Artful Body-quins

On Saturday, Gina and I braved the horrid rains and headed down to Salem. I had signed us up for a Bountiful Blocks art class for part of her birthday present at Stampin'Cat Studio. My favorite art teacher Dayna Collins was teaching the class, so I already knew it was going to be a GREAT one!

A wonderful surprise was seeing Jill, another Artist Way lady who had signed herself and her friend Rosemarie up for the class. Jill and I start talking and the talk leads to me telling her about these "Body-quins" that I recently purchased at Collage. She thought it would be fun to do a round robin with one (each of us arting it up!). I told her I had a bag of them - we could each start our own and send them on their way.



So today, they have been rolled in bubble wrap, and tomorrow they will be on their way to their new respective home, to begin their first of a six stop journey. I'm excited to see how they all will artfully come to life!

WhooHooo!!!!

I got the chance last night to meet up with Susan Feinstein, one of the ladies that I met in my Artist's Way Class in January. Susan just recently started her own business Perfect Pairings, as a singles relationship coach for conscious singles. She is the one person that if you needed to phone a friend on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, she'd be on your list. She is also the one who first introduced me to the "Escargot" that started this Blog. Some months back she told me about Mike Dooley and his website TUT.com, where you can sign up for morning inspirational messages. Spiritual but not religious, inspirational without commitment, empowering yet caffeine-free ~ They are GREAT! I was so excited when Susan emailed me to tell me he would be speaking in Portland at The Bagdad Theatre on November 5th and would I like to go. A BIG Heck-Yeah!!!!




After talking about college and my Gerontology classes, we started to talk about various art classes and projects we had recently taken. I was amazed when I started thinking about the plethora of classes I have taken in the last couple of months.

From Bracelets & Eclectic Earrings, to Image Transfers, one of my favorite classes was taught by Bridget Benton called Matchbox Books. Mine was an accumulation of my trips this year to Greece, Leola and Fargo!





A "Working With Wax" Encaustic Class ....



...and an "Abstract Painting" class taught by Lorna Nakell which turned out to be another favorite.



Instead of stressing to complete a newly taught masterpiece in just a couple of hours, I decided mine was going to be every technique she taught that day. But the best part of the class was that I got to take it with Miss Kristi Bryan....



.... and afterwards we got to partake in some Tomato Coconut Soup, meet a comic book creator and talk to David our most favorite Greece guide!



Getting together with Susan, Art Classes and Tomato Coconut Soup with Kristi can be easily described with the one word Mike Dooley starts and ends each day with...WhooHooo!!!!

100 Things I Love - # 4

Pink Lipstick!

In fact, to be exact, REVLON ~ Super Lustrous Lipstick ~ Pearl # 405 ~ Silver City Pink.




I can't remember a time that I didn't use it. It's always in my pocket or purse. It went perfect with my Farrah Fawcett hairdo, my bob hairdo, my short and sassy do, and my long and straight.

When anyone asks what I think the most sexy female look is, my answer always has been and always will be "Pink Lipstick and Knee Socks!"

Polka Dot New Beginnings ~ MOVE ON

I read a post recently which said:

"Time to make a decision:
Either repair the friendship and move on,
or end the friendship and move on.
Bottom Line: MOVE ON!"

It made me think about the things in life I tolerate or put up with, just going along with the status quo. I journal each day about their burdensome-ness, knowing that I do need to MOVE ON.

I bought a new polka dot journal today. I was never too fond of my current one.



It reminded me of knee socks. When I buy them, are they to commemorate the end of summer follies or the beginning of fall adventures? Much like those knee socks is that polka dot journal - is it the end of a journal I never did quite fancy or the beginning of a decision made to MOVE ON?

Thank you D.

Halloween Recipe for Joyous Play

- One weekend home alone filled with nothing but massive amounts of homework.
- Add one call from an old grade school favorite girlfriend asking about getting together since it is Halloween ~ you know.
- Add another call from an old high school boyfriend who is also friends with the old grade school favorite girlfriend asking about getting together since it is Halloween ~ you know.
- Add costume theme ~ "Bunny & Clyde".
- Set time for 8:30-ish.
- Put homework on hold until Sunday.
- Mix well and Enjoy!

How is it that dressing up in costumes makes you feel like you're sixteen again?














Dressing up with old friends....it's on my love list!

100 Things I Love - # 39

On my long flight over to see Kristi in Switzerland a couple of years ago, (in my boredom) I made a list of my 100 favorite things that I love and a list of my 100 things that I dislike. The list of favorites went over 100 and the list of dislikes never made it to 100. Since they were my lists, I left them as such.

No. 39 of favorite things that I love is personal mail. Yes, the kind that the US Postal service delivers. I love receiving letters, cards, packages just because. I love seeing a handwritten envelope with my name on it.

I remember writing to every Chamber of Commerce in the United States during the summer of 4th grade, just to get something back in the mail from them with "my" name on it. (Just a FYI....Nebraska sends the best stuff back to you!)

And even though I have never told this love to anyone, my niece Lynda randomly sends me little things in the mail.



My heart skips a beat when I unlock my mailbox and there is an envelope addressed with my name handwritten on it.

One of my favorite writings is this:

The house was sold,
its contents auctioned off,
and the car given to charity.
All that was kept
were a few LETTERS.

Why do we keep them?
Under our bed, up in the attic, in the back of some drawer. We could have thrown them out a thousand times, and yet there they are...Still. Old Love Letters. Written to a person we no longer are, by a hand we no longer hold. Sappy cards and faded stationery, old and deeply wrinkled at the creases. Why do we keep them? Maybe because they are the mile markers of our journey, the currency of our soul and our past. They give our lives a value nothing else can even approach. They mark the times in our lives when we knew we were loved.

And yes, my ultra cool new eraser is safely packed in my backpack and a hand written note to remind me that I am loved!

Every Woman Has Her Chair

Every woman has her chair, and I definitely want to meet the man that created this ~ He has my heart!