My Studio 13

Friday, January 7, 2011

Long December and the Year in Review

Well would you look at that....not one blog post in the month of December. And what would I attribute that to?? One word.....LAZY!! Once the turkey leftovers were gone from Thanksgiving, it seemed like just a hop, skip and a jump to the crazy of Christmas. Christmas was great, but I'm not gonna lie.....I am always excited to put away the physical part of the holiday every year. I enjoy the retelling of the season and the reasons behind it, but I am not one of those that suffers from post holiday blues. No sireee, not me!!

The constant packing on of pounds, that forces the air from my lungs on those long walk from my parking spot to the mall doors. The ever present panic of "should I have bought a present for them" and the depletion of my bank account. Nope, not sad at all.

So let's recap the amazing year that was 2010.
The company was in some major financial trouble...things didn't look good..... Bad
We had more lawsuits (albeit mostly bogus) than we had jobs going.......Really Bad
I spent the first three months studying for my Contractors License........ Boring
I was published twice in Art Journaling magazine......amazingly good
I went to Art&Soul and Journalfest........awesome
My boy got straight A's the entire year....so proud
I lost 11 pounds and 9 inches......and gained it all back by Christmas....sucked
I got a new Canon Rebel camera for my birthday that is fabulous.....fabulous
I passed my Contractors exam the first time.......freaking awesome
We were awarded the job that would pull us out of the hole were were in...totally God's blessing
We completely paid off that hole we were in.....More of God's blessings
I lost 11 pounds and 9 inches...............oh wait, I already said that....yeah, it bothers me that much
Hubby and I consistently worked on our marriage through out the year.....Amazing
We taught the boy to snowboard and he loves it and is good at it.....that rocks

So basically it was up and down, but through the entire year, God has continually showed up in our lives and blessed our socks off. So much that we were able to pass some of those financial blessings along. But that is not for us to boast.....it's been all GOD!!!!
So now it is the first week of January, and I haven't made a whole lot of new art. I have parked my butt on the couch a whole lot and watched tv and hung out with the family. That's ~~good.~~ awesome!!

Here are pages from the 2011 Art Journaling that was published this week. I love the journal they chose for this one. It's one of my favorites. Happy New Year Everyone!!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

What is Worship.....to me?

When I think about worship, I usually think about music. Music that reaches into my soul and my spirit and brings me to my knees. It's a time spent praising God and feeling like he is giving me a small glimpse into the love He has for me.

But what does it mean to Him? In service the last few weeks, I have been hearing some amazing things. Like, God likes it when I like to worship Him. It's not meant to be a "duty", it is meant to be a "delight".

Also, worship costs. Back in the Old Testament, people had to spend time and effort to prepare their worship offering. There was a whole list of things that were required, in order for the offering to be acceptable.

So what am I bringing to God that truly shows my effort and my love for Him? I know that I love Him, and that I want to spend time in His presence, but does that always mean grinding flour and picking out the perfect lamb?

Yes...it does...but in my own way. My creativity is God given, and I believe that God likes it when I use what He has given me, to show my love. When I spend hours working in my journal, painting, gluing, cutting, lettering, a page that shows my prayers, my praises, and my worship, I believe this honors God

. There is nothing I am enjoying more these days than blasting the worship music, sitting down at my desk, and worshipping my Lord.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Blog about a blog!

So the new issue of Artful Blogging magazine is in stores now. Or SOME stores I should say, because it seems as though my local Barnes&Noble, has problems actually putting the magazines on shelves, the date they are supposed to be out. One more than one occasion, I have asked them to look in the stockroom, (a week past the issue date) only to find the box has been sitting there, unopened, for who knows how long.

So anyway, I will be checking again today. This is the first article I have written, that has a personal element to it. The others have been all technique, so this one is special. It talks of struggle, of heartbreak, of acceptance and connection. All surrounded by some of my favorite artwork.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Journalfest 2010

Where do I even begin with Journalfest? I have wanted to go for awhile now, and I even looked at going to Artfest, but it just seemed really overwhelming to me. Journalfest seemed smaller, the choices not as varied. Plus the whole retreat was called "JOURNALFEST", and since that is my gig, I figured these would be my people, my village, folks who understand the need to sit for hours writing and journaling in a book, without ever saying a word. They would GET me!!!....these conditions seemed perfect.

And perfect they were!! Journalfest was such an amazing experience. From the location: Ft. Worden in Port Townsend, WA; the activities: bonfire, journal party, vendor fair and masquerade ball; my classes: Ingrid Dijikers Humanis journal, Dan Essig Appalachian Ethiopian journal, and Lisa Cheney Jorgensen "Learning to See" sketch and watercolor!! All were amazing, all were exactly what I thought they would be, and all fed a little piece of me. The food was great, the company better, and out Hosts, Teesha and Tracy Moore, (and crew) went above and beyond!

I will definitely be back next year....no question!!

I did spend every minute that I was not either in class, eating or sleeping: taking pictures. The grounds are beautiful, and I really enjoyed exploring through the lens of my camera.

My favorite class was the sketch class. Lisa was amazing, and she gave me an incredible gift. With the amount of confidence she gave me in sketching a blank page, I can now journal without having to make sure I have pages prepped at all times. Plus, I have signed up for the Sketchbook project, and I have started to actually sketch in that book.
Attached are the best of the photos I took, and my favorite journal pages.
Goodbye Journalfest, I will miss you. But I will see you again next year