Energy Into the Universe That Might Come Back To You and I Can't Be Responsible For That

Yesterday, I got home from Donna Downey's Insprired Artist Workshop in North Carolina. Can I just say, WOW! I had a great time. I stretched my creative wings and met some great people. I took classes from artists that I have always admired like Claudine Hellmuth and Kal Barteski. I joined the fan club of some other artists like Jennifer Stewart, Christina Lazar-Schuler and Tena Sprenger. I have added links to their blogs on the side, so check them out.

Also, I met some of the people who write the blogs I read regularly, like Ali Edwards and her friend Paolo and Cathy Zielske which leads us to our first photo.

I blurred the grabber's face because I didn't ask her permission to post this photo and I don't want to "out" her. But, if you read any scrapbook blogs, you can probably figure out who it is and why she is grabbing me.

So, so tired when I got home. I slept the entire way on the plane. Then, I took a nap when I got home. Then I slept most of the day today. Wiped out! But so glad to be.

Shared a plane ride and a wait and a shuttle ride and a breakfast and a taxi and a wait and a plane ride and a luggage wait with Claudine Hellmuth. She is a funny, awesome girl! So very talented. I love her poppets and want to commission a piece for my family. She reminds me of my friend Stephanie, so I had this weird feeling like I already knew her and maybe I was being too familiar with her.

This is Claudine and me in her class. I circled the Poppet puppet that she taught us to make.

Here is a photo of the "celebrities" that were in my group. Everyone was so much fun and friendly - down to earth just like they are in their books and blogs.

Finally, here is a photo of Donna and her husband Bill saying goodbye and thank you during the last class. They were both so wonderful even though I know they hit more than a few bumps making this event happen. Bill was really great. By the end of the weekend, he knew everyone by name without their name tags. Impressive.

Also loved making some other friends like local Zanne and her friend Rebecca. Enjoyed having dinner with Mary Kate and Kathy and Carla from California. Actually, there were many others that I'm just not thinking of right now. I'll post more when I process more.

I Am Headed to Target for Googly Eyes RIGHT NOW

Here is something that had Gary and me laughing until we cried. I will definitely be putting googly eyes on everything.

Also, check out the side bar. I have uploaded the photos from my 31 Days of Christmas Album. The thumbnails are probably too small to read the writing, but you get the idea.

I had to force myself to do this. The photos aren't spectacular. The scrapbooking is almost nothing. But I did document the Christmas season for my family and that is the first time I have done that in several years