Music and Arts Festival This Weekend!

So I have been busy getting stuff ready for this weekend. My prints are ready, my originals are framed, my prices are set!! My wonderful hubby has spend the last two days making these amazing easels that can hold 4 large paintings on each one. And he made 9 of them!!! Not that I have that many pieces, but I can use them for any other show I do. I am hoping to show again in Phoenix @First Friday's next year, so I will be able to use them there. I am trying to get another booth right next to mine so we can have more room, but I might have waitied just a bit too long. We'll see!! So I hope all of you will come by and see, not only me, but the other amazing artists too, and be a part of Main Street Upland's First Annual Music and Arts Festival. Friday through Sunday 10am-10pm, downtown Upland.

Busy Busy Busy!!

Wow, what a busy week I have going!! I have to be at a deposition tomorrow afternoon, work at church tomorrow night, Knott's Scary Farm Friday night ( I am scared already), a 5k charity run first thing Saturday morning, and the Train concert Sunday night!! Whew!! And I have less than 3 weeks to get all of my artwork and prints ready for the Upland Music and Arts Festival. You can check out the link here. (go to lineup and then click on the art link). I have several things to frame, a ton of prints to make and I have to get everything priced up and ready to go. OMGosh, what the heck have I been doing? Well, actually, I have been doing alot of artwork, spending some amazing time hearing the word, and loving my family!! That takes up some time.

So I have been loving all the new apps I have for my IPhone camera. I have: camera bag, lomo, artcam lite, camera XL and my favorite colorsplash. Here is an example of what you can do. You use a picture from your camera roll, it removes all of the color, and then you "paint" the color back in with your finger. It is awesome, you can pan and zoom in to get the detail, and paint with whatever color was originally in the picture, or gray. i love it!! Well, I gotta go, I have work to do.

So what!!!!!..............IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!!

I love birthdays, and I especially love my birthday!! I don't love it for the gifts, or the cards or even the birthday wishes, (although I love those too) I love it because it's mine. Now I realize there are other people in the world with the same birthday, and their day can be all theirs too. But in my world, it's my day. I am not talking about selfishly it being "all about me", but just that during the day, I get showered with love and thoughts and usually end up with a great feeling of well being. Me being alive, me being healthy, me being loved. And God chose this day for me to be born, before the heavens were formed, He gave me this day, and I love Him for it!!

One Photo Left

Came home yesterday to spy a little something on my counter. As I got closer, I could see that it was a magazine. Ok, now just for the record, I had just come form the bookstore, looking for this particular magazine. Knowing it would not "officially" be in stores until October 1. I don't know what I was thinking. So once I realized that this was, indeed, an advance copy of the magazine, and artists that are being published get them, I swept everything else off the counter, and proceeded to rip off the plastic covering the mag. Oh so excited!!! I had sent three pieces in for publication last November to Somerset Memories. It was "maybe" going to be published in the June/July issue, but in May, the issue went to twice yearly publication. So I waited, knowing the edition would resurface, bigger and better, in October. And boy was I surprised!!!

I did two of the three in Misty Mawn's class last year at Asilomar, and they are among my favorites EVER! The third was made to bring it to a set, and I was very happy with the results.

The set was made using the only school picture I have of my father, (not the ONLY picture,as the story reads, just the only SCHOOL picture). I used 3 different transfer techniques, and different copies. I love this set and I am so honored, and feel God deserves the glory, for instilling in me this desire to create

Journal page

Just how far...............

One of my favorite songs is from Casting Crowns, East to West. It speaks of feeling those human emotions that tell us we are just one mistake away from God leaving us, I mean, really who could love ME that much?? I love how it talks about not being able to bear ,having the person I used to be, come rising up in me again, and about where we find rest: in the arms of His mercy.

I can remember being a new Christian, and I couldn't understand what "a season" was, and nobody could tell me. Was it a week, a month a year?? I could not grasp the concept . I get it now. Another thing I didn't totally understand, was His forgiveness. Really??? Forever?? Never to be brought up again, like completely forgotten? Wow! That's awesome. Ok, but wait....that means I can just keep doing whatever, and as long as I ask forgiveness, I'm cool, right?? Well, I learned NO on that one, right before I was told to look up the scripture about not doing exactly that.So the concept if this song: That forgiveness truly is as far as the east is from the west. From one scarred hand to the other! That's how big His grace is for me> Good thing!!

My Studio 13: Cries of an angel

My Studio 13: Cries of an angel

The Thoughts in my Head

So what's going on? Well there are some things in the hopper, that are going to be coming to fruition in a couple of months. Trying to keep it on the downlow, but let me just say that I am very excited about it!!

I am getting as many charcoals done as I can for the festival in November. I have done a couple special order pieces that I am not showing here, (shhhhhhh!!), but soon.

My boy just signed up for Cub Scouts, and he is so excited. Dad will be helping out as Den Leader, so I see some fun camping trips in my future. I can't wait to get a picture of Connor in his little uniform!!

Jenny Craig is finally starting to pay off. I am into my 6th week, and was not losing the weight I had hoped for. I mean, come on, 1200 calories a day, no cheating, and lose half a pound?? Ugh, whatever!! So I switched up a couple of things and this last week was a good one. Lost a total of 8 pounds and 5 inches so far, so I am really motivated about that. I have been doing little workouts on the Wii Fit, and I like the exercises alot!!

I have been working alot in my journal, and it is as healing and deep as ever. I love to just lose myself and spend the time, and create. I took my journal to the beach on Saturday, and it was such a beautiful day. I spent a little time on it, while watching Connor and Glenn boogie boarding. He did such a great job for his first time, and he loved it!!

Well I am off to bed, gonna try and have dinner with my girl, Linda tomorrow, we haven't hung out in awhile!

(sorry the pics are so small, but they were IPhone pics, uploaded to mobile Facebook, and I lost the originals when I had to get my phone replaced saturday night)

Let Your Art Work For You This Christmas!!

Let your ART work for YOU this Christmas
Don't let the Holidays sneak up on you again this year! We all know that money's tighter this year for most everyone, so why not "Let your ART work for YOU" now and join us in our innovative online market, MMCA Marketplace. Wouldn't it be great to be a part of this & let us showcase your art now on our blog & newsletter, as well as in local, regional & national press campaigns?
Are you looking for an easy and affordable venue to sell your original, handcrafted artwork? A place where you do not get lost among the many shops? A place that values quality? No up-front or monthly fees? And unlimited product listings?
When you join MMCA Marketplace we will build your shop while you continue to create more great art! You simply digitally submit your product image along with our description form and your products magically appear on your personal shop page with your branding logo, bio and photo, as well as links to your blog and/or website and email address.
We invite you to submit an application to join us and upon approval, we simply charge 20% commission on your SOLD artwork!

http://www.mmcamarketplace.com/application.html

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at market@mmcamarketplace.com

www.mmcamarketplace.com/shops_Carrie_Todd.html

These are a few.....of my favorite people!!

I have my favorite things in life. My favorite shoes, my favorite art supplies, my favorite magazines, and people in my life that are truly special. Our Youth Pastors are a couple of those favorite people, that make me smile no matter what. They have been at my church as long as I have been there, and I have seen them pour out their lives into the lives of the youth that attend that church. He brings it when he preaches, and to hear her sing worship is a blessing. For REALS!!! (This picture was a card I made for her....a songbird)
They were recently asked to step down (boo!!), and after waiting on the Lord for direction, feel that moving back home to Maryland, is His plan for them.
They are a young couple, with a two year old, and working in ministry is not exactly big money. They recently went to ship their stuff home, and after a horrendous ordeal trying to get that done, they found that the shipping container was too small, and they needed another one, plus storage, to get all their belongings home. We want to help!!
Along with another couple, (The Headless Family5) we are looking to help them pay for another shipment container back home. The container will cost $1,300.00 to ship from California to Maryland, and storage for a month until they get settled and get a place.
If you can help, in any way, please let me know. I have a Paypal account (click button below), or you can email me with info.
This family has been such a blessing to countless kids, and to my family as well, and we would appreciate anything you can do! Every penny will go directly to them, and we can help send them out, to continue to pour into kids' lives and bless those that meet them!!