Spring Is On The Way!

My heart is happy today, as I can feel spring in the air!  It's not time to plant . . . yet, or at least not here on the East Coast of the US . . . but I'm daydreaming about it, and thus found some pics of flowers from previous years to inspire me.  I love, love, LOVE Gerber Daisies, mostly because I have good luck with them, they come back for me for several years (even though they are truly an annual here), and they provide such vivid color in the garden.  I love to mix a variety of colors, however the bright orange and pink are my favs!

These lil fellas volunteer in my garden . . . and grass . . . each year, and are usually the first things to appear, (along with the weeds!), to tell me that spring is HERE!  I haven't seen their blooms yet this year, but the seedlings are sprouting abundantly as I type.  Violas!

This St. Francis was a piece from my Mom's garden, that now resides in my own garden, a memorial to Mom and a protector my household (and Mom's ashes, that are a part of my garden, surrounded by flowers ~~ just where she wanted to rest).  I love this spot, and can't wait for it to be in full bloom again this year, as seen here from a previous early spring shot.  When I want to "share something with Mom" today, this is where I go, and I can sometimes truly "feel" her here.  In August of 2004, on the day my sister passed away, I was drawn to this spot and received a special message from Mom before I even knew that my sister had passed.  Shortly thereafter, while still standing here, I got the call to notify me of Margret's passing.  What a memorable moment.

As for my art, and life in general, I've been a tad overwhelmed recently.  I have so much I want to do, learn, and experience currently that I feel I am losing focus, and feeling like I am "all over the map."  A few of the things distracting me are (1) the current economic impact (personally, and worldwide) and the ties that it has bound, (2) my recent acquisition of Corel Draw and Photo Paint, (at a price I could not resist, no matter the state of my fundages, or lack thereof), that I am attempting to master to no avail (lol!), (3) my S-t-R-o-N-g desire to take an online Graffiti course by Alisa Burke (http://www.alisaburke.com/) that is near the top of my list of "things to afford soon!," (along with many other things!) and (4) a desire to improve upon my blog's appeal that is taking me to a depth of knowledge about blogging that I am not sure how to acquire . . . yet.  So, I have kind of put my creativity on hold, while researching blog-ability, daydreamed about graffiti and springtime, studied the manuals of Corel Photo Paint and Corel Draw (while determining that, perhaps, I should have acquired Photoshop first!), and clipping every coupon imaginable to each local craft store while watching their expiration pass and being proud of myself for not rushing out to use them, with funds I do not need to be releasing.

So, what have I accomplished since my last post?  Not much!  I have been reading an awesome book loaned to me called "Blogging for Bliss" by Tara Frey (and doing alot of blog hopping from its referenced sites), learned a bit about Corel's software (although I attempted to add frames to the photos attached to this post, only to discover that Corel doc's apparently aren't uploadable here, argh ~ HELP!), and I continue to work on a collage piece that I started a few weeks ago, inspired by this photo taken at work of a beautiful piece of statuary.

I took this photo to use in a project at Creative Escape '09, but it continues to draw me.  So I saw a piece of clip art online of a lemon, and it inspired me to do something with lemons.  Thus, I am attempting to combine the two ideas, hopefully successfully, in a piece that is still a WIP (Work In Progress), as follows:

I want to fill in the bottom a bit more, and am not sure what else she needs . . . but know that she's not complete.  However, she's been a fun distraction in this time of little focus!

Oh yes!  I forgot to mention . . . I'm also DYING to purchase a Silhouette cutting device as my first template cutting machine!  DUH!  (Something else to add to my "gotta have soon list!")  SO . . . if  you're reading this, and you own a particular machine that you absolutely love, and can recommend, PLEASE share your comments!  I've read several comparisons, watched many tutorials as well as Heidi Swapps' online "shows" about the Silhouette recently, and am currently in love with the idea of being able to digitally cut out flowers, borders, words, etc. that I've previously been HAND-cutting.  I love the idea of being able to design my own "templates" to cut, and being able to resize them . . . both things that the Sillhouette offers.  I would love to hear your comments and opinions on what is "the best" for your particular uses!

K, off to make some more cards . . . something I've made a few of lately, and a "brainless" occupation in my time of near-to-no-focus!  Happy Spring's-Coming to each of you!