painting again

What a relief to be painting again!
I tricked myself into overcoming my inertia by joining the Mixed Media Monday challenge. Once I decided to join the challenge, I put "paint something for the challenge" on my new TODO app on my iphone with a due date of today. I love my TODO app! Somehow actually writing things down makes a big difference in my accountability level for getting them done. One of the many amazing things I learned from Kelly Rae's Flying Lessons ecourse!

So the theme for MMM this week is "something borrowed". And my mortgage paperwork was completed on the new house this week. I'm "borrowing" money from the bank to buy the house, so I decided to paint something about the house. This piece is 9.5" by 13", painted on a found canvas, the inside of an old book cover that was on it's way to the garbage.

The other half of the doodle...

Here's the other half of that doodle:

The theme of this journal is Big Girl's Coloring Book and we were encouraged to play with our favorite color. Here's my full spread:

I like this a lot but sorta wish I'd kept the colors in the green/blue range. Next time.

Still stuck in creative inertia for the most part. My momentum is getting used up on house stuff (closing by July 8!) and on just enjoying the glorious loveliness of summer.

This I know

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more you have in life to celebrate.
--Oprah

Ash and I at Arbor Crest last Friday.

Tomorrow I'll be 40. I can't wait.

I've learned by now that there's A LOT that I don't know, but I have figured out a couple of things. I've been through some fire and I know my own strength (and my weakness). I know that life goes on and is filled with incredible sweetness. I know who I am and what I want and I'm getting better at saying no to what I don't want. I know that being kind, being thankful and being forgiving, to myself as well as to others, will take me to places and moments that are really worth seeing. And I know the true peace that comes from letting go of anxiety, jealousy, resentment, grudges and all that other negative junk. And knowing these things gives me so much confidence and optimism going forward.

I'm so blessed. I'm ready to celebrate.

inertia and momentum

half a doodle I'm working on for a circle journal page

Trying to find some balance between inertia and momentum this week. There's a lot to do and once I'm in the swing of doing, momentum carries me along. But when I stop, it's full stop and inertia makes it hard to get going again, both creatively and in other aspects of my life. I'm conscious of the need to pace myself, to enjoy the journey, to keep myself rested and refreshed along the way. I just wish the transition between action and stoppage was easier.

Here's a little something...

Here's a little something I've been working on. It's been a crazy week and things are pretty messy around here. I'm really looking forward to the (hopefully!) slower pace of the weekend and having some time to do some making.

Eureka!

Meaning "I have found it!" I've found my home, ready and waiting to be turned into the funky little cottage I've been dreaming of. It's got everything I wanted, all the quirky little things like a studio space with painted concrete floor so I can be as messy as I want and a private backyard so I can drink margaritas in my pjs.

I thought about this for a long time, wavering really. Did I really want to take on the maintenance of a house and yard? Would I qualify for a mortgage in today's tighter market? Could I afford something that I would be happy with?

Then, one day a few months ago, it suddenly all felt right. It was time. I applied for pre-approval of a mortgage the same day.

I've been looking at houses for a couple of weeks, but nothing was quite right. This house popped up on the market Thursday and my excellent realtor Celia took me to see it Friday at lunch. We made an offer that night and it was accepted yesterday. I still have to get through inspection and all the other closing details, but I am feeling remarkably calm about the whole thing. Everything has just fallen into place so far.

There's a little bit of work to be done. The fresh peach paint is ok, but not what I want and the whole point of having a house is to have it the way I want it, right?

Farm Chicks!

I went to the Farm Chicks show with my friend Korri on Sunday. Ohmigosh, it was beyond yummy! 3 big halls at the fairgrounds filled to the brim with wonderful vintagey, crafty, arty beautiful stuff! And that was on Sunday after it had been picked over by 4300 people on Saturday.

Honestly, Farm Chicks can be a teensy bit overwhelming if you try to look at the big picture. You have to just dive in and enjoy the gorgeous little details that call to you. I LOVE the blackboard in the ornate picture frame!

And that green picnic basket!

The thing that really sets Farm Chicks apart is the amazing creativity of the vendors. Each booth is a delicious little world, inviting you in to view its delights.

Korri and I found a few treasures and a TON of inspiration. We are wanting to start our own little creative business. The vendors we talked with were so encouraging, we are really feeling the possibilities.

Excellent Seattle Weekend!

When I was a little kid, my dad used to take me to Mariners baseball games at the Kingdome. That's the story I told my dad as we walked in to Safeco Field Friday night, our first Mariner's game together in a long time. The Mariners lost, but we had fun anyway, remembering those old games and talking about how we don 't know very many of the current players.

Saturday we went to a sports memorabilia show, another thing we used to do back in the day. There were lots of cool things to see and yummy grilled burgers to eat for lunch. Dad found quite a few things to add to his collection and I found a couple of things as well. Yep, I collect sports memorabilia. Artist and sports freak: a rare combination.

In the afternoon I wandered up to Bothell for the Eastside Miniatures Show. My Artfest buddy Lisa was there lecturing and selling copies of Mixed Media Dollhouses. Lisa is a major contributor to the book, written by my Artfest buddy Tally

and Julie Molina.

After the shows, we headed to Golden Oldies, an awesome record (yes, vinyl!) shop. The neighborhood featured some cool graffiti. Love the doodly patterns on this one.

Here's Dad engaged in one of his favorite pastimes: searching for cool records. He found some good stuff and I did too.

An excellent trip. The next day we hurried home so I could round out the weekend with a trip to the Farm Chicks show. Pics from that up next!