Year Long Art Course

Click to find out more information about this AMAZING year long course!So excited to see so many of my fav artists and teachers in one place!!! And... as if that's not enough...
Check out this INCREDIBLE give-a-way over at
Jane DesRosier's Blog!!! 

Little Glimpses

I am a very happy camper, doubly thanks to Mystele of Little Glimpse's Studio.  I've blogged before about how much I love Mystele, and her art, and her classes, and her youtube videos, and... well, you get the picture ;) Some folks just make the world a better place by being who they are, and I think she does that beautifully. What's more is how generous Mystele is in sharing what she learns on her journey of life and art. 

*

I've been wanting to purchase a piece of Mystele's artwork for quite some time. There was a lovely little painting that really spoke to me, and I kept visiting her etsy shop. But alas... while on hiatus, my paypal account hath dwindled, so I've been careful. One day my husband surprised me and made a deposit as a little gift. I "ran" over to etsy knowing exactly what I hoped was still there. But... Oh No!!! Little Glimpse's etsy shop was empty!!! UGH! Mystele was doing a local art show the following day. She must have taken everything out of the shop for the show!!! I could NOT BELIEVE my terrible timing. I was soooo bummed.

*

Well... In the following week, Mystele posted about the great show. I was happy for her, but still "grieving" the loss of "my" little painting. As one week passed into another, we (her groupies... I mean faithful followers... hee hee) began hounding... I mean requesting ;) when her shop might be restocked. She teased us a bit with updates promising a grand re-opening, and even posted pictures of some of the goodies. "My" little painting was not among the photos, so I was pretty certain that someone had taken "my" treasure home to their house. Lucky them :(

*

I logged onto Etsy at the time and date Mystele posted the site would be re-filled. Yep... just as I suspected. There were many lovely pieces, but "mine" was absent. "Ok... I'll just browse, and choose another".

*

Then "IT" happened!!! As I was browsing... I saw the painting... "MY" painting...  pop into the window of "other items offered by seller". You've never seen a set of fingers dance on a computer keyboard so fast in your life!!! LOL!

*

And "just like that" Mystele's painting "Winter", really did become "my" little painting. I love it even more in person, and am sooooo happy to have a special piece from someone I've come to admire so much hanging in my humble little home.

*

Here's a "little glimpse" of "Winter" by Little Glimpses Studio:

 

Now, I did mention "doubly" thanks, right? Well, one of the generous things Mystele does is offer workshops through her ning community site, Little Glimpses Studio. She also offers "mini" courses from time to time. And sometimes she even offers free tutorial/workshops to her site members! Presently, we are enjoying "Free Playtime #1".  It's such a great community, and such a breath of fresh air for me to enjoy such a splash of color in my day :)

*

Thank you, Mystele! And thanks to all the community members who offer so much through their own art and their own journies shared on the site.

  "The world needs people who are not afraid to play their role"~Little Glimpses

A Free Art Course with Willowing and Friends

Tammy, of Willowing And Friends, is offering a FREE art course, beginning October 18th!!! Sign ups are open now, and I believe there's a link for the supplies list download. Tammy runs a great site, and there are so many wonderful discussions and challenges. Check it out! Click on the banner to visit the class page.




  

Summertime Fun and Little Glimpses

Good thing I switched to being an "award free" blog because I think the only award I'd qualify for anymore would be the "Really Inconsistent Blogger"... or some other sad, sad thing. I don't mean to be. There was that time way back when, when I actually blogged daily about all matter of primitives, life, and pretty little thing. But then came the long pregnancy lull, then the baby, then the grandbaby.  Not only is my life a bit upside down right now, but in the midst of all the delightful chaos, my artistic focus is changing. For a while, I fought it. I had my feet stuck in a particular artistic community, and thought I would be betraying some unseen force in the universe if I followed my heart's content. Crazy, huh? But that's a whole other post.
*
My husband  and I are continuing to work on some joint artisitc endeavors which I'm excited about. But at the moment, a lot is on the back burner while we try to enjoy every single fleeting moment of summertime with our children. It's been quite a challenge being fulltime caregivers for our grandbaby while making sure our own children enjoy every possible adventure. But we've been blessed with some super wonderful angels who are endlessly patient, and always loving of their niece and baby brother. Speaking of baby brother... Our little Jacob is such the cat's meow... the apple of our eye.... the heart of our family.... ya, you get the picture. He's just got every one of us from his dad, to his littlest big sister wrapped around his finger. He's unbelievably smart, and totally mischievous, and I can't stand to be any distance away from him where I can't smell his baby perfection. Ok, ok... enough... I know. But let me just say...
*

When I discovered (or feared) I was pregnant at the age of 43, on enbrel injections for severe arthritis, and with a foreclosure notice lingering.... I was anything but happy. I was pretty distraught in fact. I thought God, Himself, had lost His mind because surely HE knew I could not handle another baby at this point. But guess what? I could. And I could handle the very unexpected news 2 months later that our 21 year old daughter was pregnant. 2009 was one of the most challenging years of my life. And 2010 has not exactly been a walk in the park. But never before was I ever so aware of the truth in the scripture that "God knows our needs before we do". He knew my heart better than I did. He knew I would NEED this little boy, LOVE this little boy, DELIGHT in this little boy beyond any dream. I prayed for every one of my other children, and was so blessed by them. But this little "unexpected" treasure is the greatest gift of my life. I am so glad God knew my heart so well, and so glad that I trusted in Him and His will for my life. I find myself often singing the words from The Sound Of Music, "Somewhere in my youth and childhood, I must have done something good". I just cannot believe that I get to mother these kiddos, and love their daddy.

This was Bekah's 5th Birthday party. A "Tea Party" themed day fit for a princess. Her sweet friends gathered with us and we had a day full of pink, glitter, roasted marshmallows, and handheld sparklers in the dark. It was a really fun day, and the rain held off!!! Yeah!!!

This was one of her favorite gifts. Pink and Sparkley, of course!

Last week, we hiked into Purgatory Chasm with Caleb's cubscout pack. It was so much fun and the kids cannot wait to go back.

 I've been waiting to edit these pictures to make nice posts. That's one reason I've fallen behind on blogging. Then I realized this is the reason I fall behind and plum ol' miss out on a lot of things in my life. I'm waiting to make something perfect before moving ahead. I have a vision, and want to attain that rather than settle. But then by the time I get around to it, the subject is no longer relevent. (you should see the awesome unedited Christmas photos I have stored up.... LOL).  I have posted in the past about how my perfectionism and my disorganization clash with a passion in my life. The result is usually paralyzing, emotionally, and physically.
*
 And so... I decided "golly-gee-wilderbeast", it's time to let go of my perfect vision and just enjoy the ride while I'm here. I've got too many kiddos hanging off my elbows while I'm trying to type to worry about typos, alignments, and perfectly edited pictures. Maybe someday I can get back to that kind of blogging and creating, but at the moment, it's just the raw me. Better to show up at the party in a dress from the closet than to stay home cause you can't afford a new dress, right? Well, I hope so anyway.
*

So, here I am at the party, sharing the goings on of my summer with the sweeties. We just went camping with our church group this past weekend. OMG! Too much fun. Can't wait to go back. My kids have inherited their dad's love of pine trees, lakes, campfires, and singing nonstop. (have I ever mentioned that I cannot carry a tune in a bucket?) Other than showering and Etsy, I didn't miss too much out there in the woods. Of course, it didn't hurt that two of my bestest friends were out in the woods with us :) I will share pictures as soon as I download them.... unedited most likely :)
*

And I am working on my "Story Telling" painting with little glimpses. Love her class and her spirit!!! There's a link on my sidebar to her ning workshops. Check it out.

             

Ok... So Christmas is in 2 days and we haven't even set our tree up yet. Nope. Not a present wrapped. Hubby is out shopping for Christmas dinner items right now. You could say this is NOT a typical Christmas in our home this year. Having a 10 week old son, and a newborn grand-daughter present their share of challenges in the household prep!

But my wonderful kids helped me keep it all in perspective when they reminded me that it doesn't matter if all the "symbols" of the season are in place. What matters is that our hearts are in the right place. We talked about how our home is like that overcrowded Inn 2000 years ago. And how when God knocked, we made room for 2 more precious people to be part of our family.

If only all hearts were as pure as a child's. I am so blessed to have them with me... keeping me grounded in what REALLY matters. This might not be a "Norman Rockwell" Christmas, but it will be a CHRISTmas, and that's all that matters.

And on the creative front, I am loving all of the great tutorials and classes offered by such talented artists and craftsmen out there! I am presently taking Suzi Blu's Angel workshop! And I just purchased some neat tutorials on jewelry making to put a special touch on the pendants I offer. Even Hubby's looking forward to working with the clay again!

Ok... Better get back to Jake and whatever I can do to make this house "look" festive! Kids made fantastic paper chains the other day!!!

Merry Christmas Everyone
{Hugs}