Gemini Angel's Art

quickie update...

2008-07-19T15:28:00.003-04:00

wow1 i was so good about updating until the past couple of months..hmmm i don't know where to start..ha ha~

i have had more pieces of art in stampington's newsletters...here and here and also a book for their artist papers they are giving away for subscriptions to Somerset..the book turned out so cute! fairy wishes here is the cover!

I just home a bit ago from CHA..silly me brought my camera and didn't take any pictures...I am going to paste the update i wrote to the altered art divas instead of rewriting the whole thing

well i just got home from a one and a half day trip to CHA. It was fun..very few people there compared to last summer..it was kind of weird to just visit and not work the show!...but it was fun and nice!~ I got to visit with the Dream Street gals..and talk for a bit..and wander the show to my heart's content. It was fun to see the new papers..it is weird i must just be oblivious..but it all starts looking the same and didn't see much new that caught my eye~ All of my favorite paper companies had some nice new releases..but honestly it just all seems more of the same...Prima has some of the coolest laser cut felt pieces...i saw them in the winter show but had forgotten about them. My Minds Eye has some new products to coordinate with their papers and die cut lines..they now have stamps and printed sticky back chip board shapes..i do love their products. oh and they have 4 sets of coordinating inks to go with the 4 new designs. Basic Greay had a few new lines..my favorite was one with fallish colors...very pretty!

I got to see Claudine Hellmuth, Tim Holtz, Wendy Vecchi(she was a member of the divas briefly...not sure if she pops in much or not!) Well she had a wonderful success this year. she started out doing samples for Maya Road...then Ranger found her to do all of Tim Holtz's show samples and then they asked her to create her own line of stamps! Tim better watch out..she had more people at her side of the booth at her demo stand than he did..he he~ Check out her blog here She is amazingly talented!!I also ran into Bernie Berlin..she is always so sweet..she gave Stephanie her card in case she ever needs help finding an apartment..I guess her brother is huge in real estate there. I also saw Ginger of the previous GinX paper line..she is always so fun. she now works for F&W books...i got a preview of the new Kelly Rae Roberts book..oooh it is a must have for me..great techniques in there and it all about my favorite subject! Angels!!!I cant wait til it hits the bookstores! She is actually one of my favorite artists and also inspired me to try my hand at painting angels that resulted in my new Angel Heart papers that i created for Dream Street Papers.. Claudine has a new book coming out...kind of an art formula book..it looks fun~
Most of the day was spent wandering around and visiting..it was a fun day~It always amazes me how even just 5 hours on a convention floor can wear you out! 9not to mention the blisters on the back of my heels...OUCH!) AFter the show we went back to the girls' hotel, had a wonderful dinner at the awesome Italian restaurant in their Hotel and chatted...then i spent the night at Steph's apartment and then came home after breakfast this morning~

of course i continue to play with my dolls...you can find more pics on my flickr..i hang out over there most of the time..so if you miss me you can find the flickr link in the side bar and see what is the latest~

oh and I created samples for the Dream Street Booth and totally forgot to snap pictures...dog gone it...they were cute too....Once i get them back after the show i will take some pictures~

now it is time for a bit of R&R for me..i have been battling a bit of stomach bug this week and it seems to have returned today..i feel some what dragged today~(and no i didn't drink a bunch or anything..i had to drive so i only drank two margarittas over a 4 hour period last night...ha ha)

til later~
angela

hello..life swallowed me whle again...

2008-06-06T08:44:00.005-04:00

But with some good stuff!
On May 19th! Jonathon celebrated his 6th birthday!

On May 28th Art celebrated his 53rd birthday...we didn't take pictures...but i did make him a delicious potroast and apple crisp in celebration!

Spring has sprung around here...along with that comes opening the pool...this is afteward..it resembled a very murky duck pond when the cover came off!and another chore...fortunately i was able to enlist Ashton to help...is mucking out the ponds...we basically had to redo the entire area the little boys made a mess of them trying to catch frogs...so many rocks were at the bottom of both...it looks so pretty now...and it seems there are no leaks!~ yay! I will turn on the system sometime this weekend to see if it all worksWe have been enjoying rounds and rounds of blooms everywhere! This is such a pretty Rhododendron on the back of the housei was fortunate enough to capture a beautiful picture of the white bleeding hearts..among many many other pictures of the various flowers...need to go out and get some more of the lilacs and the irisesThen i had a get together this past sunday with a group of online dolly friends~ WE had a total of 40 Blythe dolls(seen below) 2 petit blythes and 9 other dolls(not pictured here)lots of dollies in my studio..This is Chris....she is holding up one of gina's darling hats...it is a cupcake hat!~Here are the dresses my girls ended up with...lots of trading going on that day~
we traded dresses for a new house....and we also got a suprise in the mail from Auntie Kari...she had gone to an antique store and a lady there insisted this girl was a Blythe...well after sending photos to me..we realized she wasn't after all...i thought she looked south American..so we named her Evita...she is our foriegn exchange cousin from Brazil..she is getting along nicely with al of the others...here she is meeting Anni and Arturo Bridgett is enjoying her new bed in her bedroom of the new house...dress is a trade from Morgan~Koneko was exploring the new bathroom and found a suprise in the shower...the Sonny Angel boys seem to be able to get to the new stuff first...here they were trying out the shower..Scarlett isn't sure what to think of these similar sized fellow...Anni and Arturo finally got to go on their horseback riding date...they were so patient with me...we had so many things going on..there is love in the air...i think they are planning another date soon..i heard something about fishing maybe..i am so suprised since Anni is always such a girlie girl..must be that she wants to please Arturo

the family welcomes a new sister....I think her name is going to be Rickie~ I misunderstood a comment on my flickr stream...he said he could see her calling "ricky"(as in Lucille ball)...but i thought he meant to call her Rickie!...so i think it is going to stick...she looks like a Rickie to me~

Anni is always so sweet and makes her new sisters feel welcome~
yesterday i looked down at my mini collextion right here by my computer...thought it was so cute..and funny that there is actually a doll smaller than Scarlett...a tiny mini barbie baby...Scarlett has decided it is her babydoll even though she thinks she is a bit weird looking...rofl! and she has threatened to turn them all into mice if they don't behave!

Mixed in with all of these events at home we have been enjoying some...well 4 field trips in the past 3 weeks...i have to resize pictures from the other three...but here was last weeks trip to our local bird sanctuary with Jonathon's kindergarten class. The other trips were the ford museum/Greenfield Village with the 5th graders 3 weeks ago, this week Tuesday was the Kindergarten train trip and the 2nd grade trip to Charleton park..an historical village

i'll post pictures of those later...some very beautiful places to visit~

Here is a swan family at the Bird Sanctuary

and my favorite, ruffle feathered Black Swans
and my little bird Jon!..he is always so sweet~

well a brief recap of what life has been....i also created another project for Stampington.com the day before yesterday...will post as soon as the newsletter goes out~

have a most wonderful day...and i hope i didn't bore you to tears

oh one more thing..the whole fire thing with the neighbors blew over. Matt and Michelle had gone to the township office to inquire about a building permit..and talked about the incidents. they found out that we did nothing wrong other than the first time not attending the pile at all times. We didn't even need a burn permit for the kind of fire we had...so we are not in any trouble. I had taken some photos of the 'pita' neighbor's fire that had 7 foot high flames a couple of days after the incident..they want us to bring them down at some point..They also said that these particular neighbors have caused problems in the past. so i feel so much better that we aren't going to get fined or be in trouble and that we weren't imagining things about these neighbors..i hate stuff like that hanging over our head. We plan on installing security cameras just in case the neighbors try anything again.

so life is back to it's happy self! today i have to clean and fold laundry and birthday shop for Tyrus' 11th Birthday tomorrow...he is having a party..no sleep over though..phew! and Sunday i am going to the ZNE castle event with Gina over by Detroit! that will be fun...and Gina is such a doll!

xoxox's

back to some fun stuff~

2008-05-21T17:10:00.008-04:00

okay now that that business of misinterpretations is cleared..i would love to share with you some of my latest creations! On to the Happy stuff!

Here are a couple of pictures i took of the projects I created for Stampington.com's Creative Impulse newsletter...it is posted on their site in the gallery of projects and if you go to the shop and find the paper dolls they are both there with directions on how to create your own
My first project is the movie star mobileand a boudoire~here are a few projects i created for the Creative Therapy blog
this catalyst was "what do you like best about yourself" My answer was my smile..it reflects who i am inside..happy and full of sunshine..loland something i remembered from my childhoodand the last catalyst was "someone you miss" I created amini shadow box with a photo of my grandmother. She taught me many crafts and a lot about sewing~ My little sewing fairy~and the other thing i have been playing with is my Blythe dolls..and have been making lots of clothes for mine and for trades with other Blythe mommy's! Phew I forgot how much work it is to sew tiny...wow~ but boy it has been fun~
I had a near disaster..Oscar almost killed my sewing machine. He got tangled up in the cord and pulled it off the counter..it split open at the seams...however..i was able to rescue it and snap it back together...PHEW!
Petra is modeling this turtle dress, it is for a trade

this is another trade...i love this one..will be hard to part with, Anni looks so pretty in it!
another trade...but i made a pink one for me to keep in the same style. It was made with a vintage skipper pattern, My angel Kaelaray looks pretty in this one...
Madison loves this one..we are keeping it for her

made 3 of this style..one to keep 2 to sell...i love this kitty fabric, Ember's hair matches the cat color in it..LOL!

well enough for now..i am sure i can dig up tons more i have made....but will save it for later!

have a wonderful day...and i promise i will behave and leave the neighbors alone....although salt and vinegar crop circles in their lawn, sounds kind of fun...ha ha...totally kidding~

xo's

it was brought to my attention

2008-05-21T16:15:00.002-04:00

That readers of my blog that don't know me, may take the previous post in the wrong way. I am not going to take it out or edit it in any way....however, i would like to clarify my intention with the post. It was a rant..a way to vent my frustrations. In no way was it to be obnoxious toward any one or offensive. I do occasionally say bad words during frustations and come up with all sorts of wild scenarios in my head, which, being the normally rational and loving person, would never carry out.

These neighbors are very frustrating and i really don't think they are the kind you can come to terms with, with rational means..therefore as a means to help ease our frustrations we came up with "fantasy scenarios" none of which did we, or will we carry out...besides my husband has a really nice physique, so him parading around in a speedo type bathing suit probably would not be offensive....now me on the other hand...i think i could clear the neighborhood..LOL~ nor did we send any mailings or any other type of vengeful thing. We simply are really not that kind of family. Occasional swear word in a rant..yes, Vengeful...NO~

So if you thought i was a crazy, vengeful person..i do apologize...I am not..I promise. I am however a bit eccentric at times..and can slip into potty mouth mode under dire situations...I apologize if that offended any one...

so back to the neighbors..since that previous post..they have had 3 fires behind their fence, they think that it hides everything they do...that or they are antagonizing us, two of which we could see flames above the 6 foot high fence...and they had called and lied and told the firemen that ours had 2 foot high flames and they came out....to a smoldering pile(no visible flames)...any way..we did not call the fire department because we are worried that rather than responding to a safety issue, they are going to punish us even more. they, the fire man, did make a statement to the police that they were using us as an example of the "neighborhood feud" issue...i thought it took more than one person calling the authorities to make a feud...no one else ever gets into any one else's affairs around here...*Sigh* i just want to be left alone to live my life..in my happy little world...

needless to say...we won't be burning any more fires...not even a camp fire in a pit..we really do do our best to abide by the law....

life just flies by

2008-05-12T19:22:00.004-04:00

i have realized that i have slacked off on my blog posting..i love my blog..but it seems time warps are prevalant lately...

lets see....not a whole lot exciting lately..other than asshole neighbors on mothers day eve..came home to find out that the idiots called the fire dept again for our smoldering pile of leaves(our friend neighbors were watching it for us)...no biggie really, except these idiots don't like us and have a personal vendetta against us...it started a few years ago when their son hit Tyrus with a clump of dirt that had a rock in it..and Tyrus had to have stitches...yes you read that right...OUR son was the one needing stitches...we never made any big deal out of it because all of the neighborhood kids were playing in a dirt pile throwing dirt clumps at each other...this one just happeend to have a rock in it and hit Ty in the ear against his glasses....he even went to shake the kids hand to let him know no hard feelings...two weeks later they call CPS on us(child protective services) They obviously watch us closely...When i usded to smoke, i smoked outside on the front porch and would let Jonathon come out with me to run around in the front yard..ALWAYS in my sight..but my front porch sits back and the neighbors couldn'tsee me..assuming i was not outside..what idiots...and ever since then they try to find anything to harrass us..so it was rather annoying...and you just can't feel relaxed. We also suspect them of signing up several neighbors(the mail carrier varifies this) that they don't like, to all kinds of pornographic mailings and "gay"suscriptions and such...Matt and i were talking today, we should sign them up for any and all church/religous mailings we could think of...since they obviously need some intervention, ha ha!...oh and Art even thought maybe he could wear a banana hammock to do yard work and i could wear a thong bathing suit....now when they come hme they will have some interesting things to watch on their survellaince camera, mounted on the back of their house conveniently directed at our house..so we might just go ahead and give them a show....oh and i told Matt next saturday we should get all of our tiki torches(no burning permit needed) and sit in the field with those....we can have our fire..and they can eat it...making fun of people like that is the best ammuntion..totally takes away their power...it has been interesting the past couple of days...there is a ton more to the story but i won't bore you with any more details

On Saturday(before all the above crap)I had the pleasure of photographing our neighbors(the same ones that i metion above..the friend ones) for their mom...all of them! Matt and Michelle and his two sisters and all the kids..so fun~
Dominik

TimothySherrithe Family~ Matt and Michelle and all three wee onesAbigail..one of the cousins..she was not happy..but i did manage a couple individual ones of her smilingElizabeth....she has the prettiest eyes~the whole crew...what a pile...i need to practice group sitting arrangements...but hey it was for free..and so fun~! i spent a lot of mothers day working on one of my blythe dolls rescues. This is Tori..she had some bad things done to her...i sand matted her and then repainted her make up..and gave her eyelashes...she looks so sweet now..i did put her pink wig back on until i have the time to redo her hair..she will have green fairy hair..she is my forest fairy...

she had bad scratches and over carved eyes..to see more of my doll pictures visit my flickr site

she got new eye chips...Blythe dolls have 4 sets of eyes...you pull a string on the back of her head and they change to a new set....they are called eye chips...two are front facing and two are left and right facing...so each set can be different...these are her left facing ones..irridescent with sparkles
here are her eyelids when her eyes are closed..i painted those too...
so there a nutshell version of the latest happenings...much more has happened..but please for simplicity go visit the above link to my flickr to see the pics...

xoxox

until next time!~

The most amazing afternoon ever..

2008-05-01T18:30:00.006-04:00

Welcome to the world little one!! This is Dominik Brady...less than 2 minutes old~I was so honored when our good friends and neighbors asked me to be at their son's birth..of course they only really wanted me for my cool camera..ha ha~ Matt and Michelle have become very close friends to both Art and I over the past year..and i really cherish their friendship! I was so honored to be there..it was one of the most amazing experiences i have ever had....
Here is Matt trying to calm Dominik....he was not happy at the experience of being born...
here is a close up of this sweetie. The nurse had put medicine in his eyes I think she said she wasn'table to get them to open right away and this was to assist in that process.Dominik weighs 8 lbs 6 oz and is 19 inches long, born at 3:55 on May 1st 2008~ a May Day baby~look at the beautiful mamma....she was amazing!~ She hardly wimpered and when it was time, just pushed him right out...one push~Matt and Michelle with their gorgeous new little boy! I can't wait to take pictures with Dominik's older brother Tim and Sherri his big sister...What a beautiful family~amazing head of hair..it is a dark brownDominik is telling his gramma Debbie his woes of being bornGramma Debbie has a knack..she got him calmed down by telling him how he was going get to go fishing with his grampa and cousins...he was Grampa's newest little bud...how sweet~here he is with his Grandpa Tim and his Auntie Christy had just a moment to pop in and say hi before she had to go!
Auntie lovin!~

As soon as i can, i will share more pictures of Dominik and his siblings!

wow~ what a day...an amazing day!

wow!! where does time go?

2008-04-18T18:42:00.004-04:00

not only did i just realize it has been 3 weeks since i last posted...sorry all..been playing mostly..but also have been working on new paper designs..and got caught up into the flickr thing!

but also i realize how fast time really flies..my baby girl...my first is 24 years old today..I am NOT old enough to be the mother of a 24 year old..yikes!~
so here she is at 5 months and then at 23 1/2...wow~Happy Bithday Stephanie!!! I made her a birthday cake...here she is with Jonathon, Tyrus, Jake(he is squeazing in..tyrus' friend) Art and Turner...all my goofy boys

well sh*&

2008-03-28T21:07:00.004-04:00

i swear i am in a fog lately....okay lets see...darn it i should have peeked to see where i left off...

well i can attest to today's adventure..Tyrus had surgery. His broken arm was checked this past monday..new xray, etc to see how things were progressing..well, he must have gotten a bit wild and displaced the bones in his wrist and had to have them surgically corrected and planned to have pins put in. The universe was looking out for him...the doctor (doc Langworthy) found that the callouses of the healing area of the broken wrist bones, were still soft and was able to "pop" them back into place. So no surgery: incisions or pins were necessary..yay! Ty was such a trooper through this whole process...what a sweet boy! so it all turned out okay!!

Lets see what else..not a whole lot. I am trying to do some R and R..I so seriously need it. I just want to hibernate with no company, no special demands, nothing...on some days i wish i could just crawl into a hole and hide from the world. I must really need it because i keep getting sick. That is my signal from my body that i just need to stop and do not much~ I have never been this sick so much in my life. It started with the after effects of the trip to California for the papers, I was down for 5 days with a horrible upper respitory infection..and i have relapsed this week with a bad sinus infection...on antibiotics now.so hopefully i will heal fast!

i have fallen into a fun thing though, and have been having so much fun playing..the world of Blythe dolls(go google them), it seems silly in some ways..but it really has brought me so much pleasure the past few weeks. I know i was supposed to wait..but i pulled my secret stash money i have been saving up and bought 3 of them...i just adore them(Art if you read this..forgive me..but it was my special spending money just for such an incident...i just HAD to have the girls~) It really has kept a smile on my face and has gotten me excited again..i really think i was heading for a bout of depression without it...I have fluctuated so much the past couple of months and i hate that. I rarely talk about it, to any one, not even Art for some reason i feel embarrassed by it..or less worthy...i try to be strong and wonder woman,kwim?...but i know there is a history in my family and i have to admit that i can be victim to it too. Although mostly i get affected with anxiety..but the let down after, can be depression!~ the best thing for me to do to battle it, is to keep exercising(shich i have been doing) and to find something that makes me smile...and these dolls have been that answer. and definitely cheaper and more effective than therapy..ha ha~
check out my little stories and scenarios at flickr.. http://www.flickr.com/photos/41086083@N00/
i love that place and have sooo many friends there.

i broke my cardinal rule of not having pictures on my post...but that is what is so...but i promise next post..lots of pretty pics~ (if you go to my flickr there are lots of pics!~)
hope all is well in every ones world out there..
lots of love and hugs!!
angela

sooo what american accent do you have?

2008-03-18T16:40:00.003-04:00

On my Altered Art Diva site one of the gals posted this fun quiz..we tease each other all the time on which ones of us have an accent....here are my results....how about you?

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The West
The Inland North
Philadelphia
The South
Boston
North Central
The Northeast
http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_american_accent_do_you_have">What American accent do you have? http://www.gotoquiz.com/">Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

A little of this and a little of that..catch up post

2008-03-17T12:17:00.002-04:00

Let's see where i left off....oh yeah..the room...this is as far as i got....it is nice and bright and clean..yay! Then i had a bad episode of ADD...(Artist Distractive Disorder) and started to play with dolls....

I have fallen in love with Blythe dolls....oh my! and am getting one very soon...in the meantime i have been getting ready....I had Ashton help me drag up the Barbie house from the basement along with all the tubs of clothes and furniture....cleaned it all up and sorted through the clothing...Blyhte dolls' bodies are the same size as skipper dolls..

here you see my we sonny angels coming to get a closer look of this monstrosity....if you want to see the whole story go to my flickr site..just setting that story up was fun.....This is called play therapy..been needing it lately....after this post i do have to get some domestic duties done and work on the house..it is awreck after the weekend...and a pile of boys running in and out...dirt, mud, clothes...you name it it's on the floor..
so I also in preparation and excitement have decided to play making clothes! This is a skipper doll modeling...so i couldn't post her on the blythe site..therefore the disguise...i am making 3 of each outfit....one for me and two to sell....this one is the first finished so far...i have 3 dresses finished too..but want to make her accessories before i post a picture....
detail of thermal undies..has elastic at the top....
felt monkey dolls for her to go to bed with....about 1 3/4" tall
Another project i have worked on is this mini book...I used the diecuts for the mini albums from my Father Knows Best paper lines and created a book about Oscar....to readthe whole story go visit the Creative Therapy blog to see what it is all about~ I am on their design team along with many other very creative women! Please come play with us!!! I plan on putting a permanent banner on the side bar here soon...

So for now that is what i have been up to....been playing and enjoying a reprieve from crazy busy..and hope it lasts a while longer...i have been so needing this....see ya next time..hopefully with pictures of the mural...need to work on that this week...am looking forward to it!

angela

In case I am quiet for a few days....

2008-03-06T11:49:00.002-05:00

This is where I will be....
using all of this and much more paint. first I am repainting all the base colors...starting with the ceiling..the the green..at the bottom and a blue sky..then will be painting a city scape with robots all around the room....some will be space robots...probably on the right wall there by the door... So if you are looking for me...that is where I will be for afew...then I will be going to Jon's room and creating some sort of jungle scene...he has new scooby doo safari sheets..and then on to the bathroom which is currently Moulin Rouge themed...now that I am the only girl in the house..and that doesn't happen to be my bathroom...well it is going to be transformed into a vintage hollywood comedian theme...red walls...we are replacing the damaged vanity either with black or very dark wood and the tired 90's style vanity light...then I plan on painting film strip all around the top of the walls inserting images of Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello..maybe Jerry Lewis and more(if any one can suggest more please do so)...so i am excited..home improvement projects get me excited...Oh and after those, if I have any energy left..i plan on redoing Salina's room....the hot pink and turquiose just doesn't work for the boys...I think I am going to make it into a "club house" for the boys....and really paint it to look like the inside of a homemade treehouse...the boys can have their games and video games and stuff in there....they loved the idea~

okay..wish me luck and no paint spills
love and hugs!

today's necklaces..

2008-03-02T18:46:00.002-05:00

I had a nice afternoon bending wires and manipulating jump rings..phew! my hands are tired. Here are the two necklaces i made and green earrings....i had already made the red earrings a while back...fortunately i spotted them and didn't make another pair of red earrings...i forget whati make sometimes..rofl~Most of the stuff is from my stuff I found yesterday...but i did add some from my stash in also!

Ann Arbor trip...lots of cold and some shopping

2008-03-02T12:44:00.004-05:00

Well, Art and i went to Ann Arbor (Michigan..home of the Universtiy of Michigan) It is such a beautiful city. I enjoy walking around and shopping in all of the little stores and boutiques. Of course for me the most interesting ones are the ones that have stuff to make things and ones with books. So I started my morning off at 9am at Borders. I dropped Art off, at his course (the reason we came) and then headed over to the parking lot right behind Borders. A green tea latte,a huge bag o' books and an hour later I emerged, to stroll through the bitter cold to explore the town further.

First though...this is what resulted at home. Stephanie took the boys over to Kalamazoo for lunch and some sledding. Tyrus was playing hot-rod sledder and took the ramp of snow...and landed on his wrist. Xrays this morning confirmed our worries...yup! it is broken...poor guy. He hasn't complained though of the pain..said it was around a "4"*edit* Art just told me that Tyrus said this morning at the hospital that he was airborn and despite the pain..and that it was all worth it...rofl! My Border's Bookstore finds...a digital photography magazine..the latest Belle Armour and Bernie Berlin's ATC workshop book, She invited me to participate in her next book..so i figured I better get the first one so i know what I am getting intoThe biggest book i have ever owned. I just couldn't resist, according to the introduction this is the most complete book on Leonardo ever published...it is aWesome!The Michigan Theater...a most beautiful example of theaters of the early 1900's. this theater was completely restored afew years ago. It is amazing~Art and I were able to go see a restored version of the movie "Metropolis" from approx 1926. A silent film of course. the cool part is that they had an organ player playing the musical scores that were created for it...just like in the old days~Look at all the snow i had to trek through..brrrrMy goodies that I found. I went to a shop called the Bead Gallery on Liberty street...wow~ I want to make more button and bead necklaces...One in red and one in greens..later at the end of the day I found this jar of vintage buttons...in green and reds no less...YAY!!~that was in the Kerrytown mall where Hollanders paper store is and a little shop upstairs called "Found"

a close up of the "shroom" pendant...see it inside?..It is going on my "lucky" green necklace...i think it will have a foresty theme...with some shamrocks thrown in for good measure..lol pure yum!!!i LOVe vintage buttons. I took a picture of the jacket from my dad that inspired one of the papers in my Father Knows Best paper set...and there are vintage buttons on that...I made that at least 17 years ago...so vintage buttons have always been a soft spot for me. I am thinking of digging out my vintage canning jars and organizing my buttons by color. Every time i see someone's studio or craft room i drool over their buttons when they do that~
I also visited this fun boutique called Orchid something or other..geesh my memory. They carry clothing, accessories and decorations from all over the world. They buy directly from the artisans, so they do a great job supporting the artisans of the different areas. These felted flowers are from Nepal~
I always visit a shop called Peaceable Kingdom. I found that cute fairy mint tin in the above picture and couldn't come home empty handed for the boys..so I bought them these cute retro tin wind up toys
Turner is my ham....and such a poser in front of the camera..lol~

I hope you enjoyed my little adventure and shopping trip...i am closing this today with my last picture..of my new friends that I found for half off at Hobby Lobby last week....they need names...aren't they fun?

now off to go make some necklaces with those new beads and buttons! Happy Sunday every one!~

just playing...

2008-02-26T18:18:00.005-05:00

okay i hate when this happens...i finally feel better....and then get the "now what?" Well i had to do some thing..so i played with Oscar..and a tropical themed shoot...haha! totally amatuer but it was fun...i gathered the tropical supplies and armed myself with "TREATS!" and played for a bit. Tyrus helped me.

so here he is:

Tropical Pug!

some out takes..."mom! I know you are going to give me that treat...!!

see here now...I reeeeeeeeaaaally want that cheese, I'll even shake on it..

puuuuleeeeeeeze!

he did really good. He is such a sweet dog. and fun and smart. I have never had a dog that was this much fun...so be ready..we have more ideas brewing...bunny ears were purchased today...along with other things...lol~

so please bear with my play time....it is so funny~

Somaybe after a couple of days I can show you my project I created for Stampington.com. I hope they like it..haven't heard yet....iof nothing else I did have a load of fun making it~

so off to find some other things to get into....(not that i don't have a list a mile long..and actually Tropical Pug does have an end use..ha ha~

Now that i can breath a little, the fog is clearing from my head

2008-02-17T11:57:00.002-05:00

WEll so much happened it will take me a minute to collect my thoughts. I am just so happy to be home. I got so sick in the middle of Weds night....ugh! My throat isn't quite so sore...things are coming up(dry hack is the worst) and i don't seem to have a temperature. I did go into the Doc's Friday to make sure i didn't have strep...test came back negative...so the only thing i can do is wait it out and treat the symptoms.

So lets see.....CHA. WE had such a nice time. It is always so much fun and all of the gals at Dream Street are such sweethearts. I enjoy getting to know them a bit more each time. As always there are too many of us in the booth...none of us want to miss anything..and it really is exciting when people come into our booth with sop many nice comments about out papers. We switched to a new printer and every one was so impressed(as we were too) with the brilliant saturated colors! Usually after the first day and the initial excitement wears off and the first day crowds thin a bit we all have to opportunity to explore our surroundings a bit. I was ab le to visit with tim HOltz and watch one of his demos again..so talented~ I found the Stampington Publications booth...they had tons of their new publications to peek at....I was so excited to meet Sarah Meehan that I have been working with doing samples for their newsletter Creative Impulse and Postscript. She asked me about a new product and if she should just send it..I said just send it...so you will see more of my art in their newsletters. Again she said she was thrilled with my ATC calendar and also stated that she enjoys it every day looking at it sitting on her desk!...lol! OOh and remember those paper flowers i made?..the yo-yo ones?...well I got the idea and directions from Sandra Evertsons new book "fanciful Flowers" I was so thrilled to turn around and realize she was sittting right there behind me, demoing her fun new ink blot stamps. What a sweet person! Her stuff is a must have!

On Tuesday one of the girls was waiting on a customer in our booth...and i heard "oh and she is an altered artist too(referring to me) i perked up and looked and looked at the womans badge and saw "Bernie....." I didn't have to look any further to realize it was Bernie Berlin!!!!!! (see her banner at the top of my side bar" Bernie and I have "known"each other for years now..running in the same circles of groups. I was sooo excited to finally meet her in person. She too is another wonderful and sweet person..we also realized we are the same age withing a few months. for some reason i thought she was ton younger...she looks it too! Any way she invited me to join her group for me to have my artwork in her new ATC book! So exciting!!

i got to see a ton of fun new products and gorgeous new papers...i am a paper-holic..so i was in hog heaven. I ran into a celebrity every day going to and/or from the show and didn't realize it until the last day. The Crafty Chica!! She is so cute and so full of life. I happened to walk by her on the floor after seeing her a half dozen or more times during the previous days. then it hit me...I stopped and said hi and told her i finally realized why she looked familiar. She gave me a cute bobble head of herself..ha ha..and also two canvas bags with artwork that her husband made. One of which is a Day of the Dead bridal couple. I plan on using that some how for Cat's Day of the Dead RR book.....see Cat i was thinking of you..so i asked her for a second bag for me...it has aheart on it...very cool artwork!

My all time favorite product...a labeler. Very much like the Dymo, but it has interchangeable fonts I am thinking round 6 or8 and tons of fun tape colors..including some metalics and designs. I told them my story of emailing Dymo...i had mentioned to them that they could break into a multi million dollar industry if they only would come up with a few nicer colors for their tapes...their answer at the time was that they were not accepting any ideas for product improvement..what idiots. Any way...this labeler has been available for a while now ...it is made by 'around the block" I have to dig out my notes ...as soon as i find a retailer i will post a link!

Another cool [roduct i noticed was the "purple cow" cutters...wow! guillotine and also with wheels and all sorts of options...they also have a cool hot laminator that poses many fun and exciting design options...my mind goes in whirls thinking of all the things you could do with it..

Prima's booth was amazing...lots of new stuff including laser cut ribbons of all sorts. Their paper designers are precious and so fun to talk to. When i go to CHA it is so fun to run into people you have met before...we are becoming like one big happy family...well sort of. it is loads of fun! Oh and the page frame gals...have added etched pieces to their evergrowing clear plastic mini book line....i stuill one year need to email them to get some samples to play with...it is just kind of weird for me to ask kwim!?..i just love their products~ the clear albums have been such a hit!

oh with my papers..it is kind of interesting how it seems the people that like my papers the most are the foreigners...the Swedish and Australians in particular...it's so cool! My papers have gone global..lol! Now what would be the most fun is to see pictures of what people are doing with them!!! If you have a project leave a message here for me with your email addy adn i would love to post it on my blog....

Speaking of which, i love to reply to comments...but there is one problem, most of them don't have an email attached to it so I can't send a reply....please don't feel bad if i can't acknowledge your comment..if you would like to hear back from me please leave an email....I read each and every email and really appreciate all the lovely comments and compliments! you can always email me directly too if you don't feelcomfortable leaving your email here. Mine is geminiangelart13@yahoo.com~

okay enough for now..and i know i am forgetting something...but i will post more if i remember!

Your Color

2008-02-17T09:58:00.001-05:00

Which Colour Represents You???
created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as White

White represents purity, calmness and innocense, and you fit all this. You are angelic to the core and would never dream of hurting anyone on purpose. The events of this world tend to shock you and you cannot wait to escape to a better place. You believe in the good of people. Your kind and loving nature makes you very hard to resist.

White

89%

Green

89%

Yellow

67%

Orange

67%

Purple

61%

Pink

61%

Blue

50%

Red

44%

Black

33%

CHA part deux: my gorgeous roomies...and opening day

2008-02-14T19:37:00.005-05:00

I have to share our beautiful surroundings with every one.....here is what we got to see at night outside of our hotel...i wish that i could have taken pics of the palm tree forest outside of the convention center....this is for all of my fellow northern gals that are shivering in the single digit temps lately! the atrium of our hotel...we stayed at the Embassy suites...breakfast buffet in the morning...with everything you could ask for including made to order omelets and also free happy hour every evening....the lion on top of the rock would roar every hour or so...koi in the streams and the soothing sound of water fall

opening morning....here i am all made up...ready to go...lol
my absolute precious roomies Alicia and Lara. Alicia is on our DT and Lara is one of our very talented designers

The Dream Street Booth, Dana and Tracy's lines on this wall

The other side....Natalie, Audrey and my paper linesClose up of my wall..Alicia did the gorbgeous samples for mine. Her designs are amazing!! She seems to always be able to portray what the designer had in mind for her line...i was stunned!
Lara's papers on the left and Kelly's on the right
Alexis' papers Alexis and Amy's on the right...Amy's are the ones that are the easiest for me to work with..they have music notes on them and some really cool other elements and flowers

Dana and then Tracy's two lines

We actually were able to get a picture of all of us designers that were at the show all together...unfortunately Tara (the owner) had stepped out to phone in orders...and all of my photos of her are either from behind or blurry....darn!

left to right

Audrey,Dana, Tracy, me, Amy(she is feeling my butt see!...rofl...j/k), Lara and Alexis

and my traditional CHA visit to see Tim Holtz' do one of his demos....i figured after 3 previous times a photo might be fun! He is great and ever so talented....
now after i recuperate..more news of fun things that happened to me...not many photos but lots of cool stuff!

to be continued.....maybe tomorrow

I have been very sick today with temp over 100 and horrible cough that is painful since my chest hurts and throat hurts....if i don't feel better tomorrow i am going in to see if i need meds..

set up day CHA 2008 Dream Street Papers Part One

2008-02-14T17:09:00.004-05:00

a little peek of what goes on behind the scenes at a trade show...we started at 8am and couldn't believe we were done with most of the set up by 3pm saturday. here you see all of the crates the booth is shipped in...and the panels in place
garbage everywhere!!! it was crazy and messy. The workers would run it all over on their forklifts and stuff and just push it around. They had a full crew of cleaner uppers with giant carts and brooms cleaning up the debris
Amy attaching the sign with our newly developed high- tech technique...packing tape...lol once we left the show floor we went and grabbed a bite to eat at the restaurant across the street from our hotel..delish mexican food...then walked over for a 2 hour tour....yup sing it to Gilligans Isle...a two hour tour.....Target can get like that..the huge ocean of goodies. We picked up last minute supplies for the booth and personal items and whatever else fell into the cart..then we went back to our rooms....actually we mostly congregated in one room and made more samples for the booth..to bed early....haha! around 11:30..which translates into 2;30am for me being an eastern time girl

Alexis creating her most amazing mini book.....it was a crowd stopper. Her work is just so amazing to me to be continued..........

SECRETS TO REALLY LIVING

2008-02-04T19:31:00.001-05:00

i saw this on the bulletin board on myspace...i had to repost this here...so wise and so uplifting..I needed this today...

1.) Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate antidepressant.
2.) Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.Buy a lock if you have to.
3.) Buy a Tivo (DVR), tape your late night shows and get more sleep.
4.) When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to________ today.'
5.) Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
6.) Watch more movies, play more games and read more books than you did last year.
7.) Always pray and make time to exercise.
8.) Spend more time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of Six.
9.) Dream more while you are awake.
10.) Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less foods that are manufactured in plants.
11.) Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.
12.) Try to make at least three people smile each day.
13.) Clear your clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.
14.) Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead, invest your energy in the positive present moment.
15.) Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class ......but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
16.) Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
17.) Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away.
18.) Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
19.) Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
20.) Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
21.) You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
22.) Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
23.) Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
24.) Ladies - Go on and burn those 'special' scented candles, use the 600 thread count sheets, the good china and wear our fancy lingerie now. Stop waiting for a special occasion. Everyday is special.
25.) No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26.) Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
27.) Forgive everyone for everything.
28.) What other people think of you is none of your business.
29.) Time heals almost everything. Give time, time!
30.) However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
31.) Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch with them.
32.) Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
33.) Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. God provides, remember?!
34.) The best is yet to come. (in Heaven)
35.) No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
36.) Do the right thing!
37.) Call your family often.
38.) Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: 'I am thankful for __________.' Today I accomplished _________.
39.) Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
40.) Enjoy the ride. Remember that this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.
LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH. LIFE'S A GIFT ... UNWRAP IT! Have a Blessed day. Please share with friends!

a bit more art today...

2008-02-03T19:32:00.000-05:00

I made a couple more things today...after finsihing the snail i made a tiny shadow box from Amy Teets papers and then i couldn't get those yo yo paper flowers off the brain and made one from each collection...i am going to put clips on the back so each girl can wear them on their lanyards if they want at the show!~
Amy Teet's 'Remember the Moments' for Dream Street Papers

CHA sneak peek~

2008-02-03T12:08:00.001-05:00

Okay despite some hairy family issues this week, good things have happened!!! The new papers from Dream Street Papers have arrived!!! I am so thrilled with each and every paper line and have been fortunate to have time this weekend to play~

We aren't quite ready for a full reveal, but have gotten the green light to show our creations with the beautiful papers. I have created a few things with my Quilted Garden line and one creation with Audrey Neal's debut line called Birdie Bits...very fun papers to play with...it really can not be called work and it should almost be a crime to be having this much fun!!!

i borrowed a word from Audrey's papers..
Audrey's Birdie Bits

my CHA sneak peek

2008-02-01T09:10:00.000-05:00

well for some reason the colors are wonky on the Dream Street blog so i will post it here....It is possible it was because i had forgotten to convert the online jpg file back to rgb rather than the printers cmyk...but here is my sneak peak. I got my papers last night and WOW!!!!! They are all just incredible. We changed to a new printer....well, they did an outstanding job. Our colors are vibrant and very rich!! Amazing!! oh and this time they are double sided...so that is really cool too...more bang for the buck! I love double sided papers..although i always have to buy two of each, because i want to be able to have both sides to play with..LOL!

Dream Street Papers sneak peeks this week...

2008-01-28T15:25:00.000-05:00

woo hoo! this is my favorite part of the year...when the new papers we designers at Dream Street Papers get to show sneak peeks of our new paper lines...the first 2 of 10 are up on the Dream Street blog...they are being shown 2 per day for the next 5...mine will be out on Thursday....but check all the other beautiful papers out!...gorgeous stuff~
http://dreamstreetpapers.blogspot.com/

a bit more about Birmingham and Townsend Hotel

2008-01-28T13:12:00.000-05:00

I noticed a comment from the manager of the hotel in my comments??...amazing how people can find stuff on the internet isn't it!? Any way, I, just since I am the type of person that doesn't like to come across nasty or begrudging, would like to clarify a bit on my comments of Birmingham. It is a very very beautiful city..my favorite part was driving through some of the neighborhoods. The little town part was very picturesque and there were tons of little shops downtown. However, for me, clothes shopping just isn't my cup of tea and being 10 degrees out did make me a bit crabby. Marley's was an amazing boutique and will be on my list of places to visit again~ I was astounded (or is it flabbergasted ha ha) at the prices..but being an artist myself, was in awe that it is possible to find places where artistic creativity and ability is appreciated and willingly paid for! Something not seen in many places. I guess at times I am a cheap skate..and since i can make so many things...paying that much for some things just isn't going to happen..i will make it myself. Although on the other hand, i take great pleasure in supporting my fellow artists directly and do so often(i know how much retail tags onto the original price..used to own my own shop..lol!)
and back to the hotel The Townsend Hotel. Honestly, I have stayed in many 4 and 5 star hotels in various places like in Chicago, Seattle, San Diego, Toronto, New Orleans, Denver etc.....Art says that a 3 star is roughing it for him..lol! Well, my determination of this hotel. It is by far my favorite hotel i have ever been a guest of. Truly outstanding...like I mentioned, the details that were provided for were incredible. The food....i can only say one word..crude as it may be YUMMY!!! the best scallops...i didn't know they came that big and cooked to perfection. Art was equally impressed with his dinner(the margarittas are fogging my memory....not sure what it was he had...a steak and lobster I think) the staff was friendly and helpful and full of smiles...very much appreciated! I would definitely look forward to staying there again...and a bonus..even though i am NOT a shopper...only occasionally....the huge mall, Somerset, is only a few minutes away...that is an adventure in itself...

so if any one decides to visit Michigan...Birmingham would be a wonderful choice to add to your list..and if you please...i can recommend the Townsend Hotel...gees i am beginning to sound like an infomercial..rofl...really though, it was wonderful~
okay off my little soap box (who i am pontificating to, I am not sure...lol) and back to the real world and the mountain of laundry and a handful of errands....then maybe 10 minutes of art time..up here in my studio....