Latest Projects

Good morn-ing, blogg-ing friends!  I hope each of you had an enjoy-able week-end.  It was
beautiful here on the East Coast of the US, with a feeling of fall in the air, a time of year that I welcome with open arms.  I love the feeling fall brings, of "shedding the old, and bringing on the new," with the change of color brought with the leaves, and then, shedding of leaves; the arrival of cooler temperatures; the renewal of life in our gardens, as the heat of summer fades; and the thought of "something new" arriving with a new season, and to many, a new school year.  For me, fall also brings memories of Mom's passing (from breast cancer), as she passed during the early part of fall, October 2, in the mountains of NC, an area of the country that she loved ... and I do, too ... and an area where the leaves promise beautiful fall color.  She loved fall, and the morning of her passing, I "saw her" within the trees blowing in the wind, and their falling leaves .. and within the rainbow that appeared in the sky that morning. 

So it is very appropriate, to me, that Breast Cancer Awareness Month is the month of October, and it is even more appropriate that I am donating the above piece of art to the benefit being held at The Bistro, an event to be held on September 27 entitled "Toast To The Ta-Tas" where all proceeds benefit Friends For An Early Breast Cancer Test.  This donation, as well as all others, will be auctioned off, and I hope mine, and all the others, will be well received, as it is such a great cause. 

This piece has so much meaning, to me.  First, the choosing of a corset was meant to portray the inner beauty of each woman, whether touched by breast cancer, or not; we all have beauty and love within us that sometimes may not be seen on the surface; here, I have chosen to portray that beauty on the surface.  The specific zentangles of this piece have meaning to me ~~ the "Flowers" on the upper portion symbolize the love that I hope surrounds each breast cancer patient, as they go through the process of dealing with cancer.  The "Silver Foreground with Daisy Centers" symbolize the grayness that surrounds the disease, and the hope for a future that I think every patient needs.  The "Tears Surrounded by Black" symbolize the tears shed over this disease, and the solid foundation of family- and friend-love that must be present to overcome and/or make it through a cancer diagnosis.  I'll skip to the word "Hope" that, for me, symbolizes the organization Mom formed in her community after being diagnosed, an organization called "Rainbow of Hope," that was organized to support local breast cancer patients and their families.  Lastly, I have to include a word about my new local friend, Marcia Joyce, of Pails of Passion, whom donated and faux finished, VINTAGE frame that surrounds my art in this piece ~~ what a talented lady she is ... and I WISH she had a blog to link to here, but Beverlys Down The Hill is where much of her work can be viewed.  Marcia creates some beautifully refinished furniture, specializing in turning "trash into treasures," in my humble opinion.

Okay, so beginning on a serious note, I'll move onto something a bit lighter ~~ my Sketchbook Project!  Here is the completion (well almost ~~ there's still a 4" "pull out" on the right side to work into the piece, as well as a few details to incorporate herein) of my Hands Spread.  If you remember, my theme is "Make Mine A Double," and this spread is meant to express the perhaps intermittent (or constant!) desire we experience to have "double hands" to accomplish our daily tasks.  I'm truly enjoying the discovery of Zentangles, and I love how much depth and dimension they add to my pages.  I "painted" Glimmer Mist within the background on this page ~~ finding that it doesn't always have to be sprayed sporadically.  If you could only see the shimmer it provides here, but the photo doesn't allow for that ... or at least, MY photographic abilities don't allow for it.

This is the back side of the above Hand Spread.  It speaks to the desire to have more (double) time to accomplish all that we hope to.  I love the Tim Holtz "stencil" here, shadowed with Glimmer Mist in shades of blues and greens.  I'm a bit disappointed with the wording on this page ... as, for some, time is so important, and every extra second counts.  But, for me yesterday, this was my thought ... "what would I actually accomplish with 'double' time?"  Today, I see there are many hugs, conversations, and accomplishments I could accomplish ... if today were my last day.  Perhaps I will include some verbage on top of the stencil to this effect, and I need to include this thought in my daily life.

Lastly, this is what I found this morning, on the computer's keyboard, as my DH knew the computer would be one of my first "spots" I hit this morning.  I absolutely adore his hand-made cards, and inclusion of our "children" in them.  This one expresses our "children's" recent fascination with cats on our neighborhood walks ... as well as my DH's "fading" fingerprints as he has been hand-sanding his latest truck purchase, before painting it ... and his fingerprints are being worn down to a frazzle, lol.  What a sweet card, with many memories to hold onto!

So, on this day, I wish each of you good health, more time to accomplish your tasks and desires, more hands to do so, and more love than you've ever imagined possible!  May you week be filled with much peace, love, and accomplishments. xoxo