Finally back at it

How were your holidays? I hope they were as good as mine were. Lots of family and LOTS of eating. I think I gained 8 lbs between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I felt so bad that I had to start dieting right after Christmas. I was so adamant that I had to do something, I didn’t even wait for the new year to do it. South Beach diet works for me so that’s what I’m doing.  I’m in the middle of the second week and I’ve already lost the holiday lbs.  Yay!!  Exercise…Booo but it has to be done….grudgingly, of course.

I’m also back at art journaling. But to get motivated I had to take the Strathmore Artist Papers journal workshop and while I’m not following directions exactly I am getting inspired.  The first workshop is about recycling your work from previous art pages.

I’m not sure it’s still open for signups but the ning workshop can be found at: 

http://www.strathmoreartist.com/vj-online-workshop-create-an-account.html

This is my first from the class:

 

Now just to get down to butterfly weight. Yeah, that’s gonna be one B-I-G butterfly.

Setting Goals for the New Year

Happy New Year everyone

I hope you had as much fun experience bringing in the new year last night as we did.  My Guy and I started with a great homemade New Mexican food dinner complete with posole, tortillas and red chile. Yum.  After a few failed attempts to wish the family a happy new year (no one home), we settled in for a few rounds with a new Wii game.  It helped me realize out just how uncoordinated I am. 

After a couple of hours of Wii, we made Martinis and watched the last Batman movie on DVD.  I wasn’t the first time we’d seen it, we originally saw the movie at the theater. But it’s my favorite Batman movie and I am still in awe of what a magnificent actor Heath Ledger was.  He was AWESOME in that movie. 

We tried watching New Years Rocking Eve at midnight and, I must say, I really love Dick Clark. I grew up watching him and his American Bandstand. He is an inspiration. However, there comes a time for everyone when you should retire and let someone else take the reins. Dick, I think it’s that time.

So I’ve been thinking about goals for the new year. Our family will be having some trials this year making life and art challenging. My goals for this year will have to take those trials into consideration.

Art Goals

1. Create more using the supplies on hand rather than buying new.
2. Create more art with recycled materials.
3. Practice drawing more often. I have a few sources I am going to use.  One is the book and workbook for Drawing on the Right side of the brain. The other source for drawing help is at Drawspace.com
4. Collaborate more often
5. Submit our mother and daughter journal for publication.
6. Start writing morning pages again.

Work Goals

1. Finish VQL
2. Update Website monthly
3. Restart Block of the month.
4. Finish and move into new office

Personal Goals

1. Be thrifty
2. Eat out less
3. Volunteer at Domestic Abuse help center
4. Watch less TV
5. Eat healthy and exercise more.
6. Win the HGTV Dream Home

OK I think I better stop before I feel overwhelmed. 

Zentangles and Goals for 2008

Here are the Zentangle ATCs I wrote about yesterday. These have been fun and creating them has a meditative quality to it.



I have 2 others in progress. I'll post them when they are done.

Here is the link to a website that is about creating a Zentangle. They are selling supplies for creating Zentangles but I don't see a need. Paper and a good black ink pen is all you need. I used the smooth side of watercolor paper and a Faber-Castell Pitt Artist pen to create mine. But do look at the gallery. They have some fantastic examples.


As for my goals for 2008, they are very simple:

1. Eat healthy foods.
2. Exercise more often.
3. Create something artistic daily whether it be art or work related.
4. Write in my blog or my journal daily. (I don't promise to do both daily because I know I won't).
5. Create To-Do lists daily so I don't forget to do the mundane tasks that I'd rather forget but have to be done.

That's it. Still sick with a cold but not feeling too bad at the moment, thanks to some Alka-Seltzer Cold medicine.

TTFN

New Years Resolutions

What will be my New Year's resolutions this year? I normally don't do New Years resolutions but I do want to do a few things regularly this year.
One is that I need to get my healthy eating and exercising back on track. Ever since we moved my healthy habits went by the way side. But we now have our gym set up and there is no excuse not to eat right and exercise 4-5 days a week. So starting Jan 1, I will work out regularly and eat right.
Two, I want to work on one art project a day. It can be a small ATC sized card, a mosaic project, stained glass, painting, sewing, whatever...just do something creative.
Three, is related to #2. Record or write daily and take a picture about the project worked on. Then weekly, post projects to website.
Four, work related, begin to work on updating accounting records. One hour daily bring me up to date rather quickly.
Five, once a week, update Compuquilt.com website. Create a new Vintage ladies Block of the month series. Create artistic sewing lessons using printer fabric sheets as a way to stimulate printer fabric sales.
Six, QP related, once a month create 4-5 fabric collections.
Seven, QP related, biweekly, create a new lesson.
I think that's pretty ambitious for 2007 so I'd better stop now.