Amazing Cat/Bird Video

While wandering around the web, found this. I am still not able to embed videos. YOu would think that I was a IT professional or something! ;(

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qO25P4r1o8

Well, I am back. My foot is still not healed, and I am in a walking boot, which is the one that I had first, but without the pressure bandage. Still hurts, but it is better, I guess.

I had an ARTFUL Sunday at my house today. 5 friends (two artists and three non artists) all joined me for a pot luck lunch and ART!. We worked on NOTAN ( or as Jane Dunnewold calls them Expanded Squares). We had a great time and everyone (even the non-artists) came up with some fantastic designs!

Wow. What happened to September???

Small Cast for 10 days, then.....

The BIG cast for 4 weeks. (Found out how hard it is to take a picture of your own calf!



I have been out of commission with a stress fracture in my left foot, see pics above and just have not felt like posting.
Guess that I am coming out of it and will post more frequently.

Since I am not able to stand for any amount of time, I have not been able to do
much fiber or art work. And since I am not going to exercise class or
doing my walking, I have all of this extra time!

My helper at work gave me the url for a genealogy website
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/frameset_search.asp
(it is an LDS website, but has free software!)
Anyway, I have become completely hooked on the whole
process. They make it easy, as the software puts all the
people in the correct positions, and there is so much information
available from the internet that it makes it really easy!
Not very artistic, but what can you do?

I have also been doing digital collage, which I am not very good at yet,
but getting better. I should concentrate on that instead of genealogy.

Stress Fracture

I have spent the day lazing around, as I have a stress fracture on my left 3rd metatarsal (sp?). Last weekend I read all the books, watched movies and so today I was bored.

I did discover a new art outlet:

http://www.craftcast.com

Lots of intersting interviews and it has kept me pretty entertained for most of the day. Just audio, but still pretty interesting.

I had an Artful Sunday planned for tomorrow, pot luck lunch and then several hours of art making with 7 or 8 friends, but since I am dragging buns, I had to postpone. That is probably the worst thing of this whole situation.

I go back to the ortho on Tuesday and will get the latest Xrays and etc. Hope it is better by then!

Spell with Flickr

http://metaatem.net/words
Check out this site... I could not get the html to post, but it is a neat site that takes words and uses flickr images of letters to spell out your word.
Pretty neat!

More Furry Aliens

The furry aliens that I leave with are soooo cute. They are not usually in this close proximity, as they have different areas of the house that they rule over, but since this was the first evening it was cool enough to have the windows open, they were both sitting in the window! Baby Cakes is the Maine Coon (who is not as chunky as she appears) and Fuzzy Bucket is the black shorthair. They keep life interesting.

Wow, where did August go?

I did not realize that it had been so long since I posted.

Came home early today and decided to hang around and do some art rather than taking off for my Mother's. I will leave in the AM and stay until Monday afternoon.

Here is what I have been doing today

Altoid Tin Altered for Ashely's Birthday (metal piece says "..my wish for you")

This is a bead embroidery that I started in a class with Mary Tafoya. It is on top of an altoid tin, and will be used for my treasures. The goddess is off of a necklace that I wore for many years.

Photoshop

I have been playing around with Photoshop brushes, and am getting better at it. I have very rarely seen such a user unfriendly program, and I struggle with it. I have taken classes and have several excellent books Photoshop 7 Fast and Easy and 50 Fast Digital Photo Techniques (both of which I recommend highly). Anyway, http://www.art-e-zine.co.uk/ is also a great source of inspiration.

I was just playing around with this, but I can see a future series in there!

How observant are you?

http://www.oldjoeblack.0nyx.com/thinktst.htm

Try taking this test about how observant you are. I got 16, but I guessed at a LOT of them. And got some wrong that I thought I was right on!

Tree spirit workshop

Just finished a great workshop with Ruth Carraway. She has Tree Spirit Studio on top of a mountain east of Albuquerque. Took a four wheel drive vehicle to get there, but the ambience was great. I made a dragon and my friend Marion made a wood sprite. Here are some views of my dragon, which has pine cone scales and a face on his tail!

This is part of my continuing series named "Hedonist". This is a fused piece that may end up as four separate pieces, or may be a four patch wall hanging. I will have to see how it works out.
These are still works in progress and use some fantastic fabric from Lonnie Rossi. I have had these fabrics for at least a year and a half, and could not stand to cut into them. These fabrics are layered, subtle and very rich looking, which speaks Hedonist to me.

Came home tonight from my mother's and realized that I did not have a card or present for my friend Pamela's birthday (which is tomorrow!). I was looking through my stash, and realized that these are her colors, so made a wallhanging for her.

Now I have to come up with a unique way to give it to her, as I don't have a box either!

Overall size is 6X9"

Shrines

I recently completed three shrines in honor of my nephew, Ben. I created these for his mother and sisters as a memorial.

Quilter of the Galaxies

Quilter of the Galaxies

From our fragmented bodies and souls
You gather remnants
to stitch into the pattern of the Universe.
Piece together the scraps
of our lost dreams and apsirations:
that, transformed by the magic of your skill,
You bring into being the New Creation:
Maker of all that is,
Thread that draws us through the needles eye,
Fabric of our Hope and Joy
Amen

Mary Kathleen Speegle Schmitt, Seasons of the Feminine Divine

beautiful Video

www.youtube.com/watch?v=obH3wByguhw

This is beautiful, but you have to read very quickly in spots!
Happy Friday

Memory Boxes

These are how my memory boxes start out. I make a blank shrine, then cover with photos that you send to me. These will be painted black.

See my previous blog in June to see some finished memory boxes. I have made one for David (about Larry) and some for my sister.

Note the cat that thinks she owns the place in the background! She has to be in the middle of everything!

http://nmcreatrix.blogspot.com/2007/06/memory-boxes.html

The Declaration of Humanity

I declare that I am a Spiritual Being, an essential and eternal part of the Soul of Humanity, one and indivisible.

I declare that I am a Human Being whose rights and security ultimately depend on assuring the human rights of all people on Earth.

I declare that I am a Child of the Earth, with the will and awareness to work for goals that benefit the entire community of life on Earth.

I declare that I am a Healer, with the power and purpose to heal the many forms of divisions and conflicts that exist on the Earth.

I declare that I am a Protector, with the knowledge and the responsibility to help the Earth recover her natural harmony and beauty.

I declare that I am an Activist, with the commitment and the ability to make a positive difference in my society.

Dr. Ilchi Lee

Quote Junkie

I am a total quote junkie. I collect quotes and use them in my art when it is appropriate.
I subscribe to a Quote of the Day service which I recommend highly.
http://www.qotd.org/subscribe.html is where you subscribe.
Today's quotes (in celebration of Friday the 13th) are about luck.
I am sharing the following:

You will always be lucky if you know how to make friends with strange cats. - American proverb

It's bad luck to be superstitious. - Andrew W. Mathis

People naturally fear misfortune and long for good fortune, but if the distinction is carefully studied, misfortune often turns out to be good fortune and good fortune to be misfortune. The wise man learns to meet the changing circumstances of life with an equitable spirit, being neither elated by success nor depressed by failure. - Siddhartha Gautama, 563 - 483 BC

A little government and a little luck are necessary in life, but only a fool trusts either of them. - P. J. O'Rourke

There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries. - William Shakespeare, 1564 - 1616

Have a lucky Friday the 13th!

Feeling Blah

I have stayed home from work 2 days (very unusual for me...). I think that I overdosed on sweet, juicy apricots! Anyway, while I was looking for something else, I came across this:

Quilter of the Galaxies

From our fragmented bodies and souls You gather remnants
To stitch together into the pattern of the universe.
Piece together the scraps of our lost dreams and aspirations:
That, transformed by the magic of your skill,
You bring into being the New Creation;
Maker of All That Is,
Thread that draws us through the needle's eye,
Fabric of Our Hope and Joy
Amen
Mary Kathleen Speegle Schmitt, Seasons of the Feminine Divine

Memorial for Mike

I lead a ceremony tonight for a friend's husband who died suddenly on Friday. I have a book of Unitarian memorials, and gave her the book to see if something was suitable. Since they did not attend a church regularly, they were having trouble gettting someone to come out and officiate. I told Bets that I would read the service, and it turned out to be a very fitting tribute. We had several candles, one for Mike, one for community, one for love, one for thanksgiving and one for memory. Individuals lit floating candles in a large clear glass bowl after sharing their memories of Mike, and everyone thougth that it was exactly what the occasion called for.

He was only 69, but in generally poor health, and Bets will be lost without him.