COMING BACK DOWN TO EARTH

Well, I meant to do a blog post the minute I got back from Dallas yesterday afternoon, but if you've ever gone off for a creative girl's getaway, you know it's sometimes difficult to come down off that cloud, and settle back into your groove. Here's the speed version of what I did while I was away:

The main event was our art journaling class with Dyan Reaveley, where we received this fabulous goody bag, and one of her super dooper pristine art journals. First thing she made us do was to wreck that gorgeous journal, both inside and out, with lots of smudges and splotches. If there's one thing she can't abide, it's women who waste our valuable class time trying to keep everything neat and perfect, so she figures it's best to get that out of the way right off the bat.

Our Crazy Fun Instructor, Dyan Reaveley

 

 

 

None of the pages above are completed projects. The are mostly just samples of techniques we learned for making backgrounds, and still need lots of journaling and doodling to finish them off and make them pop.

Sister Gus Gets Down and Dirty!

Dyan demonstrates a technique for tricking your brain into thinking it's happy.

We were at it from 9:30 am until almost 7:00 pm, with one 30 minute lunch break. Believe it or not, by the end of the day we were too tired to do any shopping there at Stamp Asylum before we left, and so hungry that we actually stopped for dinner with our hands and arms covered in paint! (I'm still not completely paint-free.) Fortunately, the owner said we could come back the next day and still get our class discount, so we dragged sister Poodie and niece Steph back there with us on Thursday, but compensated by having lunch with them at a place called The Chocolate Angel, and seeing the movie Red 2. Yesterday morning Gus and I breakfasted out together and were standing at the door of Asel Art Supply by the time they opened at 9:00, so we could do a final bit of shopping before I had to hit the road.

Guess you can see why I was a wee bit pooped last night. Now, however, it's definitely time to get down to business, for I need to finish up the projects above, get back to my Wild Summer Art class, which I am way behind in now, and on top of all that, I must get started on my double-page spread in the first round of Circle Journal swapping, since a gorgeous one showed up in our mailbox while I was gone. Could life get any better?

TA TA FOR NOW!

If I can get my act together and get myself packed, I should be heading off to Dallas before long. Well, Plano actually, which is just north of Dallas. My sister Kathy (Gus) and I are all a'twitter, for tomorrow we will be spending the entire day, from 9:30 until 6:00, learning all kinds of artsy goodness from the infamous Dyan Reaveley -- British blogger, shop owner, Senior Educator for Ranger craft products, and color-mad creator of all the products in their Dylusions line, such as these marvelous ink sprays and stamp sets... 

 

which I use to do fun stuff like this.

Dyan lives in England, but travels the world teaching classes, and as far as I know, she only ever makes two stops in all of Texas -- one in Waxahachie, and one at a great little shop called Stamp Asylum, which just happens to be about five minutes from my sister's house. How lucky is that! Best of all? I won't have to bring an extra suitcase filled with art supplies this time. Not only are they supplying everything we need for this class (all we have to bring is an apron), they've even promised us a bag full of goodies to take home with us. Woohoo!

On Thursday we will meet up with big sister Carolyn (Poodie) and hang out with her all day, then I should be home by Friday afternoon, with lots of new artsy stuff and plenty of pictures to share. I have every confidence that my hubby will do just fine without me for a few days. At least, that's what I keep telling myself. As for him, well, I'm pretty sure he's doing his free-at-last-happy-dance every time I turn my back!

BLESSINGS THAT BITE

Know what I hate? I hate it when it's so freakin' hot out that you can't even stand to open a window in the wee hours of the morn, before the sun comes up. That's what I hate! And that's what Texas is usually like, at least four months out of the year. Crikey!

We've been really blessed this year, with the coolest early summer in years, and much more rain than usual, as well. Just got another inch, in fact, along with that lightening storm that jolted us out of bed the other night. Can't believe we're heading into August with a full rain tank! Imagine my surprise, then, when I read in the paper this week that all of this rain has only IN-creased our chances of wildfires later this summer and fall!

Unfortunately, this rain hasn't nearly made up for years of drought and overdevelopment, so our lakes and aquifers are still way low. What it did do is give all of the native grasses an extra growth spurt late in the season, making them much taller and more lush than usual. Now that real summer has finally set in, it won't be long before most of Texas will be under serious water restrictions, and once all those lush grasses become dry and parched? Well, that leaves all the more combustible tender to help a wildfire spread quickly.

Who would a' thunk?

SUNDAY SPLORIN'

We only have two breakfast joints in our little town. You go to the Wimberley Cafe if you want a traditional eggs and bacon breakfast, and you go to Mima's if you're in the mood for breakfast tacos or Huevos Rancheros (though there is a bit of crossover between the two). Since there are about 10,000 residents in the Wimberley area, it can get a might crowded at these two places on a weekend morning -- especially on Market Day weekends, or in high tourist season. Sooooo, when we heard there was a pretty good place called The Old Sattler Baking Company, over near Canyon Lake, we decided to give it a try.

I prefer having some protein for breakfast, so I stuck with eggs. Hubby went for the peach crepes. I was disappointed to find them filled with canned peaches, but that didn't bother my hubby one bit. He loves canned fruit. Had to give them lots of bonus points for presentation. Just look at the gorgeous platter they served these on!

The town of Sattler isn't much to look at, but the drive over, via Purgatory Road, is pretty darn sweet! Why don't you give it a try sometime?