Compassion

Bean of Coyote Craft posted this.... and I just had to repost it.

"Sometimes we think that to develop an open heart, to be truly loving and compassionate, means that we need to be passive, to allow others to abuse us, to smile and let anyone do what they want with us. Yet this is not what is meant by compassion. Quite the contrary.

Compassion is not at all weak. It is the strength that arises out of seeing the true nature of suffering in the world. Compassion allows us to bear witness to that suffering, whether it is in ourselves or others, without fear; it allows us to name injustice without hesitation, and to act strongly, with all the skill at our disposal. To develop this mind state of compassion... is to learn to live, as the Buddha put it, with sympathy for all living beings, without exception."

~ Sharon Salzberg, Lovingkindness

New Attitude

I am cheering as tonight I cleaned my studio. Which sounds probably silly but the thought really is - I was ABLE to clean my studio. I still ache and can't bend completely but hardly any pain walking and able to move around fairly normal. I am hoping tomorrow I can get a little housework done. I know I will need to take it slow to make sure I am not pushing.

My whole attitude tonight is so different because of my knee finally feeling better.

Quote from Living the Creative Life

From Living the Creative Life by Rice Freeman-Zachery: "Most of us think there's a right way to do everything, from the "right way" to brush your teeth, to the "right way" to paint a picture (like Rembrandt or Jackson Pollock, but not like your five-year-old nephew). Most of us given a canvas, a brush and a set of paints and told, "Paint a tree," would be terrified. A Tree? What kind of tree? How big? What shades of green should I use? We'll search the internet for photographs and paintings of trees, hoping to learn the "right way" to paint such a thing."

(just adding the image of a tree that I did for a round robin altered book - I like that tree I just put the paper that I cut that tree from paper that I basically used as a scrap piece of paper to paint on top of - and then I just added a little more paint to it and cut a tree out.)

Gratitude Friday

I am thankful...
1. For being able to witness history in watching the Inauguration on the 20th.
2. For having a new president - President Obama!
3. For the wonderful aromas coming from the kitchen - chili in the crockpot and a pumpkin pie in the oven right now
4. For ice pack for my knee
5. For my website being uploaded with the new design. I am grateful I am finally done with it. On the other hand though it always happens with me. I redesign it and then I am not happy with it and have 10 million other ideas in my head for it. But I am grateful I at least have a new design up as I was really sick of the old one.
6. For all the inspiration around me.

Blog Hopping

Tablescaping - a blog dedicated to different tablescapes (deocrating the table basically with dishes, tablecloth, centerpiece and so on - someone asked me what tablescape means)

Felt Votive Centerpiece on Design Sponge - so cute in its simplicity. (I love the website design of Design Sponge - wish I would have done it!)

And because Design Sponge is up for a design award for the bloggies listing the link to vote in the 2009 Weblog Awards

Captured....Yesterday

This link has amazing photos of yesterday....breathtaking...

Captured - Inauguration Day

Adding this link to the prayer at this mornings service.

Happy Birthday!

Wishing my Dad a VERY Happy 60th Birthday! I hope you have a wonderful birthday celebration today! Sending you love!

The Journey Begins...

I know I won't have words for today. As said many times it is history in the making. In 2004, Michael and I heard just a little clip on CNN of a speech by Obama (weren't hooked on MSNBC at that time). I turned to Michael and said one day that man will be president. I didn't know anything about him. I had never heard him speak before. But that night how he spoke and more importantly the words he spoke were powerful and moved me. And that hasn't changed. When I listen to him, I am nodding in agreement and end up feeling hopeful - in a way I have never felt.

So today I am going to be spend my day glued to the TV. I will have kleenex box near me as I usually am so moved by Obama and in a few hours I can say "President Obama."


*image from Wallpaper for Obama

We are One

I watched the We are One concert at the Lincoln Memorial yesterday on HBO with Michael. We were disappointed that HBO didn't air Rev. Gene Robinson's opening prayer. Supposedly it was the Inaugural committees fault. But still it was odd to me. If you didn't know Rev. Gene Robinson is an openly gay bishop of the Episcopalian Church. (Read the text and watch the youtube video)

Many things said and sang at the concert made me tear up. I am going to need a kleenex box planted next to me during this whole Inauguration.

So my favorite part of the concert was U2. I have been fans of theirs since high school - maybe junior high. As always Bono got political which of course at this type of concert was the right place. He commented that Obama's election is "not just an American dream but also an Irish dream, a European dream, an African dream, an Israeli dream and also a Palestinian dream." I also liked what he said about four Irish boys..."What a thrill for four Irish boys from the north side of Dublin to honour you sir, Barack Obama, to be the next president of the United States." They sang one of my favorites Pride(In The Name Of Love)- which is their tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.

So here is U2 form the concert....



* by the way the link above to We are One Concert is to HBO and it says watch now so looks like you can watch it online there.

Gratitude Friday

I am thankful...
1. That although I have a very swollen and sore knee - I got through the filming and did some set up.
2. For really good chili fries for dinner! Junk food I think tastes even better when not feeling well.
3. For the arrival of 2 books I ordered using some of the amazon gift certificate my sisters gave us for Christmas.
4. For inspiration found in those books.
5. For Michael - as always he just has been amazing with me being down and out. Taking care of me - making sure I am elevating and icing. Getting up in the middle of the night to get me more ibuprofen. Just doing everything he can to make sure I am comfortable.

Face Plant on the Driveway

Always a great way to start the day by doing a face plant on the driveway. I was walking to the car and looking at the things in my hand to make sure I had everything and tripped. I landed half on the driveway and half into the snow next to the driveway. My face and all the stuff in my hands ended up in the snow. And my knee hit the driveway hard.

When I first came into the house, I couldn't put any weight on my left leg/knee. Now after icing it - it is weight bearing. Bruised and battered looking but movable (mostly). Thank goodness. We leave for Denver this afternoon. Hopefully I will be able to film tomorrow. I think filming is possible as I would just be able to sit and film. I don't think I will be able to help with set up though and that will almost kill me watching Michael do that all on his own.

Art Journal 2009

For Christmas 2006, my sister Michelle gave me a little suede covered journal. And in it she wrote a little sweet note about using to create. I have wanted to do an art journal in it but it is one of those things I always have thought in my mind "I need to do it everyday" so it stopped me as I knew I would never be able to keep it up everyday. So this year I finally gave myself permission to not create in it everyday. Mostly after reading Visual Chronicles and Living the Creative Life.

So I don't expect to create in it everyday, but I hope to capture either moments that were important to me or just be creative without worrying about the "right away." It is my test ground for things. It is where I can do as little or as much as I want. Whatever I need in the moment to express.

My first entry in it is my favorite as it really represents me right now and of how I have felt at times and especially in turning 40.



Quote that is on the left hand side is from The Mermaid Chair: "I lived molded to the smallest space possible, my days the size of little beads that passed without passion through my fingers. So few people know what they're capable of. At forty (42) I'd never done anything that took my own breath away, and I suppose now that was part of the problem--my chronic inability to astonish myself."

(the book had 42 but I used 40 for me although I am 41)

It is acrylic paint on the background with rubber stamped images to just give it a little more texture (I am all about texture) and beads glued on - and then a mermaid that I had in my stack of ephemera that I painted just every so lightly.

Homemade Christmas Gifts

This year I did lots of homemade gifts as we had a big investment in our business recently. My other criteria was I needed simple just like the clothes pins and little notebooks as I didn't have a lot of time this year as we were so busy with work.

So here are a few simple gifts I made...

Two frames - one for each set of parents. The frames I picked up at Dollar Tree. They were really flat plain wooden frames - perfect for embellishing. The ripped up paper is layered and glued on the frame. The paper is from a daily meditation/devotion book - and I used all the love, marriage and companionship type entries.


A frame for Michael's parents with a photo he took of them at their 50th Wedding Anniversary party. I rubbed antiquing tint on it with a sponge and then turquoise blue as it is a favorite color of Michael's Mom. And then they both really enjoy scrabble so I used scrabble type letters to spell out love.


This one was for my parents. The photo is one that Michael took of them when they were here for my birthday in October. On my parents I rubbed with antiquing tint again but then used white over it instead of the blue like Michael's parents frame. I embellished with scrapbooking elements.


And then I made this for my Dad. It is a clipboard that I picked up at again Dollar Tree. It has a little slide hanger on it so it can be hung up. I just basically did a scrapbooking layout on it. I glued down 3 different papers, then 3 photos on top were again from October when my parents visited that I roughed up around the edges. I embellished with tags and other little bits.

Visual Chronicles

We got home from Denver maybe 30 minutes ago but I didn't want to forget to do this so signed online right away...

Last night before bed I was reading from Visual Chronicles by Linda Woods & Karen Dinino. It is a book that Michael got me for my birthday and I love. The sub-title to it is "The No-Fear Guide to Creating ART JOUNRALS, Creative manifestos and altered books."

Anyway..here is the quote I wanted to share...

"I AM ART. Say it loud and say it strong. You are art -- right here and now. You do not have to do anything to be "artistic" or learn anything special to be quotable. You are a living, breathing, perfect example of art. You are color, light, form, words, song, sound....You are a unique, ever-growing, ever-changing masterpiece."

I think that last part of..."You are color, light, form..." is really amazing.

Gratitude Friday

I am thankful...
1. for a productive and successful day of work/business.
2. for a much more relaxed set up and take down of equipment. It takes us an hour but we have felt rushed the last few times and this time was much more laid back. I think we are getting the hang of it.
3. for being able to have Frank's famous spaghetti and meatball dinner while here in Denver. They are SO GOOD!
4. for Michael finishing a wedding video he had been working on. He put lots of time into it and I am thankful he is done with it. It of course turned out amazing as he is a very talented man.
5. for time with family.

I recognize that I have much more to be thankful for in my life.

Crafts @ Christmas

We get peanuts at Sam's in the BIG tins. I have thought there has to be things I can do with them. And I have used a couple for art supplies. But then I thought for Christmas they might make good treat tins. This is the tin I did for Michael's parents.


I had 2 simple little crafts I did this year that I included I think in everyone's Christmas presents. The first is what I was calling gratitude journals. Just little journals to jot down gratitude as you think of it or need. I then expanded it to wish journals, simple pleasure, everyday moments, ideas, memories and so on. So the next 2 pictures are just a sampling of a few of them.





The other craft that was so so simple. I painted clothes pins and then used rubber stamps on them. On the back of the clothes pins I attached magnets. So little magnet memo clips....

Gratitude Friday

I am thankful...
1. for a wonderful holiday - Christmas and New Years were very nice, quiet and relaxing
2. for tea, hot chocolate and hot apple cider - hot beverages during the cold cold winter
3. for a great phone call from a friend...we laughed and shared and I am thankful for our phone call and more importantly for my friend. And we made a resolution that we would have a monthly phone call.
4. for finding a 50% off coupon for Michael's and having a Michael's gift certificate that I got for my birthday and hadn't used yet. So going there tomorrow.
5. for the Penzeys Spices that a good friend gave me for Christmas. When I opened them, they filled the house with wonderful aroma so I couldn't wait to use them.

Happy 2009!