Just Bloom

In the middle of some dreary, cloudy, and cool southern California weather, I thought a colorful bouquet of blooming flowers from the local farmer's market would chase away the blues. Life has been really busy lately with hardly a minute to catch my breath. I found this quote to bring me back to what's important...

"The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers."

When we surround ourselves with those who really understand our spiritual and emotional needs, we really do bloom and become better because of that love or friendship. I can name lots of people who have helped me to bloom...I can only hope that I have done the same for them!!

The City of Angels

I recently got a new second-hand camera... so hubby and I decided to take a day trip to practice getting some good photos. What better place to find sources of inspiration than Los Angeles?

We found this cute little park near Beverly Hills that was a peaceful green oasis in the middle of city blocks of cement.

Next stop was Amoeba Music, which is a superstore of any type of music imagineable!! It is like a real life iTunes, but in an actual building! The entire outside of the building is covered with murals of music legends. Here is Billie Holiday.....
Next up was a trip to the neighborhood called Los Feliz. This is the old theater in the middle of town.
The highlight of the trip was my first ever trip to Pinkberry...wow!!! I was so hoping that it would live up to my expectations and it did not disappoint!!! I chose the newest flavor, coconut tart. Even though all this luscious fruit was available to choose from, I was naughty and had my yogurt topped with fresh coconut and dark chocolate bites. Delicious!!!!
Our lunch choice was an authentic French cafe that had the most scrumptious buttery croissants topped with a sweet glaze. We also enjoyed a tasty sandwich, salad, and fresh lemonade, but two more croissants made their way home with us!!
All in all, a really fun day filled with lots of places I had never really visited, even though I've been to Los Angeles several times. Goes to show that there are sources of inspiration everywhere around us if only we take some time to notice!!!

The Cherry on Top!

Here is the last part of the weekend which I promised to show... a close up of the canvas that my partner, Jessi, created. Love it!!! It is going to look so bright and cheerful against my bubblegum pink studio walls!!

The quote is a little hard to read in the picture, but it says, "Just put your ear down next to your soul and listen hard." I especially like some of the elements she used because she included a real branch she found while out on a walk one day...which is one of the ways I think many of us get some alone time to ourselves to listen to our inner voice, the voice of our soul. Lots of times that voice is critical, negative, or just downright irrational. Right now that voice of my soul is saying, "You don't need to get one more productive thing done today...just sit with your thoughts and let them still you." I try to listen to that voice because it usually speaks the truth of what I ache for- not what my head tells me I should believe, but what my heart tells me really is. If you get a still moment today or tomorrow, what truths will your soul speak to you?

The Art- Part 2

As promised, here are some more highlights from Artistic Affaire L'Automne.....Of course, the projects were the highlight of the day! First up was Lisa Kettell's class in which we created little dragonfly ballerinas out of clay. Here is a snapshot of some ballerinas created during the class- how cute!!!!

Here is the dragonfly I made (sorry- bad lighting on the picture). I think that mine turned out more like a sweet little bathing beauty than a ballerina but I love her anyway!! Not sure how I'm going to finish the project off yet, but it will involve more PINK!
The last class of the day was taught by the amazing Ruth Rae. I've been waiting a long time to take a class from her- especially utilizing some sort of fiber arts!! We made fabric cuff bracelets using all sorts of fabric scraps and pieces of muslin we stamped images onto. Here is mine so far...not quite finished. I like the earthy nature feel that it has.
One more post tomorrow should just about finish up all the highlights of the day. See you back here then!!

Got Art?

This past weekend I was lucky enough to attend Artistic Affaire L'Automne, hosted by the wonderful Kim Caldwell! I can't say enough about how fabulous and inspiring these events are for me! At one time I was just a lonely crafter, making little creations at my cramped kitchen table in my 700 sq. ft apartment. Since attending her events, I have found so many other amazing women who share the same passions as me, get equally as excited about a yard of aged vintage lace, and will do anything to escape the day-to-day rigor for a weekend getaway of crafting!! I will post more about the projects later this week. However, I can tell you that the day was filled with a beautiful atmosphere....

sweet friends...... (here I am with the very talented Holly, who also sold some beautiful handmade pieces at the Market Soiree)
and fabulously fun swaps!! Jessi was my swap partner for the Soul Inspired Canvas Swap and I absolutely LOVE the piece she made for me....just perfect!!! Thanks, Jessi!!! This picture doesn't quite do it justice so I will post a close-up tomorrow.
I am re-inspired with new ideas and techniques and ready to go forth and create!!!! See you tomorrow for some more highlights!!

Butterflies in My Garden

This morning, as I watered my butterfly plant, I caught sight of what seemed to be tens of tiny yellow bugs on my plant.  Frustrated that I thought something was eating my plant, I bent down to take a closer look.  That's when I came eye to eye with these two friends...monarch butterfly caterpillars!! How beautiful!! I then realized that what I thought were yellow bugs were actually newly hatched butterfly eggs.  I cannot wait to see if they spin themselves a chrysalis and transform into beautiful butterflies.  How ironic...I've been thinking a lot lately about the changes I'll make to preserve time for what's important to me and here is nature's example of transformation, change, and the beauty of what's to be right in my own backyard!

Bonus Swap Treat

I've been busy working on some of the swap projects for this event in another week...can't believe it's almost here!!! I am so excited to soon be hanging out with many of my friends whom I haven't seen since the summer or since Kim's last event in May.  Of course, I'm also looking forward to the awesome classes with some great artists from whom I've long been wanting to learn some new techniques.  

I am hosting a Soul Inspired Canvas swap at the event where participants make an artistic canvas for their partner with a quote of their partner's choosing.  Since I have a small group of participants, I decided to create a little thank you for their participation.

Hope they like them!!!!  I had lots of fun creating these!  I'm also looking forward to swapping canvases with my sweet partner, Jessi!  She made me the most amazing decorated vintage bottle over the summer, which she now sells in her etsy shop.  Check them out!  I'm off to add some finishing details to her canvas....have a great Friday!!