1/26/10


This picture was taken in front of my friend Terri's home. I didn't know what Selah meant so I asked Terri. She said it meant to pause and reflect. So when I got home I decided to look up the word. It is a Hebrew word and actually has several meanings according to sources on google. The one that sounded like the most common interpretation meant "a dramatic pause or change of tempo - stop and listen".   It is used many times in the Psalms.

The second most used interpretation meant "measured against" or "valued". Here the translation "valued" is used to illustrate the meaning of something for an exchange, i.e., wisdom cannot be measured with the gold of Ophir. It is BEYOND value. In other words, it is beyond comparison or measuring against.


What a wonderful way to describe my visit to Terri's home ~ A Time to Pause and Reflect ~ A Place of Value Beyond Measure. Not only did her home exhude this sentiment but also our time spent together. I am so thankful for friends like Terri with a willingness to take time to nuture friendship. May you be blessed with such friendships, until next time..... I wish you Peace...

1/25/10

ART JOURNALING DAY 8
For day 8 of our art journal we were to pick a word that would exemplify what our focus for the year would be and use it in our journal art page.  This is the page I came up with and a short explanation of the word I picked and why.....

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to live this year with "No Regrets", but..
that is not my word for 2010.   My word for 2010 is
BALANCE

For me the two things are very tied together. Finding balance in my life includes no regrets or apologies for not being able to do everything. Meaning.....if I want to do art, I will have no regrets about the layer of dust on everything and 2 loads of laundry not being done that I am behind on.

Balanced heart (living blissfully) makes for a balanced life.
Until next time......I wish you peace...

1/14/10

Essence of Woman

A recently completed sketch.  Would love to hear your interpretative thoughts on this one. 
Hope you enjoy....

1/10/10

ART JOURNALING ~ DAY 3 & 4
The Journal  prompt for days 3 and 4 was to use checks and large circles in the design.  I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do so I just started playing around with some ideas and the pictures below show what I came up with.   When starting this project I added texture to the 2 page spread using Liquitex Modeling Paste the night before so it had plenty of time to dry before adding the other layers. 

The color combinations turned out great and I thought the design had the look and feel of an old map page.

The left page has a "vintage paper island" that reads
 The Journey Awakens The Soul

The right page had lots of swirls for the circles and various sizes and shapes of numbers.  I put the numbers in the design to represent passage of days through the new year.

For day 5  the Journal prompt is diary or calendar pages.  Check back soon to see what design I came up with!  Until next time.............I wish you Peace..........

SUSHI !!
MMMM, don't you just love Sushi?  I have to admit Sushi is one of my favorite foods, so when I saw a picture of sushi candles made from beeswax sheets I knew I just had to try my hand at making some myself.  I was quite surprised that these candles burned for about 3 to 4 hours!  Beeswax is a great natural product with a light honey scent. 
These Were Very Easy To Make
Continue Below For Instructions
SUPPLIES:  For each candle you will need White, Black, Red, Natural and Pale Green Beeswax Sheets.  There are numerous suppliers on the web and through Etsy.com  Most beeswax sheets come 8 inches wide by 16 inches long.   I purchased pre-waxed wicks for the wicking, but you can make your own if you wish.
INSTRUCTIONS:  Cut each of the colors of beeswax into strips that are about 1 inch wide by 8 inches long.  Cut the red, green and natural strips again so they are only 4 inches long.  I usually warm each of my strips up just a little bit with a hairdryer to make it easier to get a tight roll and not crack the beeswax.  Only do this very lightly though as you do not want to melt the wax :-)    Roll up the 4 inch long strips in each of the above colors, this is the middle of the sushi rolls (the 3 colors of the sushi filling).  After rolling up the red, green and natural beeswax 4 inch long strips place them around the prewaxed wick securely.  For the "rice" portion of the sushi candle you will cut the white wax sheet into 1 inch wide by 8 inch long strips.  For each sushi candle you will use two 8 inch long strips and one 4 inch long strip.  (So you will be cutting some of the 8 inch long white strips in half.)  Wrap the white strips around the 3 colors you have secured to the wick.  Now you just need to cut the black wax sheet into 1 inch wide by 8 inch long strips.  Wrap one black strip over the last white strip you put on and you are done! 

As you can see by the above pictures you can mix up the color combinations in these to get the look of different kinds of sushi.  Let me know how yours turned out or if you have any questions. (You can leave a comment or question in the comment spot below this post.)  These would make a great valentines gift for that special someone who is a sushi lover!  Hope you enjoy this little craft project!   Until next time........I wish you Peace.........

1/7/10

ART JOURNALING 2010 - DAY 1 & 2
My mind swirled with ideas as I opened my recently purchased art journal and caught a whiff of the newly bound pages of the book.  A whole sketchbook full of blank pristine white pages full of endless possibilities!  The bouquets of brushes and newly sharpened pencils on my art table which overflowed with artists paraphenalia stood at the ready waiting for that first stoke or swirl. 

Filled with excitement  about starting my first art project for 2010 I quickly jumped online to take a peek at the prompt for the day for the art journal group I belong to.  The suggestion for the day was to make a Journal  Introduction Page.   Wanting to picture myself doing more art this year, I decided the theme for my journal this year would be.......
Visionary Moments.



On the second page I put words that expressed what I wanted my art to portray this year...family, friendships, love, life, protecting the environment, and finding bliss. I added the statement "Not All Who Wander Are Lost" to remind myself to try new things.

 Supplies Used For These Pages Were
Glazing Medium
Matte Medium
Permanent Markers
Acrylics
 Oil Pastels
Vintage Book Pages
Rubber Stamp
Stamping and Distress Inks
Polymer Clay

1/5/10

ART POD STUDIOS TOUR
Today I got to thinking that my readers might like to see where I work.....here at the Art Pod.   I finished getting my studio and supplies settled into their new home just recently and I am thoroughly enjoying my new space.   I still have some organizing to do but it was wonderful this fall when my busy Halloween season hit and I had such a wonder place to work in........

This area of the studio is dedicated to comfort!!  I have my morning tea time here and contemplate goals for the day.

This shot was taken from the staircase and pretty well shows the layout of the whole studio.


One of the things I did not get a picture of is the cathederal ceiling area of the studio.    The ceiling is all wood and adds a lot of visual warmth to the studio, while the 6 skylights at the highest part of the ceiling add the much needed natural light for doing my artwork.

Hope you enjoyed my little tour, until next time I wish you peace...............

1/4/10

LIKE THE SONG SAYS
FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD!!
Here are just a few of the food gifts I made for Christmas this year.  In this picture are Marshmallows on a Stick that were dipped in chocolate  then rolled in toffee bits.  Cranberry Bars, one of our family favorites. Poppy Seed Bread Slices and Snack Jar Mixes For Gifts.  (If you are interested in the recipes for some of these foods just click on the topic Recipes in the side bar and it will take you to my recipe pages.)


          
           
Our Christmas Breakfast ~ Spinach Omlette, Ham Balls and Fruit Slush.