more of the Sabrina Ward Harrison workshop

with cameras in hand we set out on a walk around the neighborhood to take photos of what we found interesting . . . my first photo was of this trash can with the word "TRUTH" written on it

The arrow on this road sign pointed towards the curb . . . wonder what it means . . . I liked the "T" in the middle of these rocks

we laid down on the sidewalk to enjoy the view of looking up through the leaves of the blooming Jacaranda trees - it was a walk appreciating our world to see things that we miss in our busy everyday lives

here is Sabrina kicking up her heels at the end of second day together . . . we felt her exuberance for life, she shared herself openly and freely, her love for Ireland & John O'Donahue, her gift of self discovery, her insight to help each of us become our true authentic self - I felt very lucky to spend time with this incredibly talented group of women

A little taste of the first day of the Sabrina Ward Harrison Workshop

the entrance to Carol Park's studio . . . .

we were encouraged to use our hands for some collaborative painting

Heidi's hands

Emily's hands

"Spilling Open" . . . .

more journal pages . . .

Thank you Lisa, Edina and Beth for the nice comments and for visiting - it is nice to know someone is still reading out there!

It has been fun to have my journal home (from 1000 artist journal pages) - most of the pages have a base of artwork so I can play a little bit on different pages and read what I wrote before! Off to Burbank VERY early tomorrow morning - I am planning on taking lots of photos to share the weekend with you.

I'm back . . . . .

If anyone is still reading this blog you must have bloglines otherwise most people would surely have lost interest by now with the lack of fresh posts. On that note if you aren't using bloglines you should try their free subscription service . . . . I was resistant at first but it is a great time saver. The feeds let you keep up with lots of your favorite blogs without visiting if there isn't a new post.

this journal page has paper I made in a class with Anne Bagby at ArtFest 2007

another page using some more of the same paper

This weekend I am headed to Carol Park's Studio in Burbank, CA for Sabrina Ward Harrison's workshop . . . it should be very inspiring! I am just wrapping up everything from Spring Quilt Market for my pattern business, Liberty Star, the workshop will be a welcome repose from the flurry of activity over the last few weeks.

A little bit of play in my journal that just came back home . . . this is my journal that has been away on an adventure of sorts getting photographed for 1000 Artist Journal Pages by Dawn Sokol. I got to peek at Dawn's copy of her book yesterday and it is BEAUTIFUL! Congratulations to Dawn on such a fantastic job - every page is absolutely beautiful . . . lots and lots and lots of inspiration - it is an eye candy extravaganza! I can't wait to get my copies! I am lucky to have my journal on the front cover and you can see a little bit of this page here before I worked on it last night.

Flower Mail Swap

This is mine . . . the mica covered shadow box is
inspired by Nina Bagley's "Gatherings" class at ArtFest

Linda Dee's wonderful layered artwork
with her always clever use of words!

Lucy Lee's beautiful inspiring artwork
she always incorporates the theme in a cool, creative way!

Our mail swap theme i.e prompt is usually a single word (this month it was "flower") with a two month due date and no other rules . . . it's a great way to try new ideas, supplies or techniques and get some really great artwork in the mail! I highly recommend it!

. . . more ArtFest

I made this necklace (on the center hook) in the "Stone Soup" workshop with Nina Bagley at NinaFest i.e. ArtFest. I started calling my retreat NinaFest because I enjoyed all three days of classes with Nina. She is one of the most creative people I have ever met - I love her style and she is very generous with her knowledge. Thank you Mz. Nina! That is a tatting shuttle above the locket with two buttons. We drilled stones and glass in class which was a really cool thing to learn to do.

My friend Lisa gave me this wonderful double Yo Yo -