Bringing on the Busy...

I have felt kind of down this weekend. But today I finished up something for a friend and that actually helped me feel better knowing we will make her smile. I don't feel I accomplished much else though this weekend. I have 2 websites that I need to work on...changes to one and finishing up the other now that the client decided what template she wants. I also need to finish up an article. And then prep for Thanksgiving this week.

Michael's parents are coming for his birthday (Dec 6th) so I need to finish the autumn cleaning I started a few weeks ago (when I was steam cleaning). I would like to wash and press all the curtains and steam clean the hallway and Michael's office before they come (then all the carpet in the house would be done). I have bunches of stuff to go to Goodwill but I need to get it all together (one spot) and then typed up for taxes.

I started making our holiday card list today, got out the cards and labels so that I can try to get those out early this year. Maybe I will even get a letter done this year.

(The photo is one Michael took of our tree a couple years ago - the ornament is one his Grandmother made.)

New Business Card

Michael had a coupon for 100 free business cards and I am out so he said I should use it. So I made up some new designs. I ended up ordering number 5 (which is the photo below). I sent it to a bunch of friends and the majority liked 5 the best. But it was close between 1 and 5 - in the end though 5 had more votes. I would like to get a batch of 1 sometimes too.

Friday Gratitude

5 Things I am Thankful in my Life...1. Although I wish it was more like the first season, I am still glad Project Runway is back -- it is a pure guilty pleasure.
2. For getting Michael hooked on Project Runway!
3. New business cards about to be ordered!
4. Some work things that I really did good on this past week. Inspired me to want to redesign my website and also Michael's business site.
5. For having my 2nd try at getting some blood go well...tests came all normal. Just got general blood work up.

(image from a piece of my art -- I think I have posted this before but I posted it over on Michael and my blog so thought I would just do the same here.)

Deep Thoughts...Okay not really...

Sunday
I thought my day was going to go bad. Once a month my cooking skills go out the window. For brunch I burnt our turkey bacon and then the biscuits were more ummm blackish-brown on their bottoms then they should have been. Luckily Michael took care of the eggs or we wouldn't have had anything that was -right-. I forgot a few things that day too - like meds.

I did though get lots of work - coding websites templates - done. I really kicked ass on them actually. They look really good and I need to keep them in my portfolio because I might be able to modify them for another client. It really made me want to redo Michael's work website to though because I just was really in a groove -- so I jotted some notes down to redo his -- this will be version 3 now. I just redid his probably 6 months ago though. I need to start also working on a holiday banner for our blogspot.

Monday
Sunday night I think we went to bed close to 2am. And I read until 3:30 am and then got up fairly early so I was dragging ALL DAY. You would think that last night I would have slept soundly but I didn't. I didn't do a lot yesterday - some chores, laundry, a little graphic thing Michael needed me to do and that was about it.

Tuesday
It is only 12:45 and we have been really productive but just got home a bit ago. We left the house at 7:45am. I had to go get blood drawn. I have border line high blood pressure. Then I have white coat syndrome - meaning as soon as I set foot in the doctors office my blood pressure sky rockets. But because I am a big girl my doctor always worries it is just not white coat syndrome and that I have heart disease. So I get to go do blood test every so often for a lipid panel. It always come back in the acceptable range but I guess it is better to have her care enough to do it then not.

When we got there, I was freezing. I said to Michael I bet it will be a hard go on my vains today because I am so cold they all are shrunk up and hiding. He laughed and nodded his head like my girl is silly. I get back in the nurses chair and she is saying how busy it has been and everyone has been a hard stick. And I said you will probably have problems with me too. My doctor walked by as I was getting it done so came to see how it was going and both the nurse and I said not good. I said I am so cold this morning it is hard to get one to come up the surface. They both commented that my hands were ice. So I get to come back as she didn't want to stick m again...she only stuck me 2 times. Thursday morning I have to be back at 8:10am -- I told Michael that I probably should get up and get moving around more so that I warm up long before we leave the house. We woke up, showered and left so I know my body wasn't awake at all. Even my usual for sure place on my hand wouldn't pop up and that vain always springs right up with a few times of clenching/unclenching my hand.

Getting stuck this morning though reminded me of when I was getting married. I was having lots of asthma problems - in and out of the ER several times right before our wedding. I knew it was probably just stress of the wedding. Our honeymoon was going to be in Colorado...going to high altitude with the asthma problems - made me a tad bit worried. So I made an appointment with my doctor to maybe change my inhaler or do something to help me out while there. My appointment was 2 days before my wedding. And they wanted blood. The nurse stuck me once, twice, third time...I threw up. By the 6th time she knew I was on the verge of getting sick again she is trying to keep my mind off it by engaging me in conversation where I then tell her - I am getting married in 2 days. She went white and looked like she was going to get sick. She blurted out in a very worried tone.."omg does your dress have long sleeves?" Because after sticking me that many times I had bruises on both arms appearing before I even left. I told her yes it was long sleeves but after that she was so nervous she ended up sending me to the hospital lab...which they stuck me once - barely felt the needle go in. It actually was one of the best blood labs I have been too. Oh I guess the nurse in Cleveland too was good too but she had to stick more then once sometimes. But her attitude and energy were so great...she was funny and just so nice. She usually had me crying - not because of pain but from laughing so hard.

I guess back on track of daily report....so had the lab appointment this morning, then after we went to breakfast, target, grocery shopping, library and post office. I am starting to stock up on stuff to make Christmas goodies. Library didn't have the next in the Outlander series ready for me yet. Someone was suppose to return it on the 8th but well that hasn't happened. I never read The Golden Compass before either so I requested that one and there is not even a waiting list on it. I figured there might be since the movie will be out soon.

I need to do some laundry today and I need to finish some work.

(from an ATC - Monster Joy)

Friday Gratitude

5 things I am thankful for in my life...1. Being able to request books online to pick up at the library!
2. Doctor appointment going smoothly this week and for the wonderful staff in my doctors office. They are all so good!
3. For the yummy comfort food I made on Sunday - Chicken and Dumplings
4. For Michael because he is so amazing
5. For airborne keeping the cold away from me

(cropped image from Allergy Season)

Elizabethtown

Last night I watched Elizabethtown. I put it on my netflix queue after seeing Orlando Bloom in the 3rd Pirate movie as I just really liked him as eye candy. Well I wouldn't say the movie was great but it did touch me. It had some really beautiful touching moment for me and some really good lines (I will put at the end of the post a few the lines). But then...what really pushed it over the top was the MUSIC! It is a Cameron Crowe movie and his movies usually have good music but this really seemed to even out do Almost Famous (which I have that soundtrack too because I love the music - icon is from it too).

In the movie Kirstin Dunst's character (Claire) has told Orlando Bloom's character (Drew) that he should take a road trip because he said he never done one. She makes him this really cool altered book with maps (including places where he should stop and why), pictures and then mix cds for the whole way to fit with where he is driving. And the music....oh the music...gives me shivers just thinking of it now...as I was just so completely absorbed in it that I know I missed some of the feelings Orlando's character was suppose to be going through as I was going through my own emotions.

I immediately went to amazon.com to see about soundtrack and of course there is the orginal score and then there are 3 more cd's the main soundtrack vol. 1 and plus 2 more. One just for when they (Drew and Claire) were The Brown hotel...that one I would really like to have but it wasn't available on amazon (which btw the hotel looks like an amazing place to stay!). So yesterday Michael had some reward coupons for Best Buy and he was going to look something so he said go see if they have soundtracks for Elizabethtown. They had the main one - vol. 1 and then vol 2. I picked vol. 2. But would like to get the other sometime too.

So I am sure I will be listening to Elizabethtown soundtrack for several days/weeks.

Lines:
Claire: I'm impossible to forget, but I'm hard to remember.

Claire: Trust me. Everybody is less mysterious than they think they are.

Claire: Most of the sex I've had in my life was not as personal as that kiss.

Claire: Men see things in a box, and women see them in a round room.

Claire: Sadness is easier because its surrender. I say make time to dance alone with one hand waving free.

Hollie: All forward motion counts.

Claire [voice over]: Some music *needs* air. Roll down your window.

Claire: To have never taken a solitary road trip across country? I mean everybody's got to take a road trip, at least once in their lives. Just you and some music

Friday Gratitude

5 Good Things in my Life...
1. Elizabethtown soundtrack
2. Pumpkin Cheesecake
3. Phone calls from good friends
4. New book I picked up at Michael's that is giving me some holiday present ideas!
5. Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series....my friend Carolynn suggested them to me and I am really loving the story! It is a page turner after finishing one book I am eager to get to the next

Black Smoke for Halloween to make it eerrie....right? Not quite...

I have a pumpkin cheesecake in the oven. I found a tip that you won't have a cracked cheesecake if you put a couple teaspoons of cornstarch in it. So that is what I did (but it didn't work - at least not for me). I usually do the normal water bath for it - which is also suppose to prevent cracking but I found it doesn't always work either. So I am on the phone with Michael and then I realize the house is filling up with smoke....I look in cheesecake is fine but there was a little leaking that spill was burning something terrible. I have all the windows open...and exhaust fan going too. I haven't "noticed" my pan leak when it was in the bath.

I am not sure why I didn't think about that in the first place. I mean it is a cheesecake pan obviously how the thing fits together and all the years I have had it...it can't be perfectly sealed still so why I didn't put at least a pan under it....I am not sure. But there is one there now...of course as I am waving black smoke towards the open windows!

(going to post a picture and recipe of the pumpkin cheesecake on my cooking blog in a few days)

Friday Gratitude

5 Good Things in my Life...
1. Time spent last week with my parents, Frank, JoAnne and Michael...for my birthday!
2. Birthday cards from friends
3. Halloween plates & napkins that make smile and feel festive
4. Incense that makes the house smell warm and spicy!
5. Birthday presents!

Quiet

I have been quiet because when we come home I crash. And then we have had work to do so been busy with that.

Today we went grocery shopping. This afternoon I made a few loaves of herbed french bread and sour cream cookies. Michael has a meeting tomorrow night that he is bringing snacks to so I am making a taco dip and then some french bread pizza. I felt like I smelled like basil all afternoon because the basil in the bread was so strong.

Tomorrow and Friday I am steam cleaning carpets as it will be in the 70's so I can keep the windows open while the carpet drys.

(cropped image from ATC Plug In)

Birthday Recap

This is a long long entry capturing my birthday and days surrounding it with my parents, Frank, JoAnne and Michael...plus photos from the art museum.

Wednesday - Our trip over the mountains was okay but not perfect we had snow, rain, wind, sleet and sunshine too. My parents got into Denver and had a bit to eat by the time we got there. After we checked them into their hotel, we went shopping! My parents had said they would just get me what I wanted when they were here for my birthday. I had decided I wanted new shoes. It is something I don't spend much money on - instead getting cheap shoes that will hurt my feet or be worn out after one season of wearing them - I knew I should get some good shoes for the winter. My favorite pair of mary janes are scuffed. And then my other pair is just not that attractive.

So we went to DSW and my Mom ended up buying me 3 pairs of shoes. My favorite pair is a pair of Born's which feel oh so good on my feet. I wore them Thursday and Friday and they didn't hurt and I am sure helped me be able to do all the walking we did those days. I can't find a picture of them online but they had a buckled like this one and then they had the top stitching like this one and are in black. I was looking for this pair - we went to 2 DSW's hoping to find them in my size but no go so I got the clogs instead.

I also got a pair of ballerina style tennis shoes that are the same as these in style but colors are different. Mine are blue almost a denim blue and then brownish tan. I have 2 jeans skirts I wear often so they will look really cute with those. And the other pair is Naturalizers that are similar to these - but not quite. Mine are brown suede with just one strap coming across instead of the crisscross straps. These are so comfy too but still not as comfy as the Born's.

After shopping we went to dinner and I had such a good potato soup. Yummy I miss potato soup - Michael isn't fond of cream based soups.

Thursday - We got up and met Michael's parents at my favorite breakfast place with my parents. They hit it off instantly! My Dad and Michael's Dad worked in the same field at one point and so they talked and talked and talked about that all weekend. My Dad isn't much of a chatterbox but he really did chat it up with Frank. So I am thankful that went so smoothly. We had a very good breakfast and then my parents, Michael and I went to the Denver Art Museum. They added a new building to it since we had went last time. And so it was really nice to go through it. I really enjoyed it. There were a lot of little extra features that I enjoyed - there was a postcard station to make your own postcard, there were lots of kid activities that we ended up doing too, lots of booklets to explain more about the pieces, a lot of coffee table art books and sitting areas throughout and just interesting ways to view some of the art. I like museums so it was a nice way to spend my birthday. There is a big sculpture in the front of a broom, dust pan and stuff being swept into it so Michael told my Mom and I to pose like we were being swept up too. It didn't quite work like he wanted but it was fun!

After we got all the way through, Michael wanted me to pick out some things in the gift shop to remember our time there. I got a box of note cards (modern and contemporary works), bookmarker (Ophelia by Arthur Hughes), and 2 magnets one that lists the eightfolds of Buddhism and then an Andy Warhol soup can magnet.

When we left the art museum Michael took us on a little tour of Denver. My Dad worked in Denver a lot so he remembered lot of places he had spent time at eating and working. And then we headed to Frank and JoAnne's where I opened presents. My sisters being such loving sisters decided to remind me it was my 40th birthday (something I avoided the whole weekend) by giving me 40 presents! Yes 40 presents including: the next ornament in the series I collect, socks, recipe cards, art supplies, notepads, hot cocoa mix, scented lotion, 40 dimes and much much more! Michael gave me DVD's - the new Serenity with the extra special features (it has a really cool dvd cover), Sound of Music (which I sing all the time around the house), Cinderella plus the early birthday gifts of Beauty and the Beast dvd and Belle doll! And then a very sexy loving card that was very touching. Frank and JoAnne gave me a gift card for Kohl's...which is a place I really like to shop. We just got one in Grand Junction last October.

Friday - We decided would be a good day for a day trip. My parents haven't been here in the fall so they could see some colors (that what is left at least) and the beautiful mountain scenery. So we went to Evergreen for breakfast and then headed to Central City for to gamble. Michael and I each won $50 so that was nice. My Mom won $80 and everyone else lost. From there we went to Silver Plume which looks pretty much like a ghost town. But there is a good bakery there and lots of photography opportunities. So we got a loaf of Asiago Herb bread and then went and photographed some old buildings. From there we went and had pizza at the place I mentioned a while back. I knew my parents would like it. And they did.

Saturday - We met up for breakfast. Michael had a meeting so while he went to his meeting Mom, Dad and I went shopping. I picked up some Christmas cookie cutters. I have some but I am getting sick of doing the same shapes every Christmas so now I have some new shapes. We went to Archivers too and I picked up several cute things there. After Michael's meeting, he met up with us and we all had Cold Stones before my parents headed to the airport and Michael and I headed to his parents to load up and head home.

We were worried about hitting a storm front over all the mountain passes but really we didn't have a problem until we hit Rifle which is only about 1 1/2 hours from home. Oh my...did we hit a storm. The winds were so bad people were driving with their 4-ways on - on the interstate. We decided to take back roads because some idiots were still driving speed limit. At one point we saw a big detour sign that had sand bags weighing it down lying in the middle of the road - but the thing about it the sign had been blown about 7 to 9 feet away from the sandbags. Michael had to have both hands on the wheel at all times to keep the car on the road. The rain was coming down in sheets at times and there was thunder and lightening. So it was fun...NOT! We were very very thankful to get home. When we got home, it wasn't raining but felt like it was going to start again soon so we had to unpack quickly. I had to break out thermals and wool socks last night it was so cold.

Overall - The weekend just hanging out with my parents was great. I enjoyed their company, seeing them and celebrating my birthday with them. I am thrilled michael's parents got along with my parents so well! And thankful for all they did this weekend to make it a special weekend for me.

I am always amazed by Michael....I think I see all he has in him and then he shows me something new. I mean I have seen his kindess and love before but it just always seems to go further. He made sure my birthday was so very special. He shows his love to me in so many ways....words and actions. We have a friend that always says she wishes Michael would give classes on creating a special occasion as he always tells her about how he celebrates my birthday and she is always envious. He does truly go out of his way to make it a celebration full of love and laughter. I am truly thankful for ALL he does for me not only for my birthday but always. Thank you Michael...thank you thank you for everything! I love you so very much!

Photos from the Denver Art Museum and one of Michael helping his Mom with some photography shots....

This is the outside of the old building. The new part is very angular and almost feels liek you are walking tilted when walking through it. But I got used to it and it was cool how the art could be displayed in some very unique ways.

Broom and Dust Pan

Andy Warhol Soup Cans

Close up of a soup can

Poppy painting with vase of poppies

Cool colored glass bar reflecting on the wall

And me...with a GIANT clothespin!

Michael & his Mom JoAnne in Silver Plume photographing an old church

Good Birthday!

We are home (again)!

I want to thank everyone for the wonderful, touching, beautiful cards, emails and gifts. I am so very blessed to have such wonderful friends and family. Thank you all so much!

I had a wonderful birthday. We didn't celebrate it with cake and singing of Happy Birthday - which was my wish that we wouldn't. But we celebrated with just doing lots of fun things and seeing my parents. It was a wonderful wonderful weekend! I am very grateful to Michael for the words, the gifts, the time he created for my birthday. I am truly a lucky woman!

I hope my sister, April is having a VERY Happy Birthday!

Hear Me

This one is how I saw it in my head but in not sure if it is finished...

Hear Me
Mix Media on Canvas
5" x 7"

Halloween Decorations

Last year I bought some napkins, towels and table runner at Kohl's after Halloween Sale. So this year I was exicted to decorate for Halloween.

Pumpkin basket I bought at Michael's not to long ago. It has Halloween napkins in it with a few silk leaves in fall colors in it and also under it.

The runner I got a Kohl's last year. Black with green, orange, white stitched strips and pumpkins on the end of it.

I have had this Pumpkin cutout stand FOREVER! It has a little Halloween tin with a candle in it that smells like licorce.

A little Pumpkin bag with a Halloween candle next to it.

Ceramic pumpkin and little stuffed ghost

Little pumpkin bells on silkcord attached to some of the cabinet handles

Little tissue fold out pumpkin and clay black cat

Another little pumpkin and then a pumpkin candle and the picture is of Michael and I. Although I am party covered by the candle.

where oh where is my hair....

You know when I walked in to get my haircut I knew I should have waited as my favorite girl wasn't there today. So instead getting the 4 to 5 inches I wanted off...the stylist took 7 to 8 inches off. It is just a smidge past my chin. After I dye it tomorrow I will take pictures. I showed her how much I wanted off and she started in the back so I didn't see how much she was actually taking off until it was too late. When she got to the front....I knew....it was quite a bit shorter then I told her. Sad thing is that if I would have known she was taking that much off I would have told her to take one more inch and save my hair so that it could have went to locks of love - I think that is what upsets the most. All that hair lying on the floor could have been donated had she asked to take that much off.

It was just hard looking at it this short though and she is lucky I didn't start crying right there. I know it is only hair. It will grow back but just not feeling very happy about it. I am sure it will "grow" on me. Michael likes it and says it is cute so that is good. I was worried it was too short for him too.

Randomness

This is going to be post of randomness thus the bullet points as nothing connects. That kind of day you know.

• We had dinner with friends last night. Michael made a retirement video for one of the friends and we weren't able to be a the party when the showed it as we were in Shreveport so got together last night. We watched the video last night with them and the friend got all teary watching it again. And he has watched it several times already but still affected by it. I know it makes Michael feel good that his work touches people. It is hard not to be touched by his videos. I know I feel the same way about my parents video.
  
  We all watched the Rockies win so that was fun and had great food. We had really good wine. One wine though I really liked even though I only had a sip as migraines still lingering but it had a grapefruit undertone that was very nice. Of course though I had to do something to make myself blush a million shades of red....I broke a spoon.



• At Frank and JoAnne's last week we watched the first disk from Planet Earth. And that was so amazing! I loved it. But really what was the cutest is when the birds came on to their big screen high definition tv and Caesar immediately jumped from his slumber to go get them. He was reaching up touching the screen with his paw. He finally jumped up on the speaker next to the tv and sat on it reaching over to the tv to try to get the birds. We didn't get a picture because as soon as we would have moved he would have stopped. But it was SO cute!



• Going to get my hair cut this morning. I will be having probably about 4 to 5 inches taken off - it is a length Michael really likes. Then tomorrow I will dye it black cherry. I have been trying to hold out in getting it cut because I wanted to donate to locks of love again. But I am just really getting frustrated with it - the tangles and it is just so dry. So I need to get some taken off. I want it couple inches past my shoulders.



• Talked to my parents yesterday to get plans more firm for what we are doing and staying. We are going to the art museum Thursday. Friday we will probably take a little day trip. And then the rest of the time will be for shopping. I want new shoes - new mary janes to be exact. And there are DSW's in Denver so probably hit one of those.



• Made Chili and cornbread on Saturday. And then yesterday I made a pie to bring to our friends - chocolate buttermilk. (links are to recipes over on my cooking blog)
  

We have a film shoot this afternoon. I am feeling really out of today though so I hope I can snap out of it before then.

Need to find my sister's birthday card to give to my parents....her birthday is on the 20th.

Shrine: Broken Fear

I started this one a while back but never got around to finishing it until recently!

Spiders!

Okay so I mentioned that on the way out of Colorado on our trip to Shreveport we saw spiders. Not just tiny spiders - BIG HAIRY spiders as we were going 65 - 70 mph down the road. You could see them ahead on the road. We saw 20 in about a 50 mile stretch. I wanted a picture bad but our camera was buried and it isn't really a stretch that is easy to pull over.

On the way back Michael had the camera out and the traffic wasn't busy so he pulled over when we saw them and took some photos. This time we only saw like 5 but at least we got some photos. When we got the closer look - I thought it looked like a tarantula. But we were surprised there were any in Colorado.

As I mentioned that on our way through Colorado we stopped and met up with one of Michael's friends and on the way back we saw him outside his store so stopped. Michael asked about the spiders. And his friend said that they are indeed tarantulas. And this is their migration season and the pavement holds the heat so they criss cross over it on their journey. He said scorpions do the same thing but go in groups.

I did find it odd when we got closer to populated areas - farms and ranches we didn't see the tarantulas as much. I guess that is good for the people that live out there!

Beautiful Building

On our trip to Shreveport the AT&T building has murals on 2 sides of it. Michael got pictures of one side of it. It is a mural of the plight and triumphs of the people of Shreveport. I thought it was amazing.

Here are a couple pictures of it...Click on them to get a bigger view of them. They are really awe inspiring.

Birthday Blues

I am a big person on birthdays. It is day to celebrate. And I try to celebrate my friends and family as I am truly happy that they are in the world! And even my own birthday I try to honor too but this year is REALLY hard. I will be turning 40 on the 18th and not looking forward to it at all. Only good thing is I do get to see my parents as they are flying in to spend it with me.

But over all I am feeling a little blue about my 40th birthday. I did this on my 30th birthday too - got all depressed and sad. I know 40 shouldn't be a big deal. And I know plenty of people have told me their 40's were the best time of their life. I get that. I think I am just going through some depression in general and just not happy with myself.

So that is where I am at...right now. In crying, moody, depressed mood. I should be asking for some cheese with my whine.

(cropped image from Torn and Blue ATC)

Home Again

Home. So glad we are home. But I am feeling really drained it was a stressful drive home as the cats were not really calming down at all....acting freaked out really. So we were worried.

We actually go back to Denver next week again as my parents are flying in for my birthday. We are just going to hang out there in Denver instead of them coming over to Grand Junction. We will leave next Wednesday(10/17) and be back Sunday (10/20).

More later....

Back to Colorado...

We are in Denver right now. We got in last night. Our trip to Louisiana went well...did lots of work so really didn't get to explore the area as tourists but that is okay. We did good work and that is really what matters.

I will post some pictures Michael took of a mural in Shreveport and somethings we encountered on our way there and back in Colorado when we get back to Grand Junction.

Live from Shreveport...

We have been having a very productive time here in Louisiana. Things have went smoothly when setting up and taking down all the equipment. I needed to update a clients website so staying in the room while the rest of the crew is out with Michael filming so decided to do an update too.

On Saturday we stopped in a town in Southeastern Colorado to see a friend of Michael's - Leo. He was so fun! I really liked chatting with him. And he just has so much respect and caring for Michael. His son looks just like a friends husband it was eerie how much they looked like each other. It was so great though meeting Leo!

On our way out town heading towards the Colorado Oklahoma border....we saw spiders. Now when I say we saw spiders we were driving 65 to 70 miles per house down the highway and we could see them ahead of us on the road. That is how big they were. They looked like tarantulas from the vehicle. We didn't stop to check them out as there weren't really places to pull over on this road. But these things had thick legs and big bodies and we saw at least 20 of them in less then a 50 mile stretch.

I am not scared of spiders normally but I think if we would have looked at these up close I might have developed a fear as they looked scary from the car.

Sunday we arrived in Louisiana and as I said it has been going well. We are getting work done. What I am amazed by here is the poverty. We really haven't seen a lot of homeless but the homes people live in here are so worn and then neighborhoods have apartment complexes that are really run down with boarded up windows and it looks like people live in them. Plus they are surrounded by fences with barbwire and signs that say "no firearms permitted" and "id required at all times." This is apartment complexes - where families live. Most businesses don't have windows and if they do they have burglary bars. And then many businesses are also fenced with barbwire too. The schools are surrounded by fences with barbwire too. It is just a part of their life and that is hard for me to imagine. Filming this type of living condition is part of the project - maybe we are just being exposed to it more then we would if we were here to just visit/vacation. But it saddens me...that people suffer so much and live in such conditions.

What else...

Really we are just working hard so tired and just veg when we get back to the hotel room. I have been reading Outlander and I am LOVING it.

The above was written this morning but the internet went down when I was going to post. This afternoon and evening was long. We did some filming then tried to get lunch but it wasn't an easy process. We went to one place and waited about 8 minutes to get seated and then waited another 10-12 minutes and walked out as we didn't get waited on. Next place we went in and again waiting to get seated no hostess/host in sight and ended up leaving as we were going to be in a time crunch if we waited much longer....so had to grab fast food.

This evening we had 3 film shoots - and it takes so long for the lights to cool between them that it was a rush between each place. Tonight just grabbed subs on the way back to the hotel and ready to crash. We don't need to get up early tomorrow so that is so NICE!

Going sign off and relax!

In Texas

We are in Amarillo, Texas tonight. This will be a quick entry as I am SO SO tired!

I have seem to develop an allergy that only affects me when we cross the mountains to Denver. My eyes get so red...goopy and just hurt. When we came over for Micahel's work a few weeks ago - the same thing happened but I thought it was with the little cold I had that time. But obviously not as my eyes look horrible! They actually are feeling better tonight though so that is good.

I am going to end it here but I do want to keep a note for myself to write about the spiders.

(cropped image from Dream 58)

Fashion Fix

I watched Tim Gunn's Guide to Style tonight - first episode I have had on the recorder forever. I haven't recorded any of the other and now am sorry I didn't. I cried. I am sucker for a touching story. Michael said that today about something totally different but it was right....extreme house makeover...makes me cry too. (Just went to look up when Project Runway season 4 starts - November 14th)

(this image is from a calendar that I did for some friends)

Reading List for 2007 - so far

These are the books I can remember that I have read this year. Last year my depression was so bad that I just couldn't concentrate enough to read - so I made it a goal to complete 25 books this year. And I made it over my goal and just enjoying reading again. The books with links are to entries that I made about the book.

1. Collage Discovery by Claudine Hellmuth (this link goes to my art journal)
2. Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Walters
3. Danse Macabre by Laurell K. Hamilton
4. The Crimson Petal and The White by Michel Faber
5. Artists' Journals & Sketchbooks by Lynne Perrella
6. Creative Utopia: 12 Ways to Realize Total Creativity by Theo Stephan Williams
8. Kink by Kathe Koja
9. Suicide Blonde by Darcey Steinke
10. Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coehlo - I really enjoyed the story. This is the first time I really have read one of his books and not felt I learned something after. This was just enjoying the story unfold
16. He, She, It by Marge Percy - EXCELLENT book! If you like anything set in the future - this book was very interesting. If you like history also you will like this book as it does go through Jewish history of 1600 Prague.
11. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
12. Collage Discovery Workshop: Beyond The Unexpected by Claudine Hellmuth
13. My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due
14. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
15. Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton - I have been a fan of her books for quite a while but the last one I read number 3 on my list was really not interesting at all. Although I like sex, her book was sex from start to finish and no plot ever coming to the surface. So to recapture the reason I really liked the books I decided to start back at the beginning of the series and go through them again. I missed one book as I loaned that someone several years ago and they never returned it.
16. Circus of the Damned by Laurell K. Hamilton
17. Lunatic Cafe by Laurell K. Hamilton
18. Bloody Bones by Laurell K. Hamilton
19. Killing Dance by Laurell K. Hamilton
20. Burnt Offerings by Laurell K. Hamilton
21. Blue Moon by Laurell K. Hamilton
22. Obsidian Butterfly by Laurell K. Hamilton
23. Cerulean Sins by Laurell K. Hamilton
24. Incubus Dreams by Laurell K. Hamilton
25. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kid
26. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kid - yes again
27. URGENT 2nd CLASS by Nick Bantock
28. Griffin & Sabine by Nick Bantock
29. Sabine's Notebook by Nick Bantock
30. The Golden Mean by Nick Bantock
31. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
32. Bitten by Kelly Armstrong
33. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova --- really good book about Vlad. I really liked reading the letters. I really liked the fear created at the beginning.
34. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
35. The Living Blood by Tananarive Due -- the sequel to number 19. It really didn't grab me like the first book - at first. But about mid-way through then it became a page turner for me.
36. Lucky by Alice Sebold - it is her own story of when she was raped - I am not sure how I feel about it yet
37. Book Arts by Mary Kaye Seckler
38. The Harlequin by Laurell K. Hamilton - yay! So much better then the last book (number 3 on my list)
39. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon - going to start tonight

Ironing Fool

I am an ironing fool tonight. I hate ironing. Ironing used to be one of my chores when I was growing up. I think maybe it burnt me out. Or at least I can blame it on that right?

We leave tomorrow or possibly Friday morning for our trip. Won't be back until the 10th probably.

(image from sets of magnets I did last year for Christmas presents)

Altered Art Shrine

This looks very cluttered but it fits the story that I had in mind when I created it....I have tins and boxes sitting on my work table full of different little tidbits - shells, rocks, buttons, bits of ribbon, yarn, stickers, punch outs. I was looking at them one day and they reminded me of jars my Grandma had on these shelves. They were full of little things like that. They were fun, colorful, reminded me of spring, summer and happy simple things. And so staring at these tins and boxes full of those things I just started gluing them in and before I knew it - it was covered. So it does look like a full jar of this-n-that.

So this tin is named...

This-n-That

Outside of Altered Altoid Tin...

Inside spread...

Siren Song Yarns

A friend of mine is a knitter and started dyeing yarn over a year ago. She is now selling her yarn on Etsy. Beautiful colors. She made me some slippers out of some of the hand dyed yarn. They are so warm and comfy!



SirenSongYarns.etsy.com

(I created the banner for her Etsy shop)

A Quick Break

I am taking a little break to have an apple. I have one of those things that you put on the apple and then push down and it sliced the apple into nice wedges. I love that thing! I have been working on art in between chores today. But I can't begin to explain how good it felt to have my hands covered in glue, paint and then fanning through paper and various ephemera. I just popped in Narnia the DVD player and will get back to more art after I post this entry.

I am washing clothes and starting to make lists of what we need to bring on our trip but having problems as we will probably be in 2 to 3 climates. There has been snow in the mountains. And it is probably starting to feel like fall in Denver - though not quite yet here but close. And then Louisiana will probably be warmer then it is here. We have a ton of equipment to bring with us so I need to pack very efficiently so bring ton of clothes is not an option.

I made kind of an Italian stew on Thursday....combined great northern beans, browned ground Italian sausage, diced tomatoes, basil, garlic, onions, green & yellow peppers, chicken stock and cooked in the crock for 6/7 hours about 30 minutes before serving I added some cooked elbow noodles. The sausages I use come from Sam's and they have so much flavor that they flavored it a lot. Topped with some grated Parmesan cheese. And served with homemade French bread. It turned out pretty good. Michael said it is a keeper.

Friday Gratitude

Doing the letter O for my Friday Gratitude...

~ O ~

open-mind - I am thankful for having an open-mind and for those around me who are open-minded. I am glad there are so many people willing to consider ideas and opinions that are new or different to their own.
open - I guess is the same as above but I think being open means a slightly different things. I think of being open to things coming into my life, open to with feelings and thoughts, people, things so that you can fully experience all that life brings. I am thankful for being open.
opal - Mysterious, complex, delicate, and sparkly and I am thankful they are my birthstone.
October - which brings us to October not only the month of my birth but also my favorite month of the year. And I would like to think it is not because it is just my birthday but I really love what October seems to bring to the year...the autumn weather at it's peak. The smell, the cool air, the fall harvest so the foods...just so many wonderful things that come about in October.
oil pastels - as an artist I like using oil pastels at times. I just pulled them out recently as I hadn't used them in a long time. And I loved the smell and the feel of them in my hand and the feel of them as they pressed and marked the surface below them.
Oreo Cookies - Oh Oreo cookies and a big glass of milk sound splendid! I love taking them apart and liking the white creamy center and then munching on the crunchy cookie after. Or seeing how long they will last before breaking into bits when dunked in a glass of milk. And then eating all the mushy cookies out of the bottom of the glass! Yummy Oreos!
Olive Oil - I love to cook with olive oil. And thankful for all the wonderful things I cook with it.
Oven - I love to bake and cook so I am very thankful for the oven that cooks so many yummy meals and treats!
Ornaments - I have written about my set of Christmas tree ornaments. I love Christmas and decorating the tree with Michael. We hang each ornament and talk about the memories associated with them. Each representing a wonderful memory. With fall on its way means Christmas is coming too.
Opportunities - Thankful for all the opportunities that I have daily in my life...be it my relationship with Michael, my art, or just little simple everyday things....such enjoying dinner with Michael. I am thankful for all opportunities in my life.
Ordinary - I am thankful for the ordinary things in life...they are simple and everyday but make up so much of the journey and so in that way are extraordinary.
Orange - I do like th color orange and am grateful for the inspiration it gives me and comes through in various ways in my life.
organic - the Ideal Bite to live a greener life. I do like organic. It isn't always possible as it does cost more but I thankful for those that make organic products.
okay - I am thankful for being okay. I think okay is sometimes overlooked. We want everyday to be great - wishing we had that new relationship energy everyday but we forget that hey today was okay. It wasn't horrible - but I am here I made it...I had some good things in it. And I lived my life today.
ocean - I am thankful for the ocean I have only seen it once but it was an amazing experience and I am thankful for memory.
old things - I am thankful for old things, old looking things...I use lots of old letters, photos, hardware, postcards, books in my art so I like old things
online - I am thankful for being able to be online - blogging, chatting with friends, emailing, shopping, playing...so many things to do!

(cropped image from ATC Warmer)

Trip to Michael's Arts & Crafts

I went to Michael's today. They had a 50% off coupon in the Sunday circular. I used it to get a book on book binding. I got a cute little pumpkin basket and then other supplies like brushes, paper and ribbon. Though I just noticed that basket I got didn't ring up onsale there was a 40% sign right above it. So that is annoying. (I saw some really cute flip flops with pink skull and cross bones on them that I wanted to get for a friend who has lots of t-shirts and such with pink skull and cross bones on them.

Not myself without it.....

I am really frustrated that I haven't been able to do any art in a while. I have done some digital but I really am craving to feel paper, feel a paint brush in my hand, go through all my ephemera and see what speaks to me.

Maybe soon....maybe not though we just have been crazy busy.

Friday Gratitude

5 Good Things in my Life...
1. Pizza!
2. Organic Salad mix from Sam's
3. Sun-dried tomatoes
4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
5. The week is over

Up at 6AM?

Monday was crazy busy and I suspect today will be too. We ran a ton of errands yesterday morning and when we got home I made a brochure for a class Michael taught last night. After we got home though Michael and I both felt like we had been hit with a truck. I ended up being bundled up in my fleece robe and wool socks drinking down some airborne - just in case.

At 2am I woke up with a really bad tension headache/migraine. I thought it was just because I was so tired when went to bed last night but by 3am I realized it wasn't going away so got up made some toast and took some meds. But now at 6am I am awake. The meds have caffeine in them and normally caffeine doesn't affect me but in this it does at times.

It is 9/11 today and I really don't feel it like I have in years past. I am thoughtful but I am not feeling the intense sadness I usually feel but maybe I am too tired and my headache is all I can handle at the moment.

Picked up some library books in our running around yesterday morning. I found a series but of course it isn't the first one and I am really the type of girl that likes to start at the beginning. But they didn't have the first one....wondering if anyone read them though to tell me if reading one out of order would really screw me up. The book is The Bitten by L.A. Banks (link to the website about the books). Vampire book again. I saw on my way to check out in the new books section - that there is a new(er) book in the series. I picked it up and looks like it has quite a few books in the series so might be fun to read them. I liked what I read on the back of the book so I guess I will see. I also got 2 book that I had reserved so I will start with those and might not even get to the LA Banks book before they are due. Uggh just did a search on the library's website and they have the 4th book which is the one I have (The Bitten) and then they have the 6th (The Damned) and then The Wicked which is the 2nd to last in the series (so far). And that is it. They don't have the whole series. So maybe I will need to read this one and see how if I like it enough to add them to my wish list of books. The same has happened with the Kelley Armstrong books too. They had the first book but no others in our library system.

Today we have to go out and film. And then run a few more errands. I really need to kick some ass on the scanning project.

Sunday I made this Mexican Chicken Stew in the crockpot...it made me all excited for cooking fall/winter dishes in it. I love the crockpot. The dish I made on Sunday...I sliced chicken into about 1 inch strips, coated them with a little taco seasoning and flour threw them into the crock, added half a bag of stir-fry veggies (peppers and onions), one can of diced tomatoes with the juice, one can green diced chilis, 3/4 cup salsa, one can of beans (would have liked 2 cans one pinto one black bean but didn't have both kinds). I cooked it in the crock for 6 hours and then served it over rice - topped with cheese and sour cream. It was very tasty!

Well feeling tired again...so going back to bed for a few hours before needing to get up and film.

(cropped image from a piece that was just for me...for to let my emotions out. It was right after Katrina. Thinking of 9/11 made me think of it too though.)

Normal

I think I am feeling a little distant since we got back from being out of town. And I think mostly it is just that I haven't felt well.

I really get frustrated with my migraines. I know DUH. But not only do I just get frustrated by them because of the pain....but I think also because I do some things that people assume I can do those things always or do more. And much of the time I am pushing myself to do them because I just in general feel I "bad" that I am not doing all that I normally do. So my guilt over the migraines...makes me push myself and that really isn't the thing to do either. Doing little tasks at times make my migraine spike to the point I really feel I am going crazy because the pain makes me feel so out of touch with reality.

So instead of being here complaining about them. I just hold up until I am "normal" again. I guess I am "normal" today - I think. No migraine at least! I think the flu-bug has passed too. So today I need to get some chores done....since things are a little behind. I need to do laundry for sure. While Michael watches football, I am going to get back to my scanning project and I have 2 movies to watch (well really more then 2 but - 2 netflix that I want to watch first).

I have to say I am going through recipes this morning and I must be hungry as EVERYTHING looks so good. I want to make and eat everything! I think I want to make something similar to these for us to have the freezer. I have frozen just regular burritos and enchiladas before but these look good too (except for the corn - I can't eat that much corn).

(crop of Deconstruct Big Picture that was made for a good friend's birthday.)

Catching Up...

Still feeling pretty icky and add to it a migraine for today. yay me! (yes heavy sarcasm) Good thing my lungs don't feel as heavy. I have been taking airborne several times a day. And I think it has stopped it from going to full blown flu/cold. But I am still not feeling great. Everything seems to make me tired quickly. I unloaded the dishwasher this morning but didn't have the energy to load it so will do that in a bit.

I finished The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. I liked it. I might even be compelled to read it again but there were a few things that bothered me about it. I like how it started....I liked it coming from the girl's point of view and I liked the fear that it instilled in the beginning. But that fear faded and didn't hold through the book to me. And the girl's view was kind of lost after her and her father's trip to Oxford. I still was interested in seeing where the story went. It didn't lose me as a reader. I still wanted to turn that next page to see what was going to happen. I just wished it would have been more consistent in weaving her in to the story.

I just went to the library's website and requested The Harlequin by Laurell K. Hamilton (there is a waiting list on that one), Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, Luckyby Alice Sebold and The Living Blood by Tananarive Due.

I really didn't think I would pick up another of Laurell K. Hamilton's after the last book but I have read that she has come back to the plots her fans really enjoy. (crossing my fingers that is true.) Outlander, I have never read but it has been suggested to me a few times over the years and recently by a good friend. I tried to find it last time I was at the library - it showed in but wasn't on the shelf. So I am crossing my fingers they find it for me. Lucky is by the same author of The Lovely Bones which I really liked. But this is the author's personal story and again I couldn't find that on the shelf even though it said it was in last time. The Living Blood is the sequel to My Soul to Keep which I really enjoy. I read that in about 24 hours because I couldn't put it down. And how it ended I was really glad to find a sequel because I wanted to know more. That is at another branch so they will send it to library.

Michael just got another video project that needs get started this weekend. So looks like this weekend will be getting busy so we can get the shots we need to so he can edit next week. And I need to get back to the scanning project. We have several websites in the process of being designed. We leave for Louisiana the end of the month and the scanning project is for another video that will need to be done by the time we leave for Louisiana. I will write about our Louisiana trip more later. I have never been to Louisiana and so kind of looking forward to going someplace I have never been....an adventure!

Friday Gratitude

5 Good Things in my Life...
1. Books Books Books
2. Glad we are home
3. Water...very thirsty!
4. Airborne
5. Chapstick

Back from Denver

We have been out of town. Michael still had business in Denver but wasn't going to be the full week so I went with him this time. Of course we arrive and I almost immediatly get sick. I felt stuffy and achy Monday night. And then Tuesday I woke up with goopy, red eyes and wheezing, aching and stuffy. It just got worse as the day went on. I ended up sleeping most of Tuesday. Yesterday was an odd day because Michael's schedule didn't quite go right so I hung out in the building he was working. They had a cafeteria so I sat next to the window that had a gorgeous view of the mountains. I sat there drinking a diet coke, reading, writing out some mail love and just people watching for about 6 hours. I was still feeling really sick or I would have went to the mall or something but with fever going on and off at times, wheezing and blowing my nose - I thought best just to stay put and read.

We got on the road to head home about 5pm. We stopped and had pizza at Beau Jo's. I had never had it before but we have talked about going there many time but it just never worked out. Well last night we did go and it was really good pizza! On our way home we hit bad storms. I am not thrilled with thunder and lightning in the first place but to have it going off around us in the car plus really hard rain made me a little tense. We finally got home at 10pm and it was still storming here so we just unloaded and then went to bed shortly after.

I am still feeling pretty bad. My eyes at least aren't so red. But my lungs feel really heavy. Glad we are home. Today we are doing a few things but nothing much so I can rest still.

Friday Gratitude

Michael comes home tonight! I haven't seen him in 2 weeks so I am a little excited and thankful that he will be HOME! This is the longest we have been away from each other and I have missed him like crazy!

(cropped image of a piece that I don't have online as it was a gift to Michael and just really for him. But will share that little corner of the piece since it my hand print that I painted over - the heart in the center formed naturally when I pressed my hand to the canvas)

The Secret Life of Bees

I finished "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kid. It was great! I enjoyed the characters..the themes...the story. It was just a wonderful story unfolding throughout the book.

A friend of mine was talking about love. And she has always felt the word love isn't adequate. We say we love french fries. And we say we love our family. Obviously those are different kinds of loves. We would hope that the love we feel for french fries isn't the same as we feel for our families.

Quote from the book:

"And i loved the color blue- the real bright blue like the hat May had on at the Daughters of Mary meeting. And since coming here, I've learned to love bees and honey." And I wanted to add, And you, I love you, but i felt too awkward. 'Did you know there are thirty-two names for love in one of the Eskimo languages?' August said."

I do wish we had other words for love.

Other quotes...

"Women make the best beekeepers, 'cause they have a special ability built into them to love creatures that sting."

"I am enough. We are enough."

"There is nothing perfect. There is only life."

"Some things don't matter much. Like the color of a house. How big is that in the overall scheme of life? But lifting a person's heart--now, that matters. The whole problem with people is ... they know what matters, but they don't choose it... The hardest thing on earth is choosing what matters."

"I believe in the goodness of imagination. ... I wake up to wonder every day."

"You've got to hear of these things before you can imagine them. You gotta imagine what's never been."

"If you need something from somebody, always give that person a way to hand it to you."

"You think too much. It would do you a world of good to stop thinking and just go with your feelings once in a blue moon."

"The only purpose grand enough for a human life... is not just to love--but to persist in love."

Forgot Lunch

Note to self...remember to eat lunch at a normal time or else you will feel like you do right now. I was busy doing things so forgot to eat lunch. About 3pm it hit me - low blood sugar - dizzy...dizzy...dizzy. I ate some turkey stuffed into a pita pocket and feel a little better but still shaking. Just typing this message many words I have had go over a few times. Silly self for waiting.

(cropped image from altered altoid tin/shrine - Jealous of the Voices - Front & Inside)

Tea!

I got mail love today! A pretty good sized puffy envelope stuffed full of different teas! I had commented to my friend Carolynn that a tea she described sounded very good. So she sent me that and many other kinds to try plus a pretty handmade card and matching envelope. Today is actually a good tea drinking day as it is cloudy and stormy here.

Friday Gratitude

5 Good Things in my Life...
1. My sister celebrates her birthday tomorrow so have been thinking about her and hope she has a wonderful birthday!
2. The class I taught on Monday went really well and it was a good opportunity for me...thankful for it!
3. Ice packs as I have had migraines since Tuesday and thankful for having ice packs to help calm and numb the pain for a bit.
4. Fish...Michael doesn't like fish and while he is out of town I tend to indulge in eating it every chance I can....so I have been enjoying fish this week.
5. Talking to my Mom yesterday. I live far from my family so miss them.

(graphic - took a photo of a birthday cake and then played with it in photoshop so that it kind of looked like a (digital) postcard)

What Teachers Make....

A friend who is a teacher posted this to her blog and I thought of my sisters so posting it here....



His words are very powerful....not surprised he is a poet.

Selling Art on the Internet

Websites discussed during "Selling Art on the Internet" for Artspace & Open Studio. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment or email me.

Selling
1. Etsy.com

• is a market place not an auction
• 20 cents each item
• 3.5% percent of the total sale (excluding shipping)
• paying fee – credit card on file - billed or auto billed once a month
• built in shopping cart so not needing to have one on your website
• can use your own logo and put links to your website in profile

2. Ebay.com

• do a search for self representing artist to see what others do
• fees vary to price listing – 20 cents to $4.80
• percentage of total sale starts 5.25 and then goes down high the price it sells forself
• representing artist – then broke down into medium, subject or style

3. yessy.com

• fee yearly - $59if you use –their shopping cart then the fee is a 10% percent of sale but if you use your own merchant account then no additional fee

4. artbyus.com

• free - you put up your items but you use either your merchant account or paypal
• also good for networking

5. Boundless Gallery - Stephanie mentioned this one. It looks like they have a free sign up and many free features but I am not sure if you sell things via them - their might be a fee. But I haven't signed up or know enough about them to know for sure.

6. Absolute Arts - I don't know anything about them - but came upon them in some searches the other night. It looks like there is a free sign up but if you want more features then it costs.


Networking & Marketing
1. a blog - Sept 10th Class is on Blogging

2. many of the above sites where you can sell your work also have forums which are good for networking - make sure when you sign a post to forums that you put your web url under it.

3. EBSQ Art

• $78 yearly fee for artists
• Portfolio
• links to your website, etsy, ebay, blog
• in rotation for being a featured artist
• online community
• not a site for selling but a site for showcasing and networking

4. Wet Canvas

• a forum
• articles

5. writing articles - because the more your name is out there the more you will get unexpected hits from many sources (I haven't used any of these yet.)

• http://www.squidoo.com/
• http://www.ezinearticles.com/
• http://www.associatedcontent.com/
• http://www.helium.com/

6. Yahoogroups or Livejournal Art Communites

Yahoogroups - do a search for your medium or just a general search of art and see if something catches your eye. There is not only valueable information for marketing your art online in many of these groups, it is a place to market, network, find new techniques and communicate with other artists.

Livejournal - it is not only a place to blog but it has many artists communities - again do a search for your medium or art in general.

7. Myspace.com, 723.com, deviant art, indiepublic

They are all similar. They are a place to have a profile, blog (I would never use it as my main blog though), network and communicate with others. They are all free for sign up.

Myspace.com - I don't really have a fondness for as most of the time when I got to people's myspace pages they are very clunky in loading.

The rest of these are geared towards artists.

723.com - it is like a myspace but for artists. It is fairly new so not sure on where it will go.

indiepublic - Again like a myspace but for artists

deviantART - it is more like EBSQ where you can have a gallery, people can comment on your art, there is a shop but it is for prints of your work, and there is forums also



Tips

• make sure your business cards, letterhead, brochures, advertising has your website address
• make sure when you do emails to anyone - everyday correspondense or online forums have your web address in your signature

Class tonight...

Anyone who was at the class this evening....I will be putting up links and some notes tomorrow. So if you want to make it easy to just click on the links....check back tomorrow!

And also THANK YOU for coming tonight! I was so nervous and everyone made me feel more at ease....Thank you!