Happy Holidays! 2015

With Joy...

 We didn't do family photos this year, so this is who we were, according to the kids: Cheetah Fairies, Cheetah Princesses, Design Coloring Books, Batman, Lego Man, Star Wars, and us parents, a Consistent presence in the background of our colorful children.  And we also got a new wild cat, Max, to terrorize Tom.

 Martins Cove

 Kids Triathlon 

her version...

the Gruffalo!

okay...we are doing it again...sort of...

We have another party planned...

but it is just a small one...

'twin' cousins...born about 10hrs apart...

and my sis is in charge so that makes it easier...

Lalaloopsey Birthday Party!

...it was "hat! hat!" so I put on the "hat" 

and he ran to the spot where his sister was

getting her pictures done. 

 Isn't everything virtual these days? 

They each get their own virtual Lala of themselves!

(okay, just an digital drawing)

sorta looks like them though, right :)

 and...for the finale...

ta da!

that is major sewing for me...

care bears birthday party!

 biggest party she's ever had...and she planned it...

so fun, 

the birthday girl got 'taken' and

the kids had to rescue her

so they could all earn their care bear tummy symbols

and learn about their new 'powers'

....but...I hope she has it out of her system

and next year says, lets just keep it family. :)

what are sisters for. :)

flight...

Teacher Appreciation Door for my

kid's Speech Language Pathologist

who is retiring this year!

 each silhouette is one of her students...

fix it up...wear it out...

...this is our beloved "Creature"

(the doll. Not the little monster, I mean boy. :)

we like our favorite toys to last...

well, Creature, tho loved,

was not snugly, and didn't sing anymore (creepy),

and was coming apart at the seams...

so he did disappear...

and new, snugly soft, bigger "Creature"

seems to be taking his place just fine...

'whew'

slipperly slope...

...we've been busy! I thought things kinda slow down after Christmas...wrong...boy was I wrong...they are NOT slowing down and I'm trying to figure out why not! It's like you get over the top of the hill (the new year) and go flyyyyying to the bottom....end of school year....and SUMMER....

...our newest project.
well, hubby's project really...so very proud of him: :)

Americana girls' room + three daughters = triple bunk bed:

Express yourself...CREATE

...the ability is within us all...

express yourself...ABC Zoo...

...shutterfly came through for me once again with a code for a free 8x8 book and our newest children's book is:

more scrapbooking....

...a friend requested to see some more scrapbook pages...

artist in the works

Boo's painting...all by herself. (except for my big blue thumb-print).

Signature hand-tracing to show how big she was.

Embrace Truth from Whatever the Source

I’ve just finished reading “If you want to write” by Brenda Ueland and want to make special mention of it because my blog seems to be patterned after her thoughts on creativity and imagination. I didn’t mean for this. I had this blog finished before I even started the book. The quotes by William Blake I did post after starting this read; it all fit together so well.
Joseph Smith taught us to embrace truth from whatever the source. This was in my mind as I read this. Maybe because she seemed to write about the truth of creativity and imagination. Maybe because she said, "...for what is true to you today may not be true at all tomorrow, because you see a better truth." She encourages us to learn and grow from mistakes without fear or worry of the criticism we get from others for so doing. I wrote down other things from her book…’mind candy’ for me. :)

Fear...Inadequacy

Boo wouldn't sleep from about midnight until 4:30am. So, I'm reading some amazing, beautiful blogs by people who inspire me, make me laugh, bring tears. There are millions out there. Talent. I believe. Then, it brings to front personal inadequacies. Why does that happen at all? To see someone else's life and think it's extra-ordinary, and then feel that my own is ordinary. Boring. I feel it. But I'm going to continue anyway... I believe this:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.' We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." Marianne Williamson

In a book I'm reading, the auther Brenda Ueland says: "remember these two things: you are talented and you are original. Be sure of that. I say this because self-trust is one of the very most important things...."

Children's Literature

I LOVE children's literature. I love the pictures! I was invited to a critique group made up of illustrators and artists and have really enjoyed getting back into the world of art. It's been too long!

So, my latest 'masterpiece' is a book dedicated to, written for, and written 'by' my daughters. It uses only words known by Boo. It's the adventures of Boo and Little Bay together; and, I love how it turned out. Oh, I don't think my art is fabulous, they were quick, fun sketches. Nor it will be a Caldecott winner. But it turned out just the way I wanted it to. I scanned their clothes to use as the backgrounds (great idea from a friend!). The objects in the story are photos of their objects. Above all it serves it's purpose: the girls love it too.

Scrapbooking is Definitely ART

This is an area of 'art' where I definitely could use help. I consider it my sister-in-laws specialty and when it comes to real embellishments and cardstock, I will let her have it! (She has tried to convince me otherwise!) Now, I made this scrapbook page digitally using Paint Shop Pro, and I love the page (I copied the idea from a scrapbook magazine). But it took me SOOOO long to do it. I had to make every embellishment; every little bit you see was pieced together. I know there are faster ways to do this. I just don't know those ways.

The Early Years

My husband suggested this be a 'webpage' for my artwork. To his credit, I suppose that he believes I’m selling myself short by not trying to display, sell, publish, or in any ambitious way make money from my artistic efforts. Cause he thinks I'm good. :) My thoughts on this have always been: once I do try to sell and have to conform to please the money…I won’t enjoy it anymore. I also feel the lack of education, talent, and time put in required to ‘be really good’ enough to actually make money off of my creative endeavors. Maybe I'm just scared. But lets go back a few (several) years to give you some of my art history. It's a sample. A fun, varied one.

To start: a really old work. My Young Women Personal Progress Project. We posted them with coordinating flowers on the church grounds. Idea from the Salt Lake City Beehive House.

The following are from High School. What fun to go back and see this stuff!

We drew this on the walls of my college apartments at Ricks College. When the manager saw it he was pretty upset; but, he calmed down when we showed him how easily these washable crayons come off.















Washable crayons again. I drew these on the walls for my sister's kids. I've always loved Disney!



























This was in my sister's bedroom.




















Oil painting class at BYU.


















The home I grew up in. My art teacher didn't like this because he didn't like to put surreal, religious stuff in paintings. Oh well, families can be forever, right!

Just some sketches.

Pumpkin art. I mostly just painted them...but I had some fun with this one.














Watercolor card made for one of the girls in my Young Women's class.
















When we lived in Dillingham, Alaska
we were able to enjoy the culture, the dance, the costume. They were a great people.














Carving from whale bone or walrus tusk was common. This is a digital piece I was having fun with for the logo of a local radio station.

In our second year of marriage, my husband and I took a tour through Europe for a couple of months. We got to see areas of his Mission in Italy, and meet old friends. It was an amazing trip. I guess I just couldn't get enough of it. This is my husband's dresser.

Alaska again. We had a luau for the Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation. This is one of those boards you put your face into and take a picture.

Watercolor for a friend who liked cows.

Watercolor for a friend who liked frogs.

Some more pumpkin art.

Before...

...After!

"Aww, you made me ink!"

My nephew in pencil.

This was for a friend in Alaska. Her son. Oil painting.

A cousin of my husband.









This is all for this entry, now I will just add as I do more work. Thanks for looking!

My poor kid during Halloween.