I Have Been Busy, Just Not Posting

Hello. I decided to take time off from both blogs so I could live more in the real world. However, prompted by a mixed media challenge, I decided to return and dust off this blog a bit.

So on to the important stuff. I came across The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge. It's a brand new challenge that I discovered while on vacation. I got home last night and decided I wanted to participate in the first challenge, which gave me this morning to get the page completed and put together. No worries. I made a simple page using sprays - the theme for June. (Apologies in advance for the poor-quality photos. Time is not on my side this morning, so these will have to do.)

Here is the finished page:

I started with these Dylusions sprays:

 Then added some visual texture with some stencils, some bubble wrap and these sprays:

To create this background:

I didn't have a lot of time, so I dug out some pre-cut die cuts lying around I had planned on using for cards. These are die cuts of Twinkling H2Os on watercolor paper and then cut using Papertrey Ink butterfly dies and happy die. I inked the edges using a black distress ink pad.

The final step was adding the quote from Thich Nhat Hahn: The amount of happiness that you have depends on the amount of freedom you have in your heart.

Thus, this page was born:

Happiness

I love playing in my art journal, especially my new Dylusions art journal.    This page was made using Dylusion sprays, a reverse stencil I fashioned by cutting the image out of a JCPenney flyer, a gel pen, and a charcoal pencil. Pretty simple. 

The journaling reads, "Your happiness is a gift because it literally brings out the best in you. --Robert Holden."

 

Dusty shelves

Well, it certainly has been a long time since I've been around these parts. I have been busy playing in my creative space, but blogging about it has not been a priority. I decided to dust off these shelves for a change a post. I am venturing into the world of phone blogging, which is more challenging than I anticipated, but I trust I will get used to it. 

Since I am preparing to leave my current job and start a new one, I have had a lot of thank you cards to create and write. It's been fun, and I will post the rest later. Today I wanted to share the one I did using the CAS challenge that can be found here: http://casethissketch.blogspot.com/?m=1. My apologies for the awkward linking: this app won't let me highlight. Huh.

Here is my, quite literal, take on the CAS challenge:

 

Happy spring, everyone.
 


 
 

Dharma Love

Just a couple of pages I made this month.

Emerging into the Creative World Again

Well, now that I am officially a graduate of a master's program, I can justify spending time doing what I love - creative play. I have been doing lots of little things, but most recently I have been art journaling every day, usually a page a day.

I have some other pages to share, but this one is related to a daily prompts by Daisy Yellow, so it made sense to start with this page. Today's prompt was to create a map of an imaginary place. This page kind of took a different turn, but I started with the idea of a map.

Anyway, less talk, more pictures:

The pasted journaling reads: A Bell With a Crack In It: It may not ring as clearly, but it can ring as sweetly.

Wishing you all a day of play, whatever form play takes for you.

WitL 2012 - Final Day

Rounding out this week has me thinking - thinking about how much joy there is in my life. Many things bring me joy: my family, my practice, my job, the sangha, sunny days, spring blossoms, quiet mornings, the first drink of coffee in the morning, affection, a good book, our lovely circle of friends, my non-family friends, and the list goes on.

This week was not typical in a number of ways:

• Although I have been working on my master's for a while, the doubling up on classes and the internship hours and the culminating paper were not typical.
• I usually see my parents at least once in a week, and that didn't happen because of the double up on classes and the internship hours and the culminating paper.
• I didn't go to Dharma Zephyr Monday night. This kind of threw my whole week of, since I find that group a grounding force.

Even though this was not a typical week, I am still glad I participated in the week-in-the-life project spear-headed by Ali Edwards. One day I will look back on the photos and remember when . . . . This is what I want from my scrapbooking hobby - to celebrate who we are in all our messy, loving, disorganized, silly, grumpy selves.

But enough with the words. Time for some pictures:

See the stick Sawyer has? Roz taped two pencils together to make a wand.

The kids were collecting worms.

Jason eats a salad for lunch every day at work. On Sundays, he gets Monday's and Tuesday's salads ready.

I worked on my discussion questions for GCU.

They were very excited to show me their worm house for their new pets.

Doing dishes is part of my weekend morning routine.

It seems they are always playing or fighting.

I just ignored the mess.

We were invited to a friends for a BBQ. Since I didn't want to go to the store, I made food to share from what we had - blue berry muffins and a plate of veggies and dip.

The robins have arrived.

A view from our friends' house. Beautiful, isn't it?

"I am going now, Mom."

"I crashed, Mom."

Roz rode the bike around their driveway.

Little I's shoes. So cute!

All the kids. :)

All the moms and the resident auntie.

Roz is a natural climber.

After we got home, Jason showed Sawyer our house on Google Maps.

WitL 2012 - Saturday

 Saturdays are great, aren't they? Today I was reflecting on my childhood Saturdays. I was always up before the rest of the family and would turn on cartoons. Saturday morning cartoons. The tradition is pretty similar for Sawyer, our early bird.

I spent the morning doing laundry and writing a paper. Jason and the kids did yard work, and then the kids played. Later, I took the kids to a BBQ of a neighbors. Before prom, some of the chaperones went out to dinner at Garibaldi's. (It was sad to be there and not see Julie.)

Saturday morning cartoons.

Goofing off in PJs all morning.

Breakfast for the kiddos.

Playing with water - still in PJs.

On and off the scooter.

The dog pulled this flower right out of the planter and dragged it inside. Get out the vacuum.

Helping Daddy.

Indiana Jason.

Writing, writing, writing.

I was highlighting the instructions as I covered each element.

She got wet from playing with the hose, so she decided to wear her winter coat for protection.

Pretty girl.

Simply playing.

Dancing to Just Dance 3.

On our way to the BBQ.

Rock star Roz.

The three kids at the BBQ enjoying lunch and avoiding bees.

BBQ attendees.

Chaperones sans vino with dinner.

I worked the entry table all night, so I didn't get many photos of kids. This was at the end of the night. The last of the attendees to leave, so I took advantage of the opportunity.