Find creativity when & where you can

Monday night I couldn't sleep so I got out of bed and went to my office/studio to mess around. I tested the new watercolor crayons I bought a week ago. I colored and painted two ATC sized cards, then let them dry.

Once dry, I took my fine point pen and filled one with patterns. On the other I created a fantasy map of a made up area of this beautiful earth.





Yesterday I found out there is a new version of MS OneNote. I loved the original but it didn't do everything I wanted it to do. Mainly, the ability to create a webpage from a Note page.

This is a great way to create online lessons for my website but unless I can turn it into a webpage, it wasn't of much use to me. This version seems to be able to do just that but we'll see. I'm still testing and since MS gives you a 60 day trial, I'm not going to spend my money until those 60 days are up.

My Favorite Band - INXS plus other stuff

INXS is my favorite band. I really got into JD and INXS during RockStar:INXS. What a fun show that was. I found lots of new music to enjoy. Since then I've seen INXS twice in concert and I have a ticket to see them again in March. My husband is annoyed by my desire to see them in concert again. He went with me to the first two concerts and had a great time. But now he refuses to go again. That's OK, I'll go alone and I know I'll enjoy it.

I had some good news this morning. I started a diet last week and worked really hard on it all week long. 40 minute to 1 hour work outs and strict food intake...ie: a low carb diet. It paid off, I lost 7 lbs and food cravings. Yeah. I don't think I can do 20 more lbs before March 11 (INXS concert date) but I'm going to try the best I can. My actual goal is 20 lbs by May 1st. That's my baby girl's wedding day. Wedding day?...that's better left for another day.

I'll post more tomorrow as this was really supposed to be just a test post to see how Picassa added images to the blog. Very easy. Cool.

The birthday gift to my shoe loving daughter

When my girl was three years old, she took off all her clothes and just put on her daddies big old shoes. I think that must have been the beginning of her love affair with shoes. The girl loves not just any shoes but designer shoes. She turns up her nose at what she calls "cheap" shoes or what I like to call "affordable" shoes. For her 19th birthday I thought I'd make this little altered tin to honor her love of shoes and to hold a gift card for her favorite store.

The outside of the tin:

The tin was first sanded to rough up the surface so the tin would hold the copper paint. The first layer of paint I used was a combination of DecoArt's Bright Bronze Metal Paint and it's Coal Black Metal Paint. The second layer was simply a coat of the Bright Bronze. The image and the words were added using Modpodge on both the tin and the back and from of the image. This protects them from getting dirty when handled. The heart lock and key were added using gel medium.



The inside of the tin:

Before adding any elements, I drilled two tiny holes at the top center of the lid lip. These holes would later have wire run through them to hold bottom half of the torso, allowing it to swing freely. Both sides of the tin were covered in scrapbook paper using Mod Podge to secure it.

The tiny shoes and purse are made from shrink plastic and the aluminum $5 bill image came from some, now long gone, chocolate candy I got at World Market. They were glued in with Gel medium, because it's stronger than the Modge Podge. The quote "Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world." was added to the right side of the tin.

The torso image was found at a shoe website, printed, and cut out and backed with two layers of cardstock to stiffen it. I punched a tiny hole at the top of the image to run the wire through it. The wire was added first through the two holes at the top of the tin, then through the torso from the front to back. Then I twisted the two wires in the back so they couldn't be seen from the front. The torso was then twisted around twice to form a little "rope", for lack of a better word.

It was a last minute gift idea but it was fun to create.

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.

INXS in Berkeley 6/10/06

Loved the venue, loved Scott Stapp and just F'n loved INXS. I saw them in Jan and it was hard to believe that JD and INXS could be better than they were then but hell ya they were just awesome.
We had great seats with an unobstructed view in the middle of section D row 5. It wasn't real close to the stage but it was totally clear view of the entire band. JD looked beautiful, georgeous, wonderful (there aren't enough words to describe him...I just adore him.) I thought JD's performance was great before but he's just grown and matured so much as a performer. He sounded wonderful especially on Amazing Grace. I loved JD kissing Kirk and his loving up on Gary and Tim. ( I think he kissed Tim on the cheek as well) It does my heart good that a he can be so free with the man love and still be straight.
Tim, Kirk, Jon and Andrew looked good. Gary was freaking HOT HOT HOT. I noticed Gary changed shirts three times as well.
My favorite song ever, Pretty Vegas, was made extra special with the audience singing along. But my favoite performance of the night had to be Never Let You Go. There is something to be said about a band who can improve an already great a CD recording by 100% and make it extraordinary....and really that goes for all the songs but especially NLYG.
My night was made when JD acknowledged my 448 sign by pointing and making his own 448 hand signals back to me. I believe it was durng Never Let you go. Hummm, may be that why I loved the performance so much. Nah, It was just damn good performance.
Special thanks to my My Guy who had doubts that he could enjoy the show a second time but went anyway just to please me. Well. he just got into in and enjoyed the whole show and was up dancing all night right along with me. After the concert all he could say was how much fun he had. Hell he even liked Scott's Stapp's performance and he wasn't looking forward to seeing him because he'd heard so many bad reports about Scott.
My only regret...I didn't plan my day well enough to get back in time to go see them in Sacramento. I'm going to kick myself over that for sometime. I'm already missing them.

So much to do, so little time

Wow it's been a little while since I've written. So much is going on that I hardly remember to write. I'm taking an online programming class in C++, I've gotten involved in 4 ATC art swaps, I just finished adding some art to a deco, My Guy and I are looking for land to build a new home and trying to prepare the current house to put up for sale in the spring.
Building a new home is so exciting. Last weekend we found some property not far from here. 7 acres of land not all of which we can afford. We will probably partner up with a friend of My Guys and split the land between the two of us. But that's where the probelms come in. The land only has a water hook up for 1 home and we need another. Water hookups are not easy to come by and when you can get it, they are very expensive.
shoot, I have to stop now....my guy is waiting for me to watch a movie. More later.

Yesterday was The Girl's Birthday

Wow she's 18 and I can hardly believe it. Seems like just yesterday I was wondering how I was going to make it through the day as a new mother with no experience. By beautiful daughter has matured so much and she is a wonderful, caring young woman. When she was 15, it was hard to imagine that only 3 years later she would have a great job that she loves and would be so good at it that she has already gotten a promotion. At 15 I was really worried about her lack of enthusiasm for all things school and her desire to continually party hardy.
I baked The Girl a birthday cake and got her a very large piggy balloon because she loves piggies. She also got a slew of other presents. Some were fun things that she wanted and others were of the heartfelt "You're an adult now" type. Her dad, My Guy, wrote her a two page letter full of love and fatherly advice. I wanted to read it but it was personal between the two of them. She is as close to her Da as she is to Mommo (that's me).
Later we went to dinner at Outback with her boyfriend of two years. Had tons of food (there goes my diet.) and then came home and ate cake. Oh gawd I was so full, still am.

INXS in Oakland CA

It was great! The INXS portion was probably one of the best rock concerts I've ever seen. It's an experience I will never forget.
There was a line in front of the theater before the show and I was happy to have gotten there early. The age of the audience skewed a little older than most rock shows most being early 30's to mid 40's but there were still quite a few young people as well as some in their 60's. We got into the theater and I headed for the merchandising table to get me a T-Shirt. While I was in line we started talking about the INXS underwear they were selling. My husband asked if I was going to get some. :-) I said no because they didn't have JD's face on them. The girls around me laughed and one said to someone else, "See I'm not the only one." My husband is such a good sport. I got a black T-shirt with their album art on the front and the tour cities on the back.
Marty and his group came out and I liked 2-3 of his songs but over all I wasn't too impressed by them or their show. You can tell they still don't have much money for equipment or lights. Their sound system needed work as it was too loud and you really couldn't hear Marty sing clearly. Between songs I couldn't understand what he was saying either. Quite a bit of audience on the bottom floor was in the lobby during their performance but there were quite a few that stood the entire time as well. The songs I liked were Trees and they did a cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" that was pretty good. I also liked the last song but I don't know the name of it. Sadly at the end of their show my husband turned to me and said "Did you like those guys?" He didn't but my daughter did. She's gonna get the album. Not sure what her boyfriend thought about Marty.
I got a couple of pictures of Marty but I don't know if they will turn out. Soon after they started carting people away for taking pictures so my daughter wouldn't let me chance it during INXS. All people had to do was turn on their cell phone and the attendants pounced on you. They said it was the INXS choice and I imagine it's to avoid the flash in their eyes. I'm OK with that...I have my memories.
During intermission I met Rockbanders Watt and Terribelle. Hi guys!!
About 5 minutes before the INXS started they projected a clock image on the screen and the crowd went wild and again at 4:48 for JD's lucky number. At 10 seconds before the crowd started counting down and we were all standing and cheering. The mood was quite infectious. The group is simply awesome...I don't know how else to describe it. Great light show, great staging and stunning performance. They started with Suicide Blond, then (not in order) New Sensation, Afterglow, What You Need, Never Let You Go, Kick, Never Tear Us Apart, Need You Tonight, Hungry, Pretty Vegas, Taste It. I know I'm missing some from the first set. The crowd went wild over Pretty Vegas and anyone that had sat down during a slow song, jumped up again for Pretty Vegas. It was insane. Then they left the stage and the crowd was yelling and chanting for them to come back. For the encore they played was The Stairs, Never Tear Us Apart, and ended with Don't Change.
JD looked great (handsome, riveting, sexy as all get out, HOT HOT HOT...what can I say I love that boy) , he sang great and looked like he was having the time of his life as did the others. I couldn't see Tim very well and Jon not at all until he came out from behind the drums (bummer, he is so cute) and Andrew had his back to us most of the evening because of how the keyboards were positioned and where we were sitting. Gary is a babe and so was Kirk. Both Kirk and Gary looked like they were having a blast. TV doesn't do Kirk justice, in person he is very, very cute. When he smiles his face lights up and he was smiling all night.
Before I left home to go to the show I printed the numbers 448 as large as I could on a sheet of paper and during one song I held it up so JD could see it. (I'm such a fan girl.) My daughter laughed at me. When JD came to our side of the stage he saw it and pointed to it and when my daughter realized he pointed to us, she went crazy ... She started yelling "He saw it, he saw it." I wish I remember what song it was... LOL!
I'd like to say I could see all of JD during Taste it but my view of his mike fuck was blocked for most of it. Shyt! What I did see was Sizzling HOT. OMG His hip grind was steamy! My daughter got embarrassed but she loved it as well.
I've never danced, cheered and screamed so much in my life. I wasn't expecting my husband to gush much but he rocked out and yelled through it all too and he said he was thoroughly impressed. He also said later that someone had squeezed his butt during the show. He thought it was me but then realized I was too far away and it had to be someone in the row behind him. That was so funny.
That's all I can remember but we all had such a wonderful experience. OMG I didn't expect it to be so long.

Stressed Out

It's been a while since I've written. It's been a stressful couple of weeks. The parents are getting up in their years and the live in a different state and they have been ill. One still lives at home and the other in a nursing home. Dad who is still at home complains that he's lonely but I can't bring one without the other and I don't have room for both, nor can I care for both. Mom's too heavy and requires too much care for me to be able to handle her and she would be offended if I brought Dad here without her. Not to mention that 1> he smokes and I can't stand smoking, and 2> he and I don't get along all that well and never have. So I feel stuck and guilty.
I know you are supposed to care for your family and I do love them but they have never taken care of themselves even when I begged them to do so. So now I feel like why should I pay for their lifetime of self abuse and drinking. Neither one would be in the position they are in had they ever cared about their heath. Mom with the diabetis eats sweets and snacks even when her doctor scolds her about it. And dad enables her by bringing it to her. Oh I know he thinks he's being nice to her but he's not but you can't tell them otherwise. It's not like they don't know, they just don't care. So why should I?
Dad has to go in for a biopsy to check for prostate cancer on Thursday. So we'll see what's up there. We talked earlier today about his insurance benefits and apparently he's got cancer insurance so I feel better about that as the financial situation had been weighing heavily on my mind. My Guy and I are just getting to the point where we can save for our retirement and we can't dip into that savings for anything not to mention that The Girl still needs college money. yikes...see why I'm stressed?
OK the good news and my sanity is the INXS concert is only 8 days away. I can hardly wait.
Current Mood:
stressed
Current Music:
John Mayer Trio "Who did you think I was?"

Happy New Year

WOW it's 2006! The first day of the new year and yet I don't have any new year resolutions. I'm not sure I can top the life altering changes that I made in 2005. But again then at the beginning of last year I didn't have any resolutions in mind either. It was just going to be another year just like the year before but yet by the end of 2005 my life is 100% better off than when the year started.
To recap the 2005 changes, short but sweet, I lost 60lbs, I worked out an average of 4 days a week for 45 minutes to 1 hour each time, recaptured the magic in my marriage, became a happier person to be around. Loosed the grip I had on my teenaged daughter and my relationship with her improved tremendously and have managed to become nicer/friendlier to my dad now that he's living alone. Hell I even took a college class in cinema last semester and I am signed up for an online class in programing C++.
The weight loss started when I caught an episode of last years Discovery Channel's National Weight Loss challenge. They showed one person per week who managed to lose 50+ lbs in the past year. It helped me see that dieting wasn't going to be quick but with preseverance it could be done relatively pain free. That is if you consider working out painless. Working out while not fun has given me a way to work off stress and anger that had built up in me. (Mostly anger at myself for getting so heavy.)
About halfway through my weight loss, I found something else that put a lot of fun back into my life and I suppose that it changed it for the better as well. That was a TV show called RockStar:INXS. Is it hard to believe that a TV show, much less a reality show, could change your life? Before watching I would have scoffed at the idea, but I absolutely fell in love with the show and with the previously unknown JD Fortune. I was so into the band:INXS' search for a new frontman and the music they played that I got involved in the voting process, the MSN message board, downloading and listing to the music. Not only the covered versions of the songs played on the show but the original versions of those songs. I was not only listening to music I was dancing along, singing all day along, and I go to sleep and wake up with music on my mind. It was and still is fantastic. I have to say that at the end of the show I was thrilled that INXS chose my favorite and to my mind, the only real choice. JD's chaotic creativeness is so roit for the band. I get a thrilling and deeply satisfying feeling when I see them play together because they are as obviously in love with Jason as he is with them. That band/brotherly love is joyful and fun. The end result is that My Guy and I now have tickets to see the band in concert in just three weeks. We've also been to a Chris Isacc concert too.... big feat for a couple who hadn't been to a concert in 20 years. Even my guy has attributed my of my good cheer to RS:INXS.
Lot's of great changes this year, if 2006 is half as good as 2005 it will be considered a success.
Happy New Year!!