Some stuff I've been making lately.....

I'm on a long layover on my way to St. Louis.....thought I'd post a few photos of things I have been creating lately....because I love to make stuff, you know.

I was reminded of some things that my heart already knew when I took LK Ludwig's class a few weeks ago. She so generously let us thumb through her personal journals, while encouraging and teaching us to make our own....each journal page a work of art....with photos that she took that evoked and moved something inside of her....some included words, some did not. I told her that I had been having a hard time writing this year.....and she gently reminded me that images are as powerful as words........I have started taking photos again and I really do love it. I am so grateful for her inspiration in using my photos and my words together to tell my story...my stories......my longings.....my memories......she is a phenomenal teacher and I would encourage you to enroll in her online classes......as soon as things settle down for me...I am going to settle into them...I just know that they will enrich my life tremendously....

Anyway.....here are things I have been making.........feels good to be making again....

This is the Santos sculpture that I made in Stephanie Lee's class at ArtFest. I got home and realized I had only taken ONE photo of it. Stephanie had to ship it to me because it is so large...so when I get it home, I will surely take more photos....and tell you all about it. You can see that it is a crowned bird protectively holding a house.............

I also took a palette knife painting class from Stephanie and LOVED IT. I wish the class would have been several days long......as I need much more practice and would love to have tried more of the techniques we learned...but I did finish 5 small paintings......this one I did for my husband..and gave it to him for his birthday...signifying the rest of our years we have to grow old together.....no matter where we are....

I have also been playing around with little books......one of my favorites...making each page a little work of art....and working on the covers too. I designed this little denim book a few years back in one of my Chatterbox lines, and I have always wanted to try embroidering on it.....this book will be one of my "WHAT IF" journals.....where I ask myself several questions starting with WHAT IF? I will show it to you when it's further along in the process....but here's the beginning of the cover...

 

I did some projects as a guest artist for Polkadot Whimsey this week and decided to artsy-up one of my visual journals that I have been working in for a few years.......but have done nothing with the cover....I MOD PODGED some cutout images from some of my papers and some wonderful papers from the Polkadot Whimsey kit and I love the results...I also pounded in the words with my ChipArt tools....

I also did a few scrapbook pages for them....about my daughters...and wanted to show you the name plates that I made out of the CHipArt chipboard, tooled with the tools and painted...

These tools are so fun! I am headed to Archiver's in St. Louis to demo them all weekend...looking forward to some creative play....a town I have never been to!

I ALSO have been trying lots of new recipes...and have learned that I really enjoy cooking fresh foods....I have never enjoyed baking...but I do love working with all of the colors and textures of fruits and vegetables......I love foreign foods and I was recently introduced to a delicious Vietnamese soup called Pho...I have been totally craving it so I looked up a recipe and took a shot at it........it actually turned out really great...with help from my daughters...

 

I also have made some pretty darn cute kids...who also love to MAKE STUFF

 

Most of all...just MAKING THE MOST out of life....loving where we are today, in this very day...in this moment...making it beautiful and trying to just breathe it in instead of wishing it were something different and somewhere different and somehow different...and THIS has made all the difference in the world.

I love that I have a husband who supports all of my interests...and what I want to do and be.......and that we have common goals together, and enjoy our time together, but also enjoy many things separately too. He has been spending lots of time with the kids, letting me have fun little adventures.......and then....he has his adventures too.....one of the biggest secrets for a happy marriage....adventure together and adventure apart...then always coming back home to share the fruits of our adventures.....

I caught this shot of him packing the boys to go off on a winter campout......where he taught them some winter survival skills and other manly stuff........while I stayed home and made stuff. :)

Life is good.

I am thankful for some alone time in my hotel room....where I will finally be able to sit deeply with my memories from Brave Girl Camp in February....and finally blog about what an extraordinary time it was.....

ENJOY this Spring weekend! Hope you can squeeze in some essential, beautiful creative time!

xoxo

melody