serendipity

times square 30 dec 2011, a photo by cookievf on Flickr.

It was still 24 hours before the ball dropped you could already FEEL the excitement and the electricity in the AIR!

I know I'm a geek when it comes to NYC (i love it) but I got such a RUSH just being there, at that moment, shooting photos whenever I could! And the funny part was we were on a subway going from the village to the upper west side and it ground to a halt ~ twice ~ due to bridge traffic! So we happily came above ground and enjoyed this warm evening and the 24 block walk back to our car!

..i was meant to be there :D

Art Journal Page 19Jan2012

doodle fun with lettering, a photo by cookievf on Flickr.

Scraped some paint, messed around with texture, doodled with my white sharpie paint pen and added lettering.

My word for the year is MOTION, so I am making sure i put paint/pen to paper on a regular basis and having a blast doing it!

I hope you made some art today.

Paper Beads from Vintage Maps

1st attempt! WIP, a photo by cookievf on Flickr.

As a part time jewelry designer, this is a great solution to finding just the RIGHT color!

A "WIP," I will be making a few more sizes and shapes, in a similar color palette, to be paired with a cream-colored dogwood flower pendant. For added sparkle, Swarovski crystal bicone (beads) in teal sound just about right!

valentine love

Call me a romantic, I've always had a penchant for...

• hearts,
  
• the color red and, of course,
  
• LOVE!

Preserving History

This is another creative outlet that truly "speaks my name." In addition to taking pictures, I seem to thrive when editing/tweaking and especially restoring them! I'm certain part of that equation is the sentimentalist AND the preservationist in me.

I began to realize my affinity for restoration when I made the domino photo pendant, above, for a friend to give to her mom for Mother's Day, in May 2010. (This service is available through my Etsy shop)

As the self-appointed family genealogist and photo curator I've documented up to 120 ancestors on my family tree at Ancestry.com (always a work-in-progress), added 80 photos which include FIVE great-grandparents and restored over 100 photos. I'd love to share another very precious photo restoration completed today. A hand-painted photo on porcelin, of my mother, age 3 from 1926.

DOBEDOBEDO

Altered book BEFORE

45 days could very well be my all-time record for days between posts which became the PERFECT EXCUSE for procrastinating, with "Where do i start???" ..at the beginning, of course.

After hearing so much around the idea of selecting one word for focus and growth in the coming year, I finally did it AND enjoyed the process of trying to distill all of my do's and don'ts to come up with one!

My choice for 2012 is MOTION

Altered book AFTER

As a matter of fact, movement of ANY kind is just what the doctor ordered as I get stuck inside my head with way.. too.. many.. hours creating ideas instead of creating art!

I can already sense a shift in energy:

~ There's been a thunderstorm of activity w/art journaling, doodling, sketching,

~ Enjoying Effy Wild's Book of Days (free) course
~ Learning much from Samantha Kira Harding's Journaling Deep
~Had fun letting loose with Traci Bautista's Doodles Unleashed
~ Reorganizing my studio (lots of "so THAT's where it was!")
~ I've begun to take "micro movements" towards a list of personal goals
~ I want to add dance to my list of physical activities (getting there)
~ I will NOT come up with any more excuses to stay inside due to the weather
~ My photography is on overload: 1001 pics so far this year.. that's 33 days!
~ Planning to introduce a new line of jewelry for sale, locally
~ Created a valentine-themed display for current jewelry line

All-in-all, my plan for this year is to DOBEDOBEDO!