FLASHBACK: THE BRAVEST THING I EVER DID

Right around the same time that I started my "Year of Reading Dangerously", I began something else rather brave, even epic, for me. I started drawing. And, I actually showed it to people! I know most of you think I have always been an "artsy" person, but that just isn't true, and you are about to see visual proof of that -- the very first page of what was to become my very first art journal. I just didn't know it at the time.

FLASHBACK

They say every journey starts with taking that first little step, and that post is living proof! Illustrating that one little to-do list, and being brave enough to share it here on this blog, caught the attention of high school Debbie and led her to tell me about some art journaling classes she'd been taking on line. Who knew such a thing even existed? Which then led me to Art Journaling magazine. When a whole pile of those illustrated to-do lists had mounted up, I finally realized I had created an art journal of sorts, and the positive feedback I had received from all of you, combined with the things I was learning in my year of reading dangerously, finally gave me the guts I needed to submit them to Art Journaling magazine, where one of them ended up being published. And, well, things just blossomed from there!

JUST THE THING

When you're not all that hungry come dinnertime and just want something light, but the bread you were going to make grilled cheese sandwiches with turns up moldy, then you wander into to town trying to think of something good, but it all just seems so heavy, well...

a little of this...

and a little of that, at the gorgeous new wine bar which just took over the spot formerly known as Tastebuds...

might be just the thing you didn't even know you needed!

Los Olivos Market. Check it out!

THIS OLD TRUNK

When we moved back to Dallas for a few years in the late 90s , my sisters got me hooked on "Friday Nights at the Auction House" as a new form of entertainment. The place just happened to be owned by two brothers we went to high school with, and was more of a social event than a serious shopping endeavor. I did, however, manage to snag a few treasures over the years. One of my favorites was this old trunk -- a trunk filled with mystery!

It looked like it had been made long, long ago, by someone who was heading off to a new life in a new land, with all their worldly possessions tucked inside. I was fascinated by the amazing hardware...

and the fact that it had several religious images glued inside the lid -- perhaps something their mother put there, to protect them on their journey?

At first it had pride of place in our living room, as our coffee table, but my hubby has never really shared my passion for rustic beauty. So, with each move and each addition of newer, glossier stuff, it got relegated to ever more obscure locations, until it finally ended up out on the porch, filled with Hubby's gardening stuff. So sad.

Anywho, this week I decided to start on another project from my new Folk Art Fusion book by Heather Galler. This one was to be based on Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Only, her image didn't really look anything like the ones I remembered from our wonderful trips to San Miguel de Allende, so I decided to gather some images and just do my own thing.

I had just spread all of these out on my work table, to ponder over for awhile, when I spotted Hubby opening that old trunk on the porch. Some flash of color grabbed my attention and drew me out there to take a closer look, since I hadn't been inside it for 10 or 15 years. Guess what I found?

Our Lady of Guadalupe, of course!

After doing a little research on Wikipedia, I discovered that the most famous phrase relating to Our Lady of Guadalupe is, "Am I not here, I who am your mother?"

No wonder she was plastered inside this trunk!

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: CREATING A SENSE OF PLACE WITH FOOD

Today I present to you the first book I gave away in my Year of Reading Dangerously, back in my early days of blogging. I must warn you though. Prepare to be longing, not just for taste, but also for a sense of place. 

FLASHBACK

WELL, THIS IS A SWITCH!

I have planted many, many gardens at many, many houses, always starting with the smallest plants available to save money. However, I have rarely, if ever, been around to see them fill out and come into their own.  So, imagine my surprise when I realized that these gardens here didn't just fill out and reach maturity, but actually went well beyond that point. In fact, they've gone kinda crazy, and someone really oughta get out there and try to rein them in!

Our big oak trees have already been trimmed back multiple times -- to keep their limbs from scraping on our metal roof -- and ere long, they'll need it again.

We thought these two Will Flemming yaupons, which we framed the house with, were never going to make it to the top of the porch rail but, before you know it, they will have reached the top of the house!

American Beautyberry

This Crossvine, above, started out as a tiny little sprig at the base of a beautiful metal trellis in the shape of a dressmaker's model. Not only has it completely obliterated the trellis, it's taking over the porch railing as well. Plus, I didn't even plant some of these wild mystery vines, below. They just showed up on their own and started filling in all the empty spaces.

As for getting out there and trying to rein it all in, well, I'll think about it -- when the daily temps drop about 20 degrees, and the mosquitoes have all gone to meet their maker!

JUST WHAT I NEEDED, JUST WHEN I NEEDED IT

Well, we had a fairly fabulous weekend, filled with two movie dates, a Tiny Dinner Club meet up, and a birthday celebration with all the kiddos. And... I didn't think to take a single photo of anything. DOH! On the other hand, I did finally finish Frida II, and got plenty of pictures of her.

Although choosing collage over paint and pen takes ten times longer, and I have never really liked having sticky hands, there is something about it that calls to me. It's sort of like being on a treasure hunt, as you search for the perfect little scrap of paper with the perfect pattern and hue to fit in a particular little spot.

However, I must admit, finding those perfect pieces is getting harder and harder to do as my paper stash dwindles in size. I was just thinking it was way past time for me to take over the dining room for a week or two, to set up my paper-painting-mono-printing-assembly-line, when once again a little gift was dropped right into my lap!

I have long been a fan of a Scottish artist named Lucy Brydon, who utilizes hand-painted papers in her own work. A year or two ago I left a comment for her, saying something like "I don't suppose you ever considered teaching a class and sharing some of your techniques, huh?" Her reply? "Actually, I have been toying with the idea." Well, I forgot all about that conversation until just the other day, when this popped up in my feed -- an online workshop where Lucy and five other talented artists will be sharing their favorite techniques for making monoprints, as well as their favorite ways to utilize them!

Just what I needed, just when I needed it.

SYNCHRONICITY

Gotta love it!

  

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: DANGEROUS READING

If I had to choose my favorite posts I've ever done, in more than ten years of blogging, it would most certainly be the series I called "My Year of Reading Dangerously." I think perhaps it's time for me to revisit that series, not just for your reading pleasure, but also to remind myself exactly what brought us to this special place, and what we hoped to accomplish here. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

FLASHBACK

P.S. Sorry I won't be able to repeat the give-away, as I even gave away several of my own beloved books the first time, when I was unable to track down extra copies of them.