Celebrating the Beauty of Giving and Receiving

Happy Monday

Jane of Art Takes A Village is celebraing the beauty of giving and receiving by doing a giveaway of one of her fabulous blinged coin purse necklaces.

All you have to do is leave a comment.

Go now.........Art Takes A Village

Terri Brush is coming to town....Let's Solder

Check out her fab classes at:

http://www.terribrushdesigns.com/San-Diego-Art-Workshops.html

She'll be teaching 3 classes in Solano Beach. Check out this crown that you can make in one of her classes, WOW!

Loving Friends Comfort and Help....

I am oh so lucky to have loving and creative friends that are there for me when I need it the most.

My daughter-in-law suggested I ask my friends to help me collage pictures of my husband for his Celebration of Life because she knows how creative they are. I thought what a wonderful idea because everyone has been offering their help and support and sometimes it isn't so easy to ask or know what is best.

Today friends came that could and oh so pumped me up and inspired me to work through my emotions as I dig through my pictures of a lovely life with my husband Frank. I am so glad for those memories.

I realize Love hasn't left but has manifested itself in all my friends and family support and compassion.

A friend suggested doing the collages on 12 x 12 scrapbook paper so that after I can put them into a scrapbook and have them to share for years to come. They look AWESOME and I want to do more on my own.

Thank you dear friends for helping and those that couldn't I know "life happens" and I will depend on you for more support as time goes on and hopefully I can repay that support by doing the same for others.

Hugs, jackie

When Love Leaves, What do you do?

Friends you may have noticed I have not been blogging lately. It's because my husband, Frank had been declining and lots to do. Unfortunately, on Monday, September 6, 2010 he passed away in the early morning hours in his sleep.

I am blessed to have friends and family to help me through this time and wish each day that this is but a dream. We all know death is a certainity and I must be glad that I had 25 wonderful years with my husband and remember the love and good times we had and continue on.


Never Alone

When I looked out over the patio tonight I noticed a single star,
With fog so dense you couldn't see the moon, I new it could only be you.

I stared at you for a while hoping for a reason,
Then realized at that very moment that you weren't gone at all,
In fact you are and always will be alive in our hearts and memories,
Your love is strong Frank,
So strong in fact that it has burned a hole in the fog,
Just so that the light of you can keep us warm and protected at night.

Though night shall fade and day shall come,
I know that you will not have abandoned me,
For you are now my shadow that guides and protects my day,
I know now that I shall never walk alone again,
For you will always be there holding my hand.

One would not think to ever hurt me,
For they will see my Husband at my side,
And know that a man of great stature and power protects me.

I will sleep easy tonight,
Knowing that you are there beside me,
When I feel that extra bit of warmth and security at night,
I know it is but your arms wrapped around me.

I am Never Alone, And You Are Never Forgotten.

Bling Baby

I was lucky enough to attend a class Sunday lead by the artist, Lisa Loria. Her "Bling Babies" are so cute and even useful as a jewelry holder. She has been selling these cuties for awhile now but decided to show us some of "secrets" to making these vintage babes.

The night before, I had my bag of doll parts, hack saw, glue gun and bird cage ready to go.



Lisa had the class in Rita's workshop in Rainbow, California. This, in itself, was a win-win situation because I have been wanting to check out Rita's workshop where she makes her lovely creations.

Greeted by Rita and Dean's 3 (I think there were only 3) doggies I walked into Rita's little workshop where the magic happens :} Lisa had her baubles, bling and lamp pieces and some of her Bling Babies ready for us to use and be inspired by.

We didn't have use our hack saws because Rita had a band saw and she got good at sawing little dollies in half.



Lisa helped us build our very own "bling babies" and gave us some great information and hints and techniques that helped us build our girlies into little works of art.



Here's some of the bling babies in different phases of their creation.











Here's a little collage of my bling baby Rita did for me.



If you get a chance to take this class from Lisa, do it!

OMG talk about Procastination!

I know I am the queen of procrastination and have to confess it here on my blog.

My sister took her daughter and friend to New York to see Wicked and spent a fun week of sightseeing. After her return, she asked me if I would do a scrapbook for my niece and my niece's friend.

I said sure, give me the pictures and I'll do it. It took her about 6 months to FINALLY get the pictures to me........that was about January, 2009!!

Ahhhhh yes, I've had these pictures in my hand for over a year and half....eeeeeekkkkk.....I started, stopped, changed my mind, started, stopped, got sick, went shopping, painted a room, watched TV, played with my friends.......started, labored over how terrible I was....you get the picture.......PROCRASTINATION@!@!!

Well I am here to tell you TODAY I delivered the FINISHED scrapbooks to my sister, apologized over and over. She ooo'd and aww'd and complimented me and appreciated my work......luckily, she's my sister and she knows me and she had just moved on with her life while I agonized over getting those *@*#! scrapbooks done.

I'm really not sure why it was so hard for me......I wanted to make more of an altered scrapbook but in the end, because of all the photos felt it was better to be nearer to a "regular" scrapbook.....so I think that held me back as I kept questioning if it was too boring.

A weight has been lifted and now I feel like I can get back to creating with some of the ideas that have been flying through my head...........if I don't Procrastinate AGAIN. ha ha

Here's a few pics.............For Better or Worse.......they are DONE. YAYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!

Can't Put KC Willis in a Box or can You?

If you read my blog or have talked to me recently, you know that I took a class with KC Willis here in San Diego at the Urban Barn and she will be coming back in February for more FANTASTIC classes.

KC also offers her classes on DVD (next best thing to her being here :) and she has put them in a box with her signed art but I guess the demand has been so great and she is so busy with her road trip classes that she will be discontinuing them soon.

She is doing a giveaway of "KC in a Box" on her blog here.

Also, check out her LIVE workshops, which are so great. You can see where she'll be by checking out her workshops here.

KC also has her on-line worshop "Collage Camp" check it out here.

Head on over to her blog and enter yourself into her giveaway and check out her classes, workshops and Collage Camp.

You won't be disappointed!