Live Each Day

Fairytale Fashion Show

2011-03-27T11:53:00.000-07:00

Futuristic Fashion can be beautiful and ethereal. Check out this video of Diana Eng's new fashion. She is a former contestant from Project Runway. This is true wearable art. I really do want balloons with LED lights billowing out of my skirt too. I really do!

Reach Out

2011-03-17T19:51:00.000-07:00

Maria from BestCookwareDeals.com reached out to me this week, which I thought was pretty cool. Just like me, she's an entrepreneur, and seeking to improve her stats online. I visited her site, and it's got a great UI - I suggest you shop there if you're looking for good deals on name brand, quality cookware!

Tribe Magazine - iCardMall is Featured as a "Hot Entrepreneur"

2011-03-13T21:23:00.000-07:00

iCardMall has been featured as one of the top "Hot Entrepreneurs" in Tribe Magazine's current March issue. To read the article, click here.

What makes iCardMall hot?

We are going to change the way you buy gift cards. You're going to email them!

Why leave the comfort of your computer when you can choose from so many great eGift card brands and then email that gift card with a personalized eGreeting card?

Plan up to 3 months in advance, write your own personal message on a stylish eGreeting card.

You may not find all the brands you really want, and we are working on that. We want to see Starbucks, Macy's , The Gap, grocery stores, gas companies, EVERYTHING! You should have all the choices you want - even local companies.

If you are a merchant, or know of one who would like to sell eGift cards - whether on their own website and/or on iCardMall, give us a buzz at merchants@icardmall.com.

Top 10 Most Popular Gift Cards

2011-02-25T15:53:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder who has the most popular gift cards? Here's my list - if any of you corporates are out there, email me at tally@icardmall.com to get your eGift cards on iCardMall! Only two of the great brands listed below can be found on iCardMall.com today. Let's change this!

10. Sports Authority
9. Home Depot
8. Lowes
7. Best Buy
6. Walmart
5. iTunes
4. DSW Shoes
3. Macys
2. Starbucks
1. Nordstrom

Please realize this is a comletely subjective list - but I'd dare to guess that most of these are on a lot of other people's top 10 list too.

Raise Money for your School or Charity

2011-02-22T08:57:00.001-08:00

iCardMall can be an easy way for any school, church, temple or other nonprofit to earn money. Sign up with our program, and your organziation can earn a percent of the gift card face value for traffic that your organization sends to our site. It's so easy!

We pay you a percent of gift cards sold
You send out 5-10 emails per year reminding your members to shop at iCardMall to earn money for your organization.
We provide you with the marketing materials!

Please email us at merchants@icardmall.com for more information and to set up an apppointment to discuss the details.

iCardMall Will Change the Way You Buy Gift Cards

2011-02-16T18:40:00.000-08:00

You need something fast, easy and stylish when you're giving a gift. That's where iCardMall comes in! Email a gift card right away, personalize it with an e-greeting card, and send it off.

Not sure what to get? Give the gift of choice with the iCardMall Gift Card. This is a gift card that your recipient can redeem for any of the gift cards at iCardMall. The amount can be split among several different retailers. Some can be spent now, and the rest can be saved for another day. You balance is safe, and you can always check your iCardMall Gift Card balance on the iCardMall Redeem page.

iCardMall is LIVE!

2011-02-13T12:10:00.000-08:00

It has finally happened! I am able to share with the world that iCardMall is live and operational.

What is iCardMall? Well, I'm so glad you asked!

You can think of iCardMall as similar to the gift card mall at your local grocery store. The big diferences are that all the gift cards are emailed to your recipient. That means they get their gift card within 24 hours or less, with no shipping time or cost. Oh Yah!

Not only that, for only $0.99 you can add a stylish e-greeting card to your gift card. There is a free one too. The whole thing prints out all on one piece of paper with your personalized message, as an actual greeting card and gift card all-in-one.

If you're really green, you don't have to print anything out at all. With any smart phone, you can view and spend your e-gift card right from your phone.

New technology is so cool. So how about a SpaFinder e-gift card for Valentine's Day? There's still plenty of time to send it and make it personalized. Enjoy! http://www.icardmall.com

Take A Moment

2010-09-16T20:59:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you took a moment to appreciate the small things in life - good and bad? Moments of joy, agony, frustration, peace - they are universal. Here's a wonderful video to appreciate little moments.

Trends for the Next Decade

2010-07-16T14:52:00.000-07:00

Cool video by Time Magazine about important trends for the next decade.

Of course, I was attracted because of the important topics is failure. According to Time Magazine, America has lost its acceptance of failure through the financial crisis, demanding accountability. I'm not sure I agree with this one. Accountability is a good thing, and should decrease failure - the financial crisis was really a failure of morality, which is something else all together.

Check it out!

Mixed Media Dollhouses Inspiration

2010-07-05T12:30:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to Friday to receive an email from Marian Seiders of Will Roger Middle School in Lawndale, CA. She wrote to me to tell me how my new book Mixed Media Dollhouses has inspired her and her art class to create an amazing Alice in Wonderland themed mansion. Each student in the class created their own room in the mansion!

artwork by Will Rogers Middle School student

My heart just filled with pride! This is just so amazing that my book has inspired an entire class of young art students! How thrilled would I be to have my children in an art class with this kind of teacher! The mansion was such a success, that the school principal is planning on having it displayed behind glass all of the upcoming school year.

artwork by Will Rogers Middle School student

Thank you Marian, for sharing this wonderful story and allowing me to see your wonderful project.

Click here to see more photos of the school project!

Gift Card Holders Featured Again!

2010-06-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to report that my patented Greeting Card with a Gift Card Holder has been featured in the summer issue of Gift Shop magazine! See page with one of my gift card holders below:

The issue featured all kinds of greeting cards, mine was the only type that is meant to hold gift cards. You can find my gift card holders at the Whole Foods mentioned on my website: papierstudio.com. If your local Whole Foods doesn't have them - request that they order them from me!

Two Great Art Events This Weekend!

2010-06-09T13:42:00.000-07:00

There are two great art events that are absolutely worth your time this weekend. The first is the Topanga Artist's Studio Tour, being sponsored by the Topanga Canyon Gallery, flyer above. I blogged about this last year, and will be trapsing around the canyon this Saturday. Join me at 5pm at the gallery for the reception!

Also worth your time this weekend is the Viva Gallery Women Painters West Exhibit. This is a juried exhibit, some of my friends are in it. It's at Viva Gallery in Sherman Oaks, this Sunday, June 13, 3-5pm. Click here for the link.

Enjoy and buy more art! It saves lives!

Lady Gaga

2010-06-02T14:48:00.000-07:00

I just had to add - if you still think I'm nuts that she's a good business person - check out that video below again. You know you want to anyway....

In an age of everyone with Tivos and DVRs fastforwarding through commercials, she has incorporated AT LEAST FIVE well placed commercial items in the video - see if you can catch them. Comment here and let us know what you found.

See, now we're not just passively observing commercials, we're actually seeking them and counting them - genius.

Where's my Wonder Woman Bikini when I Need it?

2010-05-27T19:17:00.000-07:00

Fast Company just came out with their annual 100 most creative people in business for 2010. It's a great read, and I am so proud of them for picking Lady Gaga as - you would've never guessed it - #1! Now, you may not think she's a "business person", but you would be very wrong.

The video below will show you just how fun and creative she is. Beyonce even got in on the fun. Warning-it's a little explicit, so not for those under 18.

Within the span of ONE YEAR she made herself into a global sensation out of no where. Read the Fast Company article here. Press play below to see this amazing video that is some kinda mix of male and female fantasy. That's all I'll say, 'cuz I'm kinda busy.

Social Media Revolution

2010-05-14T18:51:00.000-07:00

I've been hunkered down, working 12-14 hour days on something exciting and new.

No, it's not the Love Boat, it's a new business.

Don't worry, I'm not giving up Papier Studio! Papier Studio is just getting started! When the signatures are still wet on contracts, I promise to fill you in on the details.

I'm working on something that will take my patent to the next level-the virtual space. And I'm thinking of ways to do that with Social Media Marketing.

Yah, there's lots of buzz about this, and hooplah, and eye rolling. But there is a such a huge potential out there, it's actually vibrating. I can feel it.

I wanted to share these super cool videos about it. For anyone who doubts its power, press play and groove to the funky beat. If you have trouble viewing the video, just go here.

Also check out this link to see another video equally as fun.

This Sunday!

2010-04-29T18:29:00.000-07:00

Join me this Sunday at Barnes & Noble in The Commons at Calabasas from 2-4pm for book signing and free ATC Workshop!

The Calabasas Fine Art Festival is also happening right next door. This is a FANTASTIC, high quality show that I've blogged about before, and is definetely worth the trip in and of itself.

Barnes & Noble This Sunday!

2010-04-26T21:42:00.000-07:00

Come work on some ATCs, let's sit and shmooze, I'll even sign your book!!

Book Signing Event

Sunday, May 2, 2010, 2-4pm
Barnes & Noble - The Commons in Calabasas, CA

Not only will I be there, but right next door will be the Calabasas Fine Art Festival! It is one of the best art shows around! Come and look at art, buy some art, appreciate some art, and

MAKE SOME ART!

I'll be at the same Barnes & Noble next Sunday too - more to come!

Artfest Synopsis by Lisa

2010-04-20T12:33:00.000-07:00

I just read Lisa Myers-Bulmash's synopsis of her Artfest experience. Please check it out here! So many great pics and class descriptions.

More Artfest Art

2010-04-20T11:48:00.001-07:00

As promised! More Artfest art continues...

My third day of classes was with Alex Shur in "Cast of Characters". Check out her website at wingedheels.com . This was really a fantastic class. The concept of this class was to create backgrounds using watercolor or guache (I used guache). Once the backgrounds were dry, we then sorta cloud gazed into the patterns of the paint to find characters "from our subconcious". I thought this was a really cool concept, very esoteric. I love cloud gazing, and now, I can also gaze into my own paint. Hmmm, starting to sounds a little weird, but not really.

Although I made a TON of backgrounds, I'll just share a few of my favorites. Below is an example of a background where I just started outlining in sharpie my "character". Big surprise here - a tree. What I loved was the funky, big nosed character that showed up in the trunk of my tree. You can see his green face on the left side of the tree trunk. There's also a great profile of a windblown face at the top right of the piece. I can't wait to continue working on this one. This piece is 15"x22.5".

My next favorite piece is "Ms. Thang" below. This piece is 5x7. I had a large background piece that I just struggled with and didn't see anything, so I ripped it into four 5x7 pieces. That's when all the characters came out!

I first saw the eye on the right, and then the mouth. I free drew the nose and then, just started doodling, just like in Ellsworth's class. Whatever struck my fancy. I actually did most of this work on the plane ride home with a few sharpies.

The next piece to come out of the torn up background is this one: The entire piece is painted with guache, a little music paper behind the words, which are written in sharpie: "My looking ripens things" which is an excerpt from a Rilke poem that I love. Aren't those four words just so erotic, powerful and delicious all at the same time? Say it to yourself again: My looking ripens things. Mmmmmm..... Another quadrant came out as below:

This started as a complete mistake/disaster. I was pumping my paint pen on the plane, and it just gushed out everywhere because of the pressure difference on the plane. I used the back of another paper to blot the paint that had puddled all over the page, and when I lifted the paper, I saw these great jellyfish! I simply outlined them and their little bubbles with black sharpie.

I already can't wait for Artfest next year!

Artfest Art & Unique LA!

2010-04-19T17:34:00.001-07:00

Firstly, I would like to invite any local LA peeps to come and see me at Unique LA this weekend at the Calfornia Market Center. I will be there Sunday, April 25 from 1-5pm.

I'll be there right in the main, center of the exhibition area "Make and Take" center, selling and signing books, selling my greeting cards and doing a !FREE! make and take of paper dolls from the book!

The California Market Center is in downtown LA, click on the link for full info!

Now, on to ART!

Yes, it's taken me forever to come and dowload pics from Artfest. I met so many cool peeps, that there is just no time to load all those photos too. But, I am talkin' about you! You know who you are, making fun of me down by the bonfire, feeding me chocolate eggs in the castle dorm, listening to my crazy stories. You're awesome!!!

So, here's two days worth of what I made at Artfest, more to come tomorrow - I promise!

First class was with Theo Ellsworth - Mystery Doodling. When was the last time you allowed yourself to really doodle and explore just doodling for 6 hours? I mean, we had a lunch breach in there somewhere, but I've decided that I need to do this more often. Famous last words, I know, but one can try, right? Maybe not 6 hours, but how about just one? Here's what I came up with - it's certainly electric!
What you see is actually a paper doll of sorts, which is separate from the rectangular background. We doodled on pieces of the paper doll which were pre-cut up, and we didn't know they would end up in the shape of a person. Pretty cool!

Next day was Traci Bautista - excellent teacher! This is my fav piece I made from her class, entitled, "Inventio IX" since I used music paper from Bach's music with the same title. It is a mixed-media collage piece using acrylic paint, paper, copies of my own photography, sharpie, and oil pastel. You know how I'm partial to trees

This next piece is entitled "Fire Lotus". It's a mixed-media piece usining acrylic paint, faric paint (for the flower petals), white out pen (for the white detail work) and black sharpie. This seemed to be lots of people's favorite.

My other favorite that I made in Traci's class (yes, this was a one day class, I work FAST so that my subconcious can flow easier). I call it "Peacock Fish". It's a mixed media piece too (gee, big surprise...) using acrylic paint, paper, white out pen, sharpie in red and black, and color pencil.

This last piece below is just an unfinished background. I wanted to post this so you could see the background on its own, which I thought would be fun to see. This is all acrylic paint. I have plans for this background involving some gold leaf and more, so will post when it's done!

All these pieces are sized 15" x 22.5"

Alex Shur's watercolor class tomorrow!

Book Signings!

2010-04-05T18:59:00.000-07:00

Here I am standing in front of the Barnes and Noble at the Everett Mall in Washington! Our second book signing event in WA, where I decided to bring my nice, sunny So Cal weather with me. As you can see in the window display, they were heavily advertising our event!
Left to right: Julie Molina (co-author), me, and Lisa Myers-Bulmash, significant book contributor, and friend extraordinaire! The table behind us had samples of some of the rooms from our book, which will be traveling around with me to different events.

Here I am at Zinnia signing books just this past Saturday- WE TOTALLY SOLD OUT!

But, back to Washington - After a lovely weekend in Seattle, exploring the city with DH, signing books galore, and eating WAY too much junk, Lisa and I settled in on our trek to

ARTFEST BABY!!

Why do I feel like breaking out in song - "I'm on a BOAT" like in the SNL short. See it here - but beware, lots of four letter words, and you might just fall off your chair laughing.

On our way we had to stop for lunch and became sucked into a girlie girl vortex.

pinkies up! Some little town in the Puget Sound with REALLY good tea and lots of chocolate choices. Let's just say, everything on the menu came with a scone bigger than my head.

And, yes, we got to pick our own hats.

I had classes with Theo Ellsworth, Traci Bautista, and Alex Shur. What great classes!

Here I am getting attacked by the Ellsworth monster...

when was the last time you allowed yourself to doodle for 6 hours? How about doodling blindfolded?

Here I am in my watercolor glory with Alex Shur. cloudgazing into our watercolor to bring out the characters in our subconcious.

The art I made to follow in the next post! The new and old friends in the next post too! Sorry, I'm just tired of resizing photos today.

Mystery Doodling

2010-03-15T12:02:00.000-07:00

I am looking forward to book signing events this weekend in Seattle! I plan on bringing my sunny California weather with me - so break out your t-shirts, Seattleites!

Friday, March 19, 5-7 pm Everett's Artists Supply
9304 Evergreen Way, Everett, WA

Sunday, March 21, 2-4 pm, Barnes & Noble at Alderwood Mall, WA
we will also be having a paper doll making demo!
Join me, my co-author, Julie Molina, and contributor, Lisa Myers-Bulmash for a fun afternoon!

Become a fan of the book on our Mixed Media Dollhouses Facebook Fanpage!

I will also be attending Artfest in Port Townsend, WA!! This will be my first time attending this retreat, and I am really looking forwad to my first class - Mystery Doodling by Theo Ellsworth.

Check out his website - it'a total trip!

Mixed Media Dollhouses

2010-03-07T11:28:00.001-08:00

Here it is folks: the book I've been working on for quite a while now:

I know you're dying to have your own copy, so you can go buy it at barnes and noble or amazon NOW! Join our Facebook fanpage now!

I am also going to be having some book signing events! Here are the currently scheduled events:

Friday, March 19, Everett Art Supply just outside Seattle 5-8p see this link to see info on Facebook.

Sunday, March 21, Barnes & Noble at Alderwood Mall, just outside Seattle, 2-4pm (right before Artfest!!!)

Saturday, April 3, Zinnia in Pasadena, CA, 5:30-9pm

Sunday, May 9, Barnes & Noble in Calabasas, CA, 2-4pm

How much fun will we have if you show up??

What else have I been up to, you ask? Especially since it's painfully obvious that I haven't been blogging?

Well, I've been working on my gift card holder business, people. This is some serious stuff! My patent is OFFICIAL and I am so excited to get this product in more mass market stores. It could be happening soon, so I will let you all know when it does.

In the meantime, I have been marketing, marketing, marketing, networking, networking, networking! I've been to presentations by Mr. Bill Clinton himself! See horrible picture below:

Just a few rows away - and, yes, the man has some serious charisma! Just the fact that we all know he's into cute Jewish girls puts him high on my list.

I also got too see the Penn & Teller show: see me and Penn after the show:Boy, is he TALL! I don't think that show name tag really matches my beautiful, brown suit.

Yup, four long days in Vegas, marketing and selling like crazy. Don't even think for a moment that I don't have even more wonderful ideas and new things coming around the corner that will amaze you! I have even grander, newer ideas for my patented greeting card/gift card holder concept to take my business through the next century. Let's just say, paper isn't everything. That's right folks, you heard it here first. Come to one of my book signings and I might let you in on more secrets!

Let's Have a Good Laugh

2010-02-01T20:26:00.001-08:00

Need a good giggle? J-Crafty is in da hooouuuuuusssssse!

If you're crafty, or if you like goofy videos, please, please, please click here and giggle away.

You're Probably Not Failing Enough

2010-01-27T18:42:00.000-08:00

Here's a good one for yah -

If you're not failing, you're not trying hard enough.

I think I heard it on Biggest Loser. Man, I love that show. Talk about getting over your fears of failure from years and years of struggling with weight, to go on national TV with your shirt off and get weighed in front of everyone!! NO THANKS!!

But back to failing more...The first month of 2010 is almost over!

Are you putting yourself out there and doing scary things? Are you doing things where you have no idea what you're doing? Are you failing and learning wonderful lessons?

If you answered yes to any of these, you are probably growing as a person by leaps and bounds.

I'd love to hear about the scary things you're doing! Write a comment and share with our community how you are growing, what you're learning! Or email me privately and we can talk more about YOUR situation.

Embrace failure. That's how you know you're really trying.

Crawling Through the Holidays

2009-12-20T16:33:00.001-08:00

I can't believe I haven't blogged since September! See what happens when you roll over another birthday! I'm obviously getting slower in my old age...

I am finally able to begin crawling my way out of The Holiday Madness to blog to the one or two people left who are actually still reading this! Thanks for hanging in there!

I have been networking on business trips, I have been developing a business plan for a new business idea, I have been selling Gift Card Holders to Whole Foods in California, Arizona and Nevada (Yay! two more states!!) I have been selling Gift Card Holders to 7-11 in Texas! Wow! I am pulling every string I can, because in this economy, you need to work twice as hard to make the same business.

Are you out there doing scary things? A friend reminded me recently of the E. Roosevelt quote "Do something scary every day". Boy am I living that one! But, just because it's scary, doesn't mean it's not the right thing.

Courage is defined by doing something, even though you're scared. It's amazing how by the second or third time, that thing that scared you so much isn't so scary anymore.

It might even be fun.

Wishing you all a wonderful Holiday Season, filled with love, laughter, and lots of gift cards!

Do something scary this week.

Put yourself out of your comfort zone.

Allow yourself to change and grow in 2010.

Good Mail Day

2009-09-28T10:09:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I've been remiss in my blogging. But, I've been making lots of krepach for the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana. If you've ever made kreplach - you'd know that it's big pain in the touches, but it's worth every bite.

I have my grandmother's recipe. She never measures a darn thing, but during one trip to Israel, I actually brought all my measuring cups and spoons and actually got all her famous family favs down on paper. I know it turned out good since last night my brother had FIVE helpings, count 'em FIVE! of kreplach. That felt good.

What was also nice was a little letter that came in the mail about two weeks ago letting me know that some of my artwork will be published in this book, now available on amazon.com.

My soulmate, Lisa, and I had a little personal project going on of sending each other postcards once a month that described something important going on in our life at that moment. There were no rules, just a postcard of whatever we wanted to express. While we absolutely did not begin this project as something for others to see, I think that others will truly relate to the intimacy of our friendship and our messages in the few postcards we shared with the book authors. Go to her blog for more details, she describes it way better than me!

You know You Live in LA When...

2009-09-03T19:36:00.000-07:00

ok - I would hate you to think that I'm boasting - but the stars have been out in spades lately! Come on - it's fun hearing about them isn't it? This is all in one week people!

You know you live in LA when...

Gary Sinise is in line behind you for frozen yogurt at your neighborhood joint. He's the guy standing in the middle up there. He's currently starring in CSI New York.

Patti Stranger (of Millionaire Matchmaker) is getting take-out at one of your favorite restaurants. She's wearing no make-up, hair's not "done" and is wearing flip flops. The exact opposite of how she tells her clients to dress. Hmmmm, I guess comfort isn't that over-rated after all?

Nikki Sixx stands next to you on the first day of school, looking a little sad as he hugs his daughter goodbye. She has no apparent tattoos.

You find it interesting that Mare Winningham has the same pediatrician as you. You kinda remember that she was in St. Elmo's Fire, but thought she's was really fun a month ago on Weeds (HBO - great show!).

Speaking of Weeds, that super-cute blonde kid - Hunter Parrish - who plays Nancy's son. Well, yah, he was hanging out with his buddies and his big-ass, hairy dog at the local Concerts in the Park. Yes, he is yummy, and looks WAY better without the pancake makeup. I need the number of whoever does his eyebrows.

En Lee Zman

2009-08-28T17:43:00.000-07:00

That's Hebrew.

It's the first line in a great Hebrew saying I heard last week that has been turning over in my head daily:

En lee zman lebazbez zman.

I don't have time to waste time.

Isn't it great? It even sounds good in English. And it's so true.

Maybe it's because my birthday is coming up in about a month, or maybe it's because I'm still trying to Live Each Day. But, I'm really realizing that I just don't have time to waste time.

Here's a gentle reminder that every day we have on this Earth is an unbelievable gift. Our little speck of a soul, on this little speck of a planet that was just lucky enough to be the perfect distance from the sun to support life - within our little speck of a spiraling galaxy in an infinite universe.

Let's love ourselves.

Let's remember that we are all butterflies, and can transform what we don't like in our lives anytime we choose to. Yes, you REALLY REALLY can. It IS a choice.

Let's remember to not waste our time. What that means to you will be totally different from the next person. We don't want to be wasteful with water, Earth's resources, and most of all - our time. Do what brings you meaning, joy, and love.

Droplets of Sun

2009-07-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

How about something for a nice summer afternoon where the cool breeze inspired me as I sat on the grass in the sunset.

Droplets of Sun

by Tally Oliveau

Golden droplets

of sun

grace my soft

shoulder

as I look

down upon it

admiring the

curvature.

They warm my glistening skin

and I cannot help

but reach out

to caress

it.

The sounds of

young laughter

quietly fade

into the distance

as I soak in

the moment

where I can

become

one

with the air

that surrounds

me,

that kisses my

shoulder

so sweetly.

New Art

2009-07-25T16:47:00.000-07:00

This collage and mixed-media piece is entitled "I am Infinity". It is another take on an assemblage I did several years ago also entitled "I am Infinity" and which was published in Somerset Studio, Winter 2006 issue:

I love the Venus DeMilo - well who doesn't? Her blowing hair. Her not-so-modest stance atop the half shell. Her beauty and allure will probably live on for infinity, and I believe that each one of us - our beauty and presence in the world - lives on for infinity too. On the outside of the cabinet are the words: "I am not this body, I am not this breath" and then on the inside it says: "I am infinity". Remember my "I am Infinity" piece I made at Asilomar with De Meng? I am continuing to explore this idea, and I encourage you to explore and create art over and over based on the same idea.

My new piece has the outline of Venus in the lower right corner. I just kept layering and layering until I was happy - and it took quite a few layers. Something I worked on after the sunset in New York.

I also worked on this face - and I really love it!
She's dark and glamorous. So much work went into the shading - lot of white paint mixed with caran d' ache layered on top of collaged papers. Here I am using those techniques I learned at Art and Soul! Making them my own.

Summer Livin'

2009-07-21T14:15:00.001-07:00

Oh my. Please go right away to this link, and read this wonderful story by Jean McBride. Perfect summer lovin' story for a hot summer night - and a special reminder to Live Each Day.

The Hamptons

2009-07-18T16:44:00.000-07:00

What can I say about this beautiful area of New York that I am lucky enough to go visit every summer? It is a magical place, beautiful, ostentatious, green, not really snooty as you'd imagine. It's a great place to have a run every morning, which I did. Pass by beautiful dairy farms and mansions.

We stayed right on the banks of Mecox Bay - just as it flows out into the Atlantic.

That's the view from the roof.

It was mezmerizing to watch the reeds blowing to and fro during the lightning storms that passed by relatively quickly. Being from Southern California, as I am, I am not used to the rain in the summer thing. It was glorious to watch the storm pass right by, and then leave with just a few puddles in its wake.

Enjoying glorious sunsets every night, as the birds settled noisily onto their little islet in the Bay. It was hard to tell if anyone else was stirring on the planet.

Yes, that's the sunset behind me.

Topanga Artist Studio Tour

2009-06-25T22:48:00.000-07:00

I went to a fabulous annual event in my neighborhood last weekend - the Topanga Artists Studio tour. For a small donation, you actually get a map of several dozen local artists who open their own homes and personal studios to the public to view and sell their art. It's run through The Topanga Art Gallery.

Don't I look like I'm having fun? I wish this was my balcony - but it belongs to one very lucky artist.

We were actually getting swarmed by hummingbirds, of all things. They were as crazy for the view as we were. I was admiring them.

I really didn't feel comfortable taking pictures of artwork during my visits. I don't know why. At the end of the afternoon, we joined all the artists for wine and small bites at the gallery. If you are visiting the lovely, hippy dippy town of Topanga, please go visit the gallery!

Asilomar

2009-06-15T14:06:00.000-07:00

After a very long car ride, my friend Audra and I finally made it to Asilomar! The beach beconed us - here I am all bundled up! So happy to be in the moment of just being alive.

I had two wonderful days with Misty Mawn in her "31 Flavors" Art Journaling class. I learned her easy and almost full-proof way to make a face. It was the main reason I took the class. I was so intimated by face drawing, and now, I think I can comfortably say, I can draw something that looks like a face! Not that I need to draw something realistic - no, not at all. I just needed the basic place to start, and Misty delivered. It was hard and scary - but the second half of the class was all journaling and collage - hear big sigh of "comfort zone"!

I didn't get a pic of us together, but here's a little of what I made in those two days!

My very first face:

My first painted face:
fun backgrounds:a collage with a face drawn by Misty that we were to cut up any way we wanted and collage with it:

My second painted face. Getting closer to something I like. Why is she blue? Must be the Star Trek influence.

How about a simple collage with my photograph of a dandylion in the middle. Sure, why not? Make a wish! That would make a great card, wouldn't it?

The two images below are side by side in my journal and are my favorite collage I made - of course it was the last one of the second day. Someone asked me if the lady in the picture was me. Um, why...yes...yes, she is...(in my dreams!)

How could I resist having my cards at the vendor night? Here I am in all my turquoise splendor!

Here's my close friend, Peggy Gatto - I love this lady! I knew she'd be at Art & Soul - and I was sort of worried about making sure we'd meet up. Lo and behold, the stars were aligned for us, and we were neighbors!

The third day of classes I spent with the talented Michael DeMeng. Do you really need a link for him? I did manage to remember to get a picture of us together.

I'm holding my "I am Infinity" piece that I made in his class. Can you see my heart pinned to my sleeve? So much rattling on in my head those four days.

The thought behind this piece: I am not this body. I am not this breath. I am Infinity.

So, there you go. Lots of eye candy to make up for weeks and weeks of no posts.

Apparently, A&S will not be hosting at Asilomar next year, but in Las Vegas. I can't believe it. I just LOVE Asilomar. It was definetely one of the big reasons I chose that venue. We'll have to see what's gonna happen for 2010.

Don't Touch Eyeballs

2009-06-07T21:16:00.000-07:00

Yes, I had a conversation with my two-year-old today, while giving her a bath, how it's not a good idea to touch eyeballs. It's ouchy.

So there.

But, on to more interesting things - like - THE MONTH OF MAY!! Here I am walking in to the first day of the National Stationary Show in New York!!

Here's my lovely booth!

I know, the booth is simple, but I need to fit this all in ONE suitcase, my friends. That is a feat of physics all in itself.

And wouldn't you guess who was nominated for best new product of 2009 in the social stationary category? Hmm.....could it be PAPIER STUDIO? Stardom obviously awaits...

I'm ready for my close-up...

It's a good start, but I didn't win. I think you need to sponsor something to win, and there was no way I was gonna spend the money to do that. Oh well... This display was one of the first things you saw when you walked into the Javitts Center, so that made me happy, and I had lots of interesting folks visit my booth. Nothing to report yet, but this summer I'll be working very hard.

The kids won't be touching any eyeballs at home - they'll be at summer camp every day. Can you hear the "halleluyah" from your chair?

I promise next post will have pics and info about Asilomar. Yes, it was fabulous. Yes, it was beautiful. Yes, I made cool sh*t and met some cool fellow artists. I wish you had been there with me.

The World Moves on a Woman's Hips

2009-04-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

This is my page for the upcoming chunky book swap that I'm participating in at the Art & Soul retreat in Asilomar next month. The theme for the book is Dancing Through the Decades. I love the music from the 1980's - probably because those were my serious formative years (read teenager). This piece is inspired from The Talking Heads' song "The Great Curve", where the chorus goes:
The world moves on a woman's hips
The world moves and it swivels and bops
The world moves on a woman's hips
The world moved and it bounces and hops
A world of light...she's gonna open our eyes up
A world of light...she's gonna open our eyes up

Here's the back of my page:

I think the words say a lot, both literally and figuratively. As a woman, I can feel the world moving on my hips, emerging, turning, bouncing, and hopping. There's a lot of energy there, and as a woman, it's our job to know how to open everyone else's eyes up.

Catch Me

2009-04-16T18:43:00.000-07:00

Catch Me
by Tally Oliveau

You might catch me
pricking the musical notes
that glimmer before me
in the air.
With my knowing hands,
plucking
the gossamer strands
of stories never to unfold
but in the far reaches
of my smile.

And you might catch me
running free through the fields
gathering raindrops in a
storm.
All the while listening
to their
quiet melody
twinkling and shining
in the sunlight.

Yes, you might catch me
composing
and dreaming
of the music that lies before
me,
floating
and waiting
to be sung.
Just waiting for my hands
to kiss
their gossamer strands
so that their life
may fill my soul
with love.

The Ties That Bind Us

2009-04-08T13:38:00.000-07:00

On this first night of Passover (yes, tonight!), it's a good time to think about the ties that bind us.

If you didn't already know, Passover celebrates the story of the Jews' exodus from Egypt and leaving their lives as slaves behind them. While life as a slave was probably horrific, I can only imagine how dificult it must have been to leave behind the only life they had known, to follow Moses into the desert looking for a homeland that they didn't know how to find.

Despite their fears, the Jews did it. They escaped the ties that bound them. They escaped slavery.

But what still enslaves us today? I don't just mean the Jews, I mean any one of us. Some of us are enslaved by our jobs, some of us are enslaved by society's expectations, some of us are enslaved by our obsessions and addictions, and some of us are even enslaved by fashion.

What are the steps we can each take in our own lives to escape the ties that bind us? Can we blow those heavy burdens from our hands, allowing them to fly away - giving us freedom?

Give It To Me!

2009-04-01T13:53:00.000-07:00

Here's one of the many reasons I love Madonna. Below are the lyrics to "Give It To Me" a song on her new album "Hard Candy", which I have been working out to lately. It is these kinds of attitudes that bring us to the top of our game. Yes, truly.

You can see the video here. I'm not sure about the value of the video itself, but at least you can hear the song. _Edit: Oh - wait - I want those boots!

Give it To Me
By: Madonna, P. Williams

What are you waiting for?
Nobody’s gonna show you how.
Why work for someone else
to do what you can do right now?
Got no boundries and no limits.
If there’s excitement,
put me in it.
If it’s against the law,
arrest me.
If you can handle it,
undress me.

Don’t stop me now
Don’t need to catch my breath,
I can go on and on and on.
When the lights go down
And there’s no one left
I can go on and on and on.

Give it to me!
Yah!
No one’s gonna show me how.
Give it to me!
Yah!
No one’s gonna stop me now.

They say that a good thing never lasts
and that it has to fall.
Those are the people that did not
amount to much at all.
Give me the base line,
I’ll shake it.
Give me a record
and I’ll break it.
There’s no beginning
and no ending.
Give me a chance to go
And I’ll take it.

Don’t stop me now
Don’t need to catch my breath,
I can go on and on and on.
When the lights go down
And there’s no one left
I can go on and on and on.

Give it to me!
Yah!
No one’s gonna show me how.
Give it to me!
Yah!
No one’s gonna stop me now.

Repeat Chorus

You’re only here to win
Get what they say
You’re only here to win
Get what they do
They’d do it too,
if they were you.
You’ve done it all before.
This ain’t nothin’ new.

Repeat Chorus

A Gift We All Have

2009-03-27T11:50:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning to the sunrise. The sky was slowly turning from black to turquoise blue. One little bird began chirping outside. A car passed by. I listened to the sound of my man breathing beside me. It was beautiful.

I could feel the enormity of the gift bestowed on me this morning, as a lied in bed, back to the Earth, feeling the pull of gravity into my soft matress and pillow. I closed my eyes and tried to feel the space above me - not just to my ceiling, but out beyond our atmosphere, beyond the Milky Way, beyond other universes - just continuing beyond. Feeling my smallness, but yet how important it is that I am here today.

I went hiking later this morning and breathed in deeply the smell of the sage and daisies popping up and basking in the new sun. I reveled in the sound of my footsteps on the sandy and gravely Earth below me. I reveled in the perfect breeze upon my shoulder, caressing my hair.

And now I reach out to you...

and implore you to revel in the gift that we all have. The gift of life on Earth, standing here, no matter what your situation is, standing here today. Breathing in and out.

And so, I leave you with another gift - the gift of five adorable boys goofing off at the Getty Villa in Malibu. I couldn't have spent a more pleasureable morning (ok, this trip was a few weeks ago...) with a cooler bunch of intelligent boys!

Girl, Where Have You BEEN??

2009-03-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

I've been across the country, and I've been crazed. I've been in photo shoots (can't tell you why yet), and I've been to conferences. I spent last week in Orlando, at the annual Prepaid Card Expo. Don't I look great in my booth! I probably would have looked even better if I wasn't slouching for that photo. Oh well.

Busy, busy, selling gift card holders - that's me!

Oh such fun! And don't you just love the carpet? That's what they do to the poor, cheap bastards (like myself) who don't pay for extra fancy carpet in their booth to cover the psychadelic Florida colored disaster that it was. No, it didn't match anything.

But, things went better than I had expected, especially with the current economy. There were less prospectives there, but those who had budgets enough to show up, were actually the decision makers. Quality, not quantity, is what counts.

I've been writing poetry like crazy, and will share some in the posts to come. Glad to be back!

Missing You

2009-02-24T22:18:00.000-08:00

This digital collage was made for a "girlfriends" themed chunky book I am participating in for a small group here in LA. I've been thinking a lot lately about my girlfriends, who they are, what they mean to me, even how many. Each one is important, and I have such different girlfriends in different parts of my life - art, mommyhood, family, even business.

But, there's one girlfriend out there that I have been missing terribly. She is lodged deep in my heart. Even though we don't manage to talk enough, in person or even on the phone, I think of her often. Even though we look very different, and have very different lives, we share the same heart. And so, I thought of her as I made this 4x4, knowing she'll be my girlfriend forever. She's my BFF and I don't need a reality show to prove it.

Don't be Afraid - Just Show Up and be Creative

2009-02-10T14:19:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth Gilbert (author of the book Eat, Pray Love) gave a great speech at the TED conference in Long Beach the other week. It's all about the fear of failure and our creative process.

Check out the video here. Pick a time when you have a quiet 20 minutes.

The World Needs Your Fabulousness

2009-01-27T22:39:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, on some random day when some kid was home sick from school, I sat watching an unexpectedly great movie called “Akeela and the Bee”. It was a little weird watching Morpheus act like an inner city school teacher, but maybe that was before he realized he was stuck in The Matrix. Who knows.

But, I seriously digress.

There was a quote in that movie that struck me so deep, that I had to share it with you all. Here it is:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond imagination. It is our light more than our darkness which scares us. We ask ourselves – who are we to be brilliant, beautiful, talented, and fabulous. But honestly, who are you to not be so?”

-Marianne Williamson in Return to Love: Reflections on a Course in Miracles

The world needs you to be fabulous. Changes are needed to be made, and it’s YOUR talent and fabulousness that can make it happen. The world becomes a better place with fabulous and brilliant people like you in it, doing all the brilliant and fabulous things that you do.

Let’s make it happen together.

Hope Over Fear

2009-01-20T12:29:00.000-08:00

Has our new president been reading my blog?

Or maybe his speech writers?

If I could summarize Barak Obama's acceptance speech this morning, it would read:

We must overcome our fears of failure, and simply look forward - hands reaching out - with hope for the future.

What obstacles this man has overcome to reach the place he stood today! What obstacles he will face during his term as president! Is he scared? Probably. But he appeared more than ready to face it all as he proudly walked through the capital builing on his way to the inauguration.

Facing our fears - whatever they may be - is an important part of what we must all do. Today. This week. This year! It's not that what you face is not scary - of course it is! But you must face it nonetheless.

Go read Obama's acceptance speech here.

Getting Political

2009-01-09T08:16:00.000-08:00

I don't really like to get political, but one thing that is close to my heart is Israel. I am so saddened by the bad rap that Israel gets when it tries to defend itself. I'm sure I couldn't even imagine what America would do if a neighboring (or any) country was firing rockets daily into our suburbs.

It is my opinion that Hamas (backed by Iran, by the way) and other terrorist organizations are not seeking peace or equality, they are simply seeking to annihilate Israel and all the Jews living there. I'm sure The United States is second on their list.

I won't go any further, but if you'd like to, check out this link and this link and get educated.

Fat January

2009-01-02T22:33:00.000-08:00

Did you know that January is the fattest month of the year?

What I mean by that, is according to a UCLA study (no I don't have a link for you, sorry!) people gain the most weight in January. Not December, but January.

That's interesting.

Of course, it could just be our bodies catching up to the enormous amount of leftover candies, hot chocolate, cookies, cake, cheese dip, potatoe pancakes, chocolate (need I go on? I'm getting hungry!) that we ate in the last two weeks of December.

It could be that. But it could also be a result of The Failure Syndrome! See last post!

Instead of actually following your "resolution to get healthy", each day ends with the thought "Boy, I already over-ate at lunch and had that cookie at the office, I might as well have that big bowl of ice cream that's left over in the refrigerator. I've already blown it today."

That mentality goes on and on for a few more weeks, and soon enough, you've gained another 10 pounds. Fat January.

The reality is, that one cookie is no where near blowing it. Yes, cookies have a lot of calories. Probably about 125-200 calories for an average sized chocolate chip cookie. No, not the Costco ones, those are about 250 calories EACH. But, even 250 calories is not much when you think about the fact that it actually requires 3500 EXTRA calories (i.e. above and beyond your basic needs to stay alive) to gain one pound. Even that Costco cookie is only 7% the way there. That is no where near "blowing it".

The damage really happens when you berate yourself for "blowing it", give up, and have the big bowl of ice cream, or whatever you eat after you say "I might as well have that...". At 600 calories per cup, ice cream adds up fast. Assuming you have two cups of ice cream, 3 nights per week, that adds up to a weight gain of just over 53 pounds per year!!!

(MATH: 600x2=1200 calories per bowl: 1200x3=3600 calories per week: 3600x52= 187,200 calories per year: 187200/3500=53.4 pounds gained in one year)

Now, come on. You know you sit down with two cups of ice cream. I would! That doesn't even include the brownie or cookie at the bottom of your bowl, or all the other things you may eat in a week. That's just an average serving of ice cream, only three times per week. That's also 53 extra pounds on your body. Worth it?

Not for me.

So, do you see how entering The Failure Syndrome is actually a self fulfilling prophecy? You never blew it with the cookie, you really blew it when you gave up on yourself, gave in to failure, and accepted that you could not overcome a failure - that wasn't even a failure in the first place!

Of course, I like cookies and ice cream, so I'm using them in this example. But, this scenario plays out the same way in other parts of our lives. Every part of our lives. We are not failures for trying and trying again. We are not even failures for giving up on ourselves. We can make a change at any time. At any moment, we can just decide to make a difference in ourselves and our lives. At any moment, we can just make a choice to do something different.

Try it.

Not only will you make a positive change in yourself. You might even change the world.

The Failure Syndrome

2008-12-28T22:00:00.000-08:00

Are you stuck in it?

The Failure Syndrome is where you have a perceived failure, then become so upset over it, with feelings of anger, frustration, self-loathing, sadness, and worst of all, hopelessness. Your pereception is that you have failed, yet again, and there may never be hope. You will never get back to that place you were before. You will never be able to achieve your goal. And so, you begin to engage in even more self-destructive behavior. You give up. Then, more failure follows.

It doesn't have to be this way.

Remember how I like to say that failure is important? We must strive for failure - it is our best tool for learning! It is our best tool for growth! Failure makes up the sturdiest stepping stones on our journey through life.

I encourage you to view your failures - even the really big ones - in a new light. Don't get caught up in The Failure Syndrome because it is just a self-fulfilling prophecy. Everyone fails, even the most successful people in the world. The difference between them and those who never manage to fulfill their potential is how they view their failures.

There may be anger at a failure. But be more angry that you didn't learn something from your failure and make a change.

There may be frustration at a failure. But take that energy and use it to push past your frustration into a learning experience. What will you do different next time?

There is no room for self-loathing. Failure is not a defect, but a golden opportunity for growth, change, and a chance to try again.

There is no need to be sad. You just learned something new about yourself! Your failure means you actually tried to do something out there in the world! Please keep trying! We need your fabulousness out there!

Shove hopelessness out the door. Tomorrow is a new day. The minutes roll by - each minute after this very minute right now - that you are reading this blog - is an opportunity for change, for improvement, for growth, for inspiration. That's why you're here, right? You keep reading, with the knowledge, way back, deep in there, that there is hope.

The new year is approaching. In my opinion, it will be a tough one economically, easily rivaling this past year. Many terrible things have failed this year, and many wonderful things have happened too. It doesn't matter what kind of failure your are struggling with. A failing business, a failing job, a failing diet, failing at making art, failing in relationships.

Embrace your failures, maybe even write them down. Draw hearts around them.

Then, more importantly, plan your change. Don't go crazy. Start with baby steps. But know that the change is possible. It's all at your fingertips. The next minute is a whole new minute in the universe, waiting for your change.

It's all your choice.

The possiblities are endless.

Pregnant Trees

2008-12-18T10:56:00.000-08:00

Whoa! It might actually be winter around here - or more Fall-ish by the majority of the country's standards. In short - IT'S COLD! I mean ARCTIC! It actually got below 32 degrees last night! I had ice on my front lawn! Shock! Horror! Coldness!

I'm a weather wimp, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

My bright green front lawn managed to weather the cold last night better than me. It's still lush and green, even after the ice defrosted as soon as the sun came up...

**sigh***

Here's a Mr. Lincoln rose, petals glowing in the sun, after the rain. I just took this photo about 10 minutes ago in my backyard!

A relatively new theme that has started popping up in my art lately is trees. The butterflies are still there, but trees have become a big part of my thoughts. And what better metaphore to use on my plaster casting of my pregnant belly. This casting was done four days before giving birth to The Little One.

I painted the background with acrylics, then drew the tree with a black Sharpie pen. I added to some gold paint to a few random leaves. Yah, I like that. I started this piece at Julie's sleepover art party, and I finally finished it two weeks ago.

I've been drawing lots of trees. Practicing trees. What are you practicing?

It Takes Practice - and CARD SALE!!

2008-12-16T11:19:00.000-08:00

Yes, yes, it's been waaaaaay too long! No excuses, really. Just life getting a little out of hand at this time of year, and it seems the blog was last on the list.

I've been dying to blog about this since last month! The Middle One came running to me just a few days before Thanksgiving, all excited, eyes wide.

"Mommy! Mommy! You won't believe what's going on in the backyard! Come see NOW!"

Well, I thought, how much could really be going on in our backyard? I mean, come on! But, I followed her anyway, mildly intrigued. What I saw when I peeked inside her bug catcher nearly brought me to tears. I was shocked at my reaction, but then, if you know my life recently, it only took me seconds to realize how everything was coming together...

This is what I saw...
It was beautiful. This was what had emerged from the dried up looking, what I was SURE was dead, cocoon that had been hanging in that darn bug catcher for at least a month, if not longer. In fact, there were two (what I thought were long dead) cocoons hanging in that bug catcher. The other butterfly had already hatched and was long gone when this one came out!
The butterfly hung out there for almost an hour before it began moving its wings. Then, it started flapping its wings and walking around the inside of the bug catcher. It practiced this for another 15 minutes or so. Practice, practice, practice. Back and forth. Back and forth. What could an hour and 15 minutes be out of the life of a butterfly - probably a lot. They don't really live very long.

It needed a lot of practice before heading out the door of the bug catcher, and into the big, bad world full of the nectar-filled flowers in my garden.

This is such an important lesson for all of us. We must practice and practice. We must try and try, and then try again before we are able to fly and find our true purpose. We must be patient, diligent, and keep practicing.

Of course, butterflies have so much symbolism for me, personally. I am trying to be that butterfly, and it takes a lot of practice too. I'm practicing living in my new body. I'm practicing some new attitudes and outlooks - not only on food, but on life. It takes practice.

So, to celebrate I'm having a CARD SALE!!! Yay!

All cards on my website (yes, ALL) are $2 each, with only $5 in shipping (no matter what size your order is) for all you cool blog readers. All you have to do is email me your order with the item number and how many of each, or you can download my pdf order form and fax me your order to 818-206-5320. Cards will ship the next day. Please include your VISA/MC account info or paypal info with your order.

Great Harvest Bread Co.

2008-11-18T22:19:00.000-08:00

I'm giving a shout out to one of my new customers!

Great Harvest Bread Company, a nationwide chain of bakeries, was one of the new companies this year to order custom gift card holders from little ol' me! Check their website for a store near you! Buy a gift card, and a gift card holder to go along with it! You can even buy gift cards and bread on their website.

Happy Shopping!

Workshops Coming Up This Weekend!

2008-11-12T20:04:00.000-08:00

Hello All!

Just an FYI, that I have three workshops coming up at Artful Living this weekend - all in one day! Sign up for one or all three!

I have also updated my website with classes for the first part of next year at Viva Gallery.

Sunday, November 16

10am-12:30pm Wine Presentation Box $35

2pm-4:30pm Personal Assemblage $30

5pm-7pm Handmade Holiday Cards $35

We will be making a special wine gift box, hand decorated by YOU! Price includes most materials. Here's a sample of what you can make:

Next, we will be using the top of this box (if you want to) to make an assemblage chock full of personal images and meaning. Learn some basics of creating assemblages. Use the end result as a gift for yourself or someone special!

Finally, spend two hours with me, a card crazy woman, making as many handmade cards as we can muster in 2 hours. Lots of supplies are included in the cost of the class, including paper and some goodies in the store. Below is simply some suggested designs, and I will have supplies for all these designs available for you. Or, make your own designs. I will be brining lots of extra stamps, papers, and goodies. You will likely walk out with at least 20 cards at the end.

You better believe I'll have that beautiful ornament stamp for you to emboss with gold or silver sparkly embossing powder, along with that yummy hand dyed silk ribbon, printed satin ribbon, and German scrap!

If you don't manage to accomplish what you hoped, do not fret! I will be bringing my supply of my Papier Studio cards for purchase at a nice discount!

Please call Artful Living to sign up for the classes and for supply lists, etc. 805-640-0800.

Taming the Tiger

2008-11-11T19:57:00.000-08:00

by Tally Oliveau

I open the cage door
every day,
hearing the growls
of my angry tiger.
Pensive,
I find myself deluded
by thoughts
that I have trained
my tiger well,
and that it is
ready
to do my bidding.
Snarling
Prowling,
in its dark cave
it awaits
to pounce.
Knowing
I am unaware.
Knowing
I am naive.
Knowing
I stand alone
at the cage door.

Lookin' For a Good Time?

2008-11-07T16:48:00.001-08:00

Ahhhhhhhhh...no more ugly campaign ads and no more ugly warehouse look to my family room! Things are lookin' good, baby!

While I like having big orders, especially in this dismal economy, I didn't like having a family room that looked like a warehouse. Lots of big brown boxes full of pretty cards and envelopes. Well, they're all gone now, except the normal stuff that lurks around here anyways, and is at least semi-contained and out of sight.

So, if you're lookin' for a good time, go here! Click away and see what happens!

Yes We Can!

2008-11-06T12:51:00.001-08:00

Can you feel the excitement in the air? There seems to be a new hope, a new energy, about what the future holds for this country as of Tuesday night. From both sides of the political spectrum, there is a wide smile as we prove to the world that America really is the greatest countries on Earth. Our hearts swell as we can all truly say, that we are proud to be an American.

We will make a comeback – but as Obama said – it isn’t going to be easy. What I liked most about his speeches and his plans was that there was a lot of “we” in there. I think most of us know that one man, even the president of the United States, cannot make sweeping changes anywhere. It is The WE that will make those changes. It will take some sacrifice, but WE can do it. WE can make it happen. WE will survive, WE will grow, WE will prosper. Yes WE can!

Happy Universary

2008-10-21T11:57:00.000-07:00

This is the sweet sign hubby and I came home to on Sunday afternoon, after spending our FANTASTIC weekend in Ojai! The Middle One made it, and I just love it.

Well, it was our 15 year wedding anniversary, and I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend the weekend. We did lots of mountain biking...
Had ice tea on "The Terrace" at the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa...that's pretty much what a normal person can afford there...
And we stayed in the most wonderful place - Artful Living, an art store and retreat destination in the center of Ojai. Give Barbara a call at 805-640-0800 and see what wonderful things are happening here.
How can I say enough about Artful Living? The store is beautiful, with so many goodies, so well presented.
An amazing array of classes. And GREAT accomodations for the guest artist and guests, alike. It's kinda like staying at a B&B, only very resonably priced. 100% worth the short drive from Los Angeles, or wherever you're coming from! It is a destination.
There I am, sitting on the wrap around porch after a LONG day of mountain biking.

We also went kayaking on Lake Casitas.
The early morning was quiet, with almost no other boats to disturb our natural splendor.

Then, Sunday morning - off to work, well really just more fun - meeting these lovely women who came to take my Image Transfer class at Artful Living! Don't they look busy?

Well, they were, learnin' up a storm. This has been one of my most popular classes for the last three years, and for good reason! You learn no less than EIGHT image transfer techniques in about two hours. I like to make sure you get your money's worth!

After class, a little time was left before needing to return to reality. Only a block away is the heart of downtown Ojai. Beautiful fountains...

and the coolest stores I have seen in a long time! Check out some of the amazing artwork at Human Arts store on Ojai Ave. I really fell in love with this one:
Don't miss the found object bowl behind the sculpture.

The faces and lizard in these sculptures actually open up into another assemblage inside! The one on the left opens up twice! If you're in Ojai, DO NOT MISS THIS STORE!!

So, what does a girl do after such a fabulous weekend? Why, package up about 10,000 gift card holders, that's what! They're showing up here tomorrow. If you don't hear from me for a week or so, you can take a guess at what I'm doing...

Nourish

2008-10-15T12:57:00.000-07:00

When you're Jewish, the holiday season begins in September. Oh yah - we have craziness for four months straight. It all starts with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year and doesn't end until the secular New Year.

In between all that, I managed to attend a fun art party at my good friend Julie Molina's house. She has great photos on her flicker page - so go check them out! There are some really goofy pics of me. You can also see some early parts of my latest work - painting the plaster form that was made of my pregnant bust and belly the same week I gave birth. Boy, was I BIG!

This weekend, I am looking forward to teaching my two most popular classes - Visual Journaling and Image Transfers - at Artful Living in Ojai. They have no website for me to link you to, but if you'd like to sign up, please give them a call at 805-640-0800.

Lately, I've been thinking about all this teaching I'm doing, blogging, my card business, other large art projects I have recently taken on, and what it all means to me. Why am I doing all this? Has my life become too busy? Why do I put myself out there so much?

Well, the answer came to me on Yom Kippur last week.

Yom Kippur is a day of repentance. A day of forgiveness. It is a day where I, and most Jews around the world, fast - that means no food, no water, not even brushing your teeth - for 24 hours. (ok, ok, I do brush my teeth) Let me tell yah, by 3:00 in the afternoon, you need God more than ever.

That's when I came out of my stupor to hear the rabbi say: "Don't think about what you will eat tonight when the fast is over, think about who you will nourish tomorrow."

Whoa.

That's exactly what I needed to hear. I am here, because I can only hope that my words, my feelings, my experiences will help nourish you. Others can learn from my experiences - my successes and my failures. Others can benefit from what I'm doing. It makes their life better in some way, even if it's really small.

In return, I get nourishment from all of you. Your comments let me know you're out there. Your blogs let me know what you're doing, what you're learning, and I learn too.

So, I begin this year, seeking to nourish others and myself. I look forward to meeting new friends this weekend in Ojai and putting myself out there a little more.

Nice Jewish Girls

2008-10-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

Here we are - two nice Jewish girls hangin' out in LA. Many of you will probably recognize Judy Wilkenfeld of Red Velvet Creations. Her amazing artwork inspires me. It makes me even more glad to have such a wonderful and complex history, culture, and religion. Judy puts important meaning into every piece she does.

I was so excited to get her email that she would be in LA (from Australia!) and wanted to get together. We spent the day with some of her family, did some serious shoe shopping, and a little sight seeing. Here is another example of two people who may have never crossed paths if not for the internet. We've been corresponding for over a year on our blogs, and here we were - together in person!

Judy is off teaching at Art and Soul in Portland this week, then she's off to Canada.

A few days before that was my birthday! I've been doing a lot of visual journaling lately. It really helps mark my days/weeks and work out thoughts and feelings.

The white gel pen above is a line from a Norah Jones song:

"Come away with me

in the night

and I will always

love you." I am feeling a little stifled by my sweet, loveable baby. She runs faster than I do on those little legs and feels a need to get into EVERYTHING! She doesn't stop moving. My brother is currently visiting, and he even said that he's still not sure what she really looks like, because she hasn't stopped moving for him to get a good look.

Wishing all the nice Jewish girls and boys out there a Shanah tova u'metukah!

Glamour Has Substance!

2008-09-23T11:58:00.000-07:00

I find that nothing is better to distract myself from the hard work I'm doing on the elliptical machine at the gym than a good ol' trashy magazine. You know the ones - lots of pictures of celebrities walking out of the grocery store or Starbucks.

Well, yesterday I thought I was in for the same ol' fare when I picked up the latest issue of Glamour magazine. I was more than pleasantly surprised to find a fantastic article by Jessica Matlin entitled "Tips From the Women Who Make You Gorgeous". (October 2008, pp. 127-132).

"Oh great!" I thought. More silly tips on applying makeup that I rarely wear.

But wait, there was more...

These were short little snippets of interviews with some of the top executives in the beauty industry - we're talking about president of L'Oreal Paris, Karen Fondu, legendary supermodel Iman, CEO of Shiseido Cosmetics, Heidi Manhaimer (the first American woman to hold this position in the company's 136-year history), president and CEO of LVMH Perfumes (guides brands like Dior and Guerlain). There's more, but I'd like to get to the point...

These are definetely women who have worked hard to climb that corporate ladder and have broken through the glass ceiling. Here are some of the important things they had to say about business and success:

"Don't be afraid to admit you have no idea what you're doing. It's not a sign of weakness; it's a sign of courage. I ask my mentor...for help all the time."

"It's normal to be nervous about new challenges. Anyone who isn't scared by something brand new is crazy!"

"My beauty ideal is that modern woman who is slightly not put together. I think imperfections are beautiful."

"If you overreact when you make a mistake, you'll just make another. Instead, reflect upon how you can fix things and avoid the problem in the future."

Um - are you listening to this? These are top executives - and yes, they have the same fears, hesitations, and doubts that we all do. But do they let those fears stop them from getting and going for what they want? NO!

They not only push past this fear, but they accept it as a part of the package. True courage does not come from doing something easy that everyone can do. True courage comes from doing something scary, something risky - DESPITE that fear. It's not that the courageous have no fear, they just see it as part of the package and continue to move forward.

What can you do TODAY to move past a fear? Ask yourself "What's the worst thing that will happen?" It's not half as bad as you think. It's just the flimsy tissue paper wrapped around the gift that you really want and deserve.

Read the whole article here.

Open Your Wings

2008-09-14T22:26:00.000-07:00

by Tally OliveauI left my cocoon today,
wet wings frigid,
dripping,
shaking with anticipation.

I know I can fly.
I feel the wind on my face.
It makes me tremble
on this tiny
thin
branch.

Emerging slowly,
cautiously testing
my footing.
Still holding tight
to what seems a dream -
the life of a catepillar
the life that only yearns
for change.

So, Here I Am.

New Cards!

2008-09-07T16:18:00.000-07:00

Things have been busy around the studio this past week. A whole slew of new designs are popping up for 2009, and holiday orders are EXPLODING!!

Feel free to pop by the website: www.papierstudio.com to get a gander at some of the new stuff coming out of Photoshop. I think I've really gotten a swing of Photoshop - at least I let myself think that for now. I know I probably have only mastered a very small percentage of what this amazing program can do - but I don't let that stop me from creating! Here's a sneak peak!

The water drops above came from a photograph I took of my car windshield while it was raining! Some minor adjustments, a few photoshop brushes of my doodles - and voila! dreaming of the sea...

As some of you may know, one of my specialties, besides the patented gift card holders, is my line of Judaica cards. This is close to my heart, since I have found a vapid hole of classy, artistic Judaica cards. I am doing my best to fill that hole.

Artful Living

2008-09-03T12:46:00.000-07:00

I am so pleased to announce that I will be teaching two of my most popular classes at Artful Living in Ojai (details below). They have no website for me to link for you, but their telephone number is 805-640-0800. According to Barbara, the owner, if you call, or email them at artfulliving@ojai.net they will send you their newsletter and registration information and pricing.

I am very honored to be teaching at a location where the likes of Lyn Perrella and Kelly Kilmer, to just name a few, have taught.

Here's the details (hours are approximate):
October 18: 10am-4pm
Visual Journaling - Caverna Magica
Come along on a fantastic voyage of self exploration through art journaling. Using music, breathing techniques, and guided visualization, Tally will lead you on a spelunking adventure you will never forget. We will be digging for the artistic archeological treasures that are hidden in your subconscious. We will shed some light on the dark caves of your mind that maybe you haven’t explored in a while – or maybe never even been discovered.

October 19: 10am-12:00pm
Image Transfers
Image transfers are a wonderful way of getting a very translucent image over decorative or other papers without using a transparency. The transfer actually becomes almost part of the paper. Students will be learning different image transfer techniques in this class including gel medium transfers onto paper and fabric, packing tape transfers, gin transfers, and transfers onto metal. This is a wonderful technique that you will be able to apply in hundreds of ways in your own art. This is a techniques class, therefore, you will not be creating artwork in class.

Even if you have taken my Visual Journaling class before, each journey is different and even the same journey can be different at a different time. For additional details and supply lists, please visit my website (link at the upper right of this blog), and click on the link to "Workshops".

I hope some of you will join me!

I Love to Look!

2008-09-01T20:23:00.001-07:00

My dear friend Peggy has honored me with this award that she created herself! She gave this award to blogs she loved to keep visiting over and over, not only to look at the art, but to hear personal stories and outlooks on life. Thanks Peggy!

I just named a group of blogs I love in this post. I hope you'll go visit. Peggy would love it if you would pass on this award to others you love to visit.

Aaaaaahhhhhhh.........

2008-08-28T13:03:00.000-07:00

Oh yes, that was a big...long...sigh. The DH and I finally got away - even if it was just for 24 hours - to this place. Yes, yes, I know it's very fancy. But, we haven't been away by ourselves for THREE YEARS! We so deserved this break, and it's so close to our house - no time wasted on travel.
That's a picture of the very best part of the hotel. The Spa. Those lounge chairs are the size of a double bed - and located in a coed section of the spa, overlooking the ADULT ONLY saltwater pool and Japanese pagoda garden. Perfect for cuddling with your loved one after your Thai massage, as your endorphines surge through your blood stream, and all you can seem to do is stare outside at the happy yellow umbrellas and blue sky.

This your view from the women's only waiting area. It has the same lovely lounge beds. I closed my eyes, listened to the trickling water of the fountains, and cast myself into outer space.

I can't even believe how recharged I was, after only 24 hours! If you have the time and money, I encourage you to visit this place soon! If not, go to the link I gave you at the beginning of this post and flip through the photo gallery. It'll get you a third of the way to nirvana without spending a dime.

Not four hours after coming home from this lovely retreat, I was off to teach an art class at Viva Gallery.
Tonight was gelatin monoprinting! Oh what fun! I think everyone was a little surprised at how easy this technique is. I wasn't at all surprised to see how these talented artists ran with this new technique and created such different and wonderful things! With their permission, here's a look at what they made:

My next workshop at Viva is on Wednesday, September 17 - we will be making tissue paper collages. I also just scheduled another Visual Journaling class for Monday, October 13.

I also have exciting news about a new venue where I will be teaching - please stay tuned while I get the proper links and such.

Dude! It's Jesse Reno!

2008-08-16T20:03:00.000-07:00

He says dude a lot.

Dude! Finally! Am I the only one from the class that hasn't posted anything about Jesse Reno's class? Here's me and Jesse. He shoulda been pooped on that third day of teaching, but, heck, he's young. He can sweat it. Do you think I'd look good at the next PTA meeting with that hair?

What?

I've never shown up to one PTA meeting ever?

Oh yah.

I only could make it to the third day of the class - needless to say, I missed a sh*t-load of learnin' and bonding with this big group. But, I was happy to see so many friends. You'll get to see them in a minute, links and all, but let's get down to art!
Here was one of the main workspaces. You can see Mija to your left and Tamara to your right. I began working at a table outside, with the wonderful Catherine Witherell and some other lovely women (whose names fail me completely but were also lovely and talented). However, the heat started getting to me, and I moved to the table above (with air conditioning). It was so nice to sit with these two old friends - Mija, whom I've known for a few years now, and Tamara, whom I've known online for about the same amount of time, but met in person for the first time here! yay!

Here's me and Catherine:

I immediately knew she was wonderful when I found out she loved my BFF Lisa. She is an amazingly talented PMC artist - so you really should go check out her blog asap.

Jesse has a very interesting technique, that is kinda scary, but produces wonderfully complex paintings. This technique involves beginning with his background, painting layers and layers randomly - with no specific purpose, per se. Then, when he starts seeing an image or one of his creatures materializing from the paint, he begins to define them (or it) with black paint/pencil. As he paints, he may "block out" entire portions of his already developed background - that's the scary part. He will just take a wad of paint and blot out portions of his painting that he doesn't like. Check out Catherine's blog (link above) for a few good picks as the days progressed. Remember, I was only there on the last day.

By blocking out some sections of the painting, and then repainting over them, you can get a very complex focal point - his are creatures. I'm not really sure I was courageous enough yet to fully have tried his technique, but here's what I came up with:

I really like the first one. I worked on two pieces at once. Jesse likes to work on multiple pieces at once. He also likes to paint with his hands, and he likes to paint on wood. The piece above is a 11"x22" piece of wood. I loved working on the wood! It feels great under my hands - all mushy and full of paint! The second piece is not even half way finished, but here it is in all it's strange glory:
This is an 11"x14" canvas board. It only has 4 layers, so it still has a ways to go. Perhaps I will have some time in the next few weeks to work on it.

A big group went out for dinner after the class. Here's all these totally cool women, some I only knew online for so long, and finally got to meet. Some, I had admired their art in different publications and finally got to meet in person. Some were just plain new and wonderful.

L-R: Kelly Snelling, me, Deryn Mentock, Pilar Pollack, Lorraine, Catherine Witherell, Tamara Comerford, Mija Marie, and Tamara's hubby! What a cool dude to be hanging out with all us cool chicks. You really should check out all the links above - most have more great pics from this wonderful workshop at The Carol Parks Studios.

Go link amongst yourselves...

But, Of Course

2008-08-12T19:58:00.000-07:00

When you say the title of this blog entry, you must use the very snooty French waiter accent.

But, of course...

I am brilliante! Because my Brilliante friend, Lisa says so!

I am honored that she gave me this recognition, because, if you have ever met Lisa, you would know how truly brilliant she really is. I've bragged about this cool chick before, but I just can't believe my luck to have had her as a friend since the age of 9. And we still click immediately, we still totally get each other.

This is my first blog award! Yay! (Sally Field is starting to emerge, so I must digress).

I haven't checked out all her other nominees, but you can bet they are good, and truly brilliant. I think I'll do that as soon as I'm done with this post.

Of course, there are rules:

1) Put the logo on your blog

2) Add a link to the person who awarded you

3) Nominate at least seven other blogs

4) Add links to those blogs on yours

5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs

Geez. Some of the ones I would have nominated, Lisa already nominated. Hmmm...

In no specific order, the nominees are:

1. Morgan of I wish I had a penguin friend

2. Kelly of Soul Humming

3. Lisa Hoffman

4. Judy Wise of Red Velvet Creations

5. Jennifer Blevins' The Trend Spot

6. Michelle Ward (I think everyone nominated her, but she deserves it)

7. Julie Molina's Constant Partial Attention

Oh my goodness, I actually have more that are brilliant (or brilliante), but no more patience to post links. These should give you something to do while you wait to see the EFFING COOL SH*T I MADE WITH JESSE RENO!!!!! Neener, neener!

Don't worry, I promise to get to resizing those photos...ummmm...this week?

You're impatient, you say? Well, then get your butt on over here and babysit, why don't you, so I can get something done around here! Someone needs to make sure the little one doesn't eat too many crayons.

Run, Jump, Play

2008-08-09T16:39:00.000-07:00

Sometime life can be downright, effing annoying when you used to use food to placate yourself and make you feel "better" - but you can no longer do that. Believe me, I'm realizing now, that it NEVER made me feel better, only bigger!

What's really annoying is when you have to face those problems because you are on a special temporary diet where you can not eat any food. It really is rehab.

But, tomorrow I get to see some friends, some old, some new, and I am so excited to take a class with Jesse Reno at Carol Parks' studio in North Hollywood.

I will not have to face any problems tomorrow, only be with lovely people and have a creative time. So, with that in mind, I will share this little ditty I wrote on one of my vacations last month - let's think of more ways to Run, Jump, Play!

Run, Jump, Play
by Tally Oliveau

Run through the water
not a care in the world.

Run
Jump
Play

Throw the ball
You can have it all,
when you

Run
Jump
Play

Hop on your board
and paddle all day.
Nothing can be wrong
when you

Run
Jump
Play

Are You Making Enough Mistakes?

2008-08-04T13:05:00.000-07:00

By reading this blog, I've hope you've begun to appreciate the importance of making mistakes, and not having a fear of them.

Remember:

People who never make mistakes are people who have never done anything.

I think you should write that one down and put it somewhere you'll see it a lot. I have.

We gain our most important lessons from mistakes. Sometimes, our mistakes are the best part of what we've done. Antibiotics were a mistake! Chewing gum was a mistake! Oh, what would I do without chewing gum?

I hope you are all out there making mistakes, and learning, and reaching forward towards the unknown. Sometimes, you'll work so hard, you suddenly realize how easy it was to get to the other end.
That business phone call you are dreading: make that one your first call of the day.

That person that you having been thinking about and are afraid to reach out to: call them now. They have just been wishing you would reach out to them.

That idea that you have, the one that you have no idea where to start: make a list of small steps, get out your calendar, and then put task items in your calendar from that list, with the first task starting today. Yes! TODAY!

Don't be afraid of making mistakes. Mistakes are supposed to happen, and they are the most important part of what you're doing. You are so much smarter when you make mistakes. I have the utmost belief and respect for you - for forging ahead in the land of mistakes - side by side we go, getting bigger, stronger, faster.

The Staycation

2008-07-24T20:23:00.000-07:00

It seems that our economy has forced many Americans to have, what is now termed as, the "Staycation". I think it's kinda obvious what that means - you don't go anywhere and you don't get to do shit.

I haven't quite had the staycation - actually, I'm lucky enough to have had three little "getaways" so far this summer. I know that I am AMAZINGLY lucky to live in a city (and state, for that matter) that (pretty much) the entire world dreams about coming to visit.

The first was Mammoth, and we all know how that one turned out! See my post from July 4th, if you haven't read it already. Next was La Jolla - only 2 hours drive away, just north of San Diego.

Um, yah - totally gorgeous. We had many difficult choices of what to do each day - Beach? or pool? Rough, rough, rough. At this point, however, I was 0 for 2 on accidents on vacation - my DH got stung by a sting ray at this very beach you're looking at above. No, it didn't pierce his heart or anything, and he is fine. He did leave a trail of blood from the water to the lifeguard station. In the end, it really wasn't anything that five ibuprofen and two beers couldn't fix.

So, if you go swimming in the ocean in La Jolla, please shuffle your feet.

Finally, Oxnard. More difficult choices between beach and pool. No sting rays. No flat tires. Just a fantastic family adventure. During the baby's nap, I got to sit quietly on my patio, reading Eat, Pray Love.

This is the California dream. Palm trees, sunshine, blue ocean, beautiful sandy beach.See that path there? We rented a surry bike that fit all five of us and rode along the beach. The kids scooted their hearts out there. We had beautiful sunset walks there every night.

We stayed here. Highly recommend it for a family vacation. Highly DON'T recommend it for a romantic getaway. The cacaphony of children's talking and screaming at breakfast in the morning alone, will have you running faster than you thought possible. However, when that noise is somewhat drowning out the talking and screaming of your own children, it feels like a blessing that will have you smiling, and reassured about life in general.

Perfection Prevents Possibilities

2008-07-16T13:07:00.000-07:00

There are many out there who know me well, who actually think I'm a perfectionist, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, my dad had huge problems with me growing up, where he felt that I just didn't try hard enough to do things "the right way" (i.e. the perfect way, i.e. his way). There are many out there who also know me, who constantly ask how it is that I manage to do so many things with what I have going on in my life - You mean to tell me that you have three small kids, run your own business, manage your household, AND you have a blog?? How do you do it all?

I have thought about this quite a bit. For a long time I thought the answer might be in my minimal TV watching. I was so self-rightous about how little TV I watch. But, then, I realized, that I go through spurts of no TV, and lots of TV. I like to watch movies, and those do take a while to watch.

Then, while talking to a good friend recently, she (so very kindly) says "...and you never do anything half-assed." This really piqued my interest. Besides the fact that we all crave to have others tell us positive things about ourselves, this comment really started me thinking about how I do things, and how do I manage to do so much?

At this point, I think the answer truly lies in the fact that I do like to have a day packed with lots of activities, because, to me, this is Living Each Day. And truly, I do many of these things very well, but I do many of them half-assed.

And I'm ok with that.

My kids don't always have their hair brushed. They (well, the older two at least) are responsible for dressing themselves and getting themselves ready for the day. This has caused me many a raised eyebrow, but I quickly move on, without a comment or bad look.

My car is a disaster - NEVER clean. Just ask my DH. He actually hates driving my car, or really, ever being in it. There is a definite smell of KID in there. I let them do everything, including eat ice cream in there. My DH just cringes at the thought, but, hey, life is too short not to immediately eat that McyD's ice cream cone right out the drive through!

Let's move on to bigger, more important things: I have my own business, Papier Studio, but did I have any experience running a greeting card company before? Heck no! I just started, jumped into the water! It's amazing how quickly you learn to swim when you just jump in. Did I do a little research? Sure. Just a little. But I didn't explore the industry as a whole, and three years later, I still have a lot to learn.

I don't always have milk in the frig, I don't always have the best, planned out dinners, I don't always have the best blog themes. In fact, for last month and this month, I didn't even have a giveaway item! That's after promising myself to have one every month this year! Do I stress and bite my nails over it? No way.

Would you ever think to yourself: I'm not gonna make dinner tonight, because I just don't have any tomatoes (or whatever) for the salad, so it won't be perfect, and I just won't eat. No way! But how many times have you said to yourself: "I can't start my dream because I have no idea how to do accounting or how to rent a storefront, or even where to start."

I'll tell you a secret: You don't need all the answers right away.

It sure would be nice if we could all be perfect, but perfection prevents possibility. Striving for perfection is simply a waste of time - because it is unachievable. Instead, strive for failure - a great place to learn, grow, and accomplish your goals. If nothing else, you will have actually acheived what you set out to do. Then, go out and do it again! Try it. You might be surprised at what happens!

2008-07-04T22:24:00.001-07:00

Here's how I finished a lovely week up in Mammoth Mountain:

About six miles north of nowheresville, I heard a very strange sound coming from my car. Not good. Luckily, there was a very good place to pull off the highway, very safe. I stepped out of my nice, air-conditioned car onto the blazing Mojave Desert sand to observe my completely flat tire.

There I was.

A woman with three small children, stuck in the middle of the desert, in July.

And that is why cell phones are one of the most magnificent inventions EVER!

I had more problems when I called AAA and they didn't have me as a member on their computer - which took 45 minutes to screw their heads back on (while I was sitting alone with three kids in the middle of the desert in July).

FIVE HOURS LATER I was back on my way home. That's how long it took to deal with AAA, wait for tow truck, get spare tire put on, drive no more than 50 mph to next big town, have tire changed, make several poopy stops here and there. Be careful out there. I consider myself lucky. Cell phones, portable DVD players, air conditioning, and Costco samples were major life savers.

Remember to always have these four things on you or nearby.

It's a Craft Thing

2008-06-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

I attended a fun monthly meeting of the LA Craft Mafia last night. I just love their logo:This logo was created by Morgan, who is super sweet, creative and has a great blog! She has touching and hilarious hand drawn comics. Please check her out by clicking on her name!

I must say, however, that the ride there was...um...interesting. A little peek for my carpoolers at the mommy life. Let's just say, I think all the drug stores ran out of the The Pill today.

The only way I was going to make it out to the city last night to hang with these cool crafty peeps was to meet the DH at his work and switch cars. A dear friend and two more of her friends, whom I had never met, agreed to carpool with me, and I was happy to pick them all up, since they were not only on the way to the event, but also to the DH's office.

So, with the three kids in tow, we headed the 30 minutes to my friends' house. I walked into her house with all three kids, and they just took over the place. Her cats were, like "I'm outta here" and so, my one year old, and five year old daughters proceeded to corner them under the pool table, giggling all the while. My son managed to give himself an entire tour of the house by saying "I need to go to the bathroom" and then showing up from another hallway. I was so ready to go!

All 7 of us managed to fit into my minivan, and we headed for DH's office, only 15 minutes away. Well, the baby decided she needed to cry the whole way there. No toy, no sippy cup with milk, NOT EVEN THE WHEELS ON THE BUS SONG would do! Of course, when she saw daddy, all tears disappeared and he apparently had an uneventful ride home.

The first comment my friend said as we left the kids and my DH was" Boy, I kinda wish I had driven, 'cuz then you could drink, and I think you need one way more than I even do!" Well, ain't that the effin' truth.

Visual Journaling

2008-06-18T16:19:00.001-07:00

I just taught another visual journaling class last week. It was a great class, and as usual, the first question on most of the students' lips at the end of class was - "When can we do this again?!"

I too, have been working on my own visual journal. Working out personal issues, and I am finding it really helpful. Here's one entry: I am working on becoming that butterfly. My hand is still trying to capture it.

I start with my journaling, and then art over it. I don't worry about not being able to remember what I wrote - I will absolutely remember, based on the art that's on top. The brown thing on the right is a sewing "mending kit". It's a folded pocket. I don't really plan on altering it, but I will keep little mementos in there, as part of my "mending".

Below is my latest favorite entry.

It relates to one of my previous blog entries about "My Life in Five Chapters" - so that's what the numbers to five are about. I'm finding new roads, and then the yellow brick road came to mind. Will I find Oz? Is Oz really a place where food will no longer be so alluring, such a temptation that causes me pain? The bottom layer, on top of my journaling is a map. Then I added more papers, and acrylic paint. Then wrote the numbers and "Yellow Brick Road" text with a black sharpie. The red speckled stuff is red oil pastel scraped over glass bead gel. Cool stuff.

I think Oz is more like a place where a false wizard lives. Food will always be a struggle with me, but it might get easier as I get into a habit of saying "no" and focusing my time and attention on other things.

You can't imagine how helpful these visual journaling exercises have been. I hope you'll try the same thing. Journal for 5-10 minutes, then art over it. If you've wrote ugly things or embarassing things, it also helps that you know it will be covered up, but only you can remember what's there.

Explore amongst yourselves...

Which One Are You?

2008-06-12T15:37:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while, I go through all the Oprah shows I have Tivo'd and actually watch some of them. Yesterday, I went through this exercise, finding a show on death that had just aired this week. To make a long story short, one of the guests on the show talked about a choice that we make in life - are you a Tigger or an Eeyore?

A Tigger is someone who is generally happy - taking any kind of moment and finding the good. The wonderful thing about Tigger, is Tigger is a wonderful thing, his top is made out of rubber, his bottom made out of spring.
An Eeyore is someone who always has that rain cloud following them. Every situation is bound to end up in disaster. The world is gray and hopeless. Mopey. Nothing good is gonna happen.

Which one would you prefer to hang out with?

Which one are you?

Which one would you rather be?

It was interesting how this man presented that we have a CHOICE of which one we are. Yes, that's right. A CHOICE. We can CHOOSE how we look at a situation, and we can CHOOSE how we react to it.

Are you waiting around for life to happen to you? Or are you out there making life happened for yourself? Did you know that opportunity only knocks for people who are willing to get their butts out of their chair and answer the door? Sometimes it may feel like you’ll never make it to the door, it’s too far away, but if you keep walking, you’ll eventually get there.

Tigger is someone who definitely Lives Each Day.

And, on that note, I’ve been tagged! Lisa tagged me. Here are the rules:

1. Write the title to your own memoir using only 6 words.
2. Post it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who tagged you.

4. Tag 5 more blogs.

I am definitely not as clever as Lisa, but I knew what I would want my memoir to say: “How One Woman Changed the World”. So, you think I’m uppity? Full of myself? I don’t think I am. It is definitely my job to change the world, just like it is yours too. You have just as much responsibility as me. We will just do it in different ways, and that’s actually the most important part.

I will tag: Julie, Karen, The Trend Spot, Maija, and Peggy!

50th Post !!!!

2008-06-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is my 50th post, and I will just drown you in art!

Firstly! I want you all to know that my summer workshops have been posted on my website, so please come visit me at Viva Gallery for a class!

Secondly, as promised, here is also the link to the UCLA Weight Loss Program I am doing right now. I know, I know, it's a little drastic, but I need drastic right now. I'll tell you what it IS - is TOTALLY EFFING HARD, but I've survived 10 days. Things already feel way better when I bend over to tie my shoes.

And, finally, the drowning...

Here is a piece in a similar style to the commissioned piece I did.

Can you tell that's half a heart? I'm not sure... I love the colors. It is 15"x20" on watercolor paper.

Below is my first mandala. I took a mandala class at Viva Gallery - well sorta. When I signed up, I didn't realize it was a 4 part class, one class a month for 4 months. That is waaaaaaay too much commitment for me. Plus, my busy schedule just didn't allow me to make the middle two classes. But I still completed the mandala. The teacher was visibly horrified. What do you think? Her comment was - "Well, it sure is your style." It's 2 feet x 2 feet on wrapped canvas.

That's ok. I'm confident enough to realize that she didn't appreciate it because it was not in the traditional looking style of the Tibetan mandala. But, I'm not Tibetan, I'm me, and I'm glad it's in my style. After looking at it for a while, I thought it might not be finsihed. It looks a little empty. Not sure what I'll end up doing, but that's what's there for now.

Last week, I was struggling with my new "Food" plan, and the one thing that makes me completely forget about food, eating, or anything else for that matter is doing art. So, I spent LOTS of time in the studio last week, after the kiddies went to bed. I didn't stay up late this time, too tired. But here's what came out.

This first piece is my favorite. It has a hadwritten line from a Grateful Dead song: "When I had no wings to fly, you flew to me". I love that line. This piece is 11"x17" on watercolor paper. Next is a piece I made from a leftover phototransfer, which is the background. I simply added the elements as you see. The gold blob on the bottom right is sealing wax melted over the collage, allowed to almost dry, then I stamped cool text with a rubber stamp into it. It is approximately 8"x10" on photo paper.
This next piece was something I finished up from a leftover from LK Ludwig's Nature Journaling class from Art & Soul. This piece is 11"x17" on watercolor paper.
Next is a sweet, pink lotus piece. Yes, I know, it's the same flower that Anahata uses in her cards. Well, damn it, I like that flower too, and it's a copyright free image, so I intend on using it. This piece is 11"x17" on watercolor paper.So, there you go. Not really feeling drowned? Me neather. That's really not EVERYTHING, but definetely my favorites. They will all be on sale at this event! Oh - except the mandala.

We have a winner for May!

2008-06-01T21:53:00.001-07:00

ok, ok, I know it's been too long since my last blog, and I will have a good post tomorrow, including the food program I'm on. Your comments really make a difference for me. Thank you for letting me know I'm not alone.

I have a crap load of art to photograph and want to make it beautiful, so please be patient, as I have a very demanding 13 month old who would like to become attached at my hip. And, she has discovered climbing kitchen cabinets and anything else that might have a high skull cracking potential. Oh yah.

But, I wanted to get in our winner for May - is...

Theresa Martin!

yay! she gets the lovely blue dichroic glass earrings. They will be off to Theresa early this week.

Oh Yah...

2008-05-26T22:55:00.000-07:00

Another quick note - for those of you pining to know what I was looking for that was sold out - it was an art class. But someone, somewhere, heard my plea. I got an email the very next day after that post letting me know that a space had become available, and I was able to sign up for the class. I know, not that exciting, which is why I didn't give the details. But - I can see you all love the details!! I didn't mean to be obtuse.

Street Walking

2008-05-26T22:18:00.000-07:00

How does one REALLY go about changing something big and important in their lives? It's HARD!! How did we get to the place we don't like? What keeps us there?

"My Life in Five Chapters" is a well known anecdote about making change in one's life. I'm not really sure who is the original author of this fantastic piece, but I have put together my own version from my memory of it being told to me:

Chapter 1: I walk down the street, there is a deep hole in the sidwalk and I fall in. I am lost. I am hopeless. It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter 2: I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend not to see it, and I fall in again. It's not my fault, and it takes a long time to get out.

Chapter 3: I walk down the same street, and there is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see the hole, but I still fall in - it's now become a habit. But, I know where I am, I know it's my fault, and I get out quickly.

Chapter 4: I walk down the same street, and there is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.

Chapter 5: I walk down a different street.

There are things about ourselves that we all want to change. For me, it is the way I think about food. The bottle of rum that's been sitting on my kitchen counter for weeks now is almost invisible. I could really care less that it's there. But, the half eaten bag of chocolate chips? Oh my. It calls my name ever so sweetly, caressing the back of my neck, smiling, reminding me how good it will be. Oh yah, I'm sick!

But, where is the 12 step program for foodies? An alcoholic can eliminate alcohol from their life, never walk into a bar again, never drink another cocktail. A smoker can throw away their cigarettes, never take another puff (although I hear this is one of the hardest addictions to break). But none of us can stop eating. We just have to learn to eat less, and that is really tough.

So, here I am, totally embarassing myself on my blog, talking about how I eat too much. Yes, this is embarassing for me. Even though it is obvious I eat too much from the moment you see me. What we eat in private does show up in public, after all.

But I am making serious changes in my life about food. I am walking down a whole different boulevard. I don't know where this road will lead, but I have to change streets because I don't want to fall into that hole ever again.

Art Festivals

2008-05-14T10:48:00.000-07:00

Did all you moms out there have a nice mother's day? Mine was mellow, I had to plan it myself, I got what I wanted, but only because I specifically said what I wanted, and it was something I had to go out and get myself. Then, when I went to go get it, it was sold out. No, it's not a Wii.

But, look who stopped by - why, it's Jay Leno!

he was so sweet with the kids!Now, for our regularly scheduled programming...

A week and a half ago, I took my two girls to our local art festival - The Calabasas Fine Art Festival. This is a great art festival, everything is very high caliber art. I saw a friend there - Shari Beaubien, who many of you may read her blog, which you can read too if you click the link on her name. Here we are together in her booth. Beautiful artwork!

There was another artist there, who I don't know, but her work impressed me so much! Angela Alvarez was kind enough to let me photograph some of her pieces and let me post them on this blog. Most of her work is mixed-media on steel. Yah, steel! You can see the beautiful paints, all drippy and puddly above, beautiful colors. Then, she sands some of it off, to see the metal underneath.

ain't it puhrtee?

Another artist that I loved at the show was Adam Stone. He was not hip to me photographing his art, which is ok. I get that. So, go forth and click the link to his website. I've seen Adam many years now in these art fairs, and his style is changing dramatically. He used to do a lot of musical type pieces, and now, he is moving into a fairy-tale/sci-fi thing. Sound strange. It is - strange and wonderful!

Enjoy!

The Finish Line

2008-05-07T16:33:00.000-07:00

Lots of things are getting finished around here. Firstly, I finished updating my website with all the new holiday designs for this year! This is just for my gift card holders. Whew, that was a bunch of work. You can check them all out here.

Next, I finished my commissioned piece! I just couldn't stand thinking about whether it needed another coat of orange paint, so I decided it was done, and drew the black outline of the girl figure. Oh, I loved this project, and this style. I will be glad to see that huge canvas out of my studio though! Here it is:

Yah, I do plan on leaving those white parts white.

I also finished resizing pics of my nature journal to share with you. The first page on the right is a transparency of a space nebula (don't remember which) over a handmade paper with a leaf in it. I did this to juxtapose the far reaches of outerspace, with a lowly fallen leaf on Earth. They are all part of the same nature.

The page on the left has my poem "The Face of God" which you can read here. It was the topic of my first blog post, and very moving. Definetely worth your time clicking the link to read.

This next page below is one of the tissue collages. I had netting and the butterfly on top, sandwiched between tissue paper. Well, the paper tore just above the butterfly - what another happy accident! You can actually stick you finger under the netting, and it just looks like the butterfly is flying off the page. The poem on the card below is another one of my originals.more wire mesh antiquing, using crab grass. I guess it IS good for something.This page is one of those Victorian photo frames that I completely covered with scrapbook papers, a leaf and wrapped with fiber. You can see a portion of the page behind it through the window.

ok, ok - last picture - another tissue collage. The image on the far left is a stamp I hand carved of the bird on the branch. Nest is photo I took. The three eggs are for my three kids, of course.

Sheesh, and that's not even all the pages!

I also finished my first mandala. Way back in February, I signed up for a mandala class at Viva Gallery (where I also teach). I did actually only make it to two of the four classes. Hey, man, babysitters are expensive!! I loved working with the circles and will post more next time!

Mmmmmm, Art...

2008-05-05T23:07:00.001-07:00

As promised, below are some photos of my nature journal from LK Ludwig's class in Asilomar. The binding technique for this book is quite clever and allows you to bind any kind of page anywhere in your book. It also allows the book cover to lie flat.

Here's the cover:

That's a little assemblage we created inside the cover of an altoid tin. It's filled with resin, which I think will be my new favorite thing this year. So easy to make, fill anything, and dried like hard plastic, completely clear. It has MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone) in it, which is an irritant, but not a known carcinogen. So, please use outside, and allow to cure 24 hours outside. I glued everything inside the assemblage, including the branch and ribbon just by pouring the resin.

Next, the inside cover page, above. I must admit I did a piss poor job of folding the cover fabric over to the inside of the book, but, there wasn't much time. I love the blue of the gelatin print on the right, and I just made a quick transparency page with gold paint behind, a german scrap butterfly on the front, and white, rub on letters, spelling "Nature".

Here's one of the inside pages, made with a water photo transfer. I had a MAJOR advantage in the class that not only do I already know how to do image transfers, I've been teaching the darn technique for almost three years now.

This is a photo transfer of a dandilion seed ball. Then, I wrote on top, one of my poems. Good luck trying to read it.

Here's another page, (on the right) where I poured that same resin right over regular paper with that scruffy ribbon, a twig and the butterfly. I like how that white cotton ribbon flows in and out of the resin. This was my favorite page. The left is another gelatin transfer with a butterfly glued onto deli wrap with more resin. The resin makes the deli wrap tranparent like that.

The image on the left is a photo transfer from a photo I took out on a hike in Seattle, this was carved into the wood handrailing.

On the right is a page I tore out of a Victorian "photo album" - all reproductions. I sandwiched one of my tissue paper collages between the frame, which conveniantly had two sides. The tissue paper collages are so cool, 'cuz you can see through them, like this:Here's another layout that showcases the metal etching we did. Very fun - adhere natural leaves, etc. (here's a fern picked from right outside the door) to brass wire mesh, antique mesh, peel off leaves, here's what you have left on right. The left side is the reverse of the Victorian oval frame. I just couldn't handle two pages of sweetness, so I had to paint over it.

Well, I think that's enough of that journal for now. I'm even more excited that I've begun working on my commission piece again. Yah - that cool, big thing taking up lots of room in my studio. So, the next step, after making the background and gessoing over it is tracing the focal point image:

I had my image on regular paper, then traced over it with carbon paper underneath onto the canvas to get the image onto the canvas without having to re-draw it.

Then, started throwing on paint, literally.

Next comes some orange. I feel so good that I used up the entire little bottle of that orange paint I've had sitting around for over two years. Well, it's really a glaze - Goldend Pyrole Orange.

Dry time sucks.

Childhood Friends

2008-05-03T17:02:00.000-07:00

I just had to get a shout out that one of my best friends forever, Lisa Myers-Bulmash - we've been friends since 3rd grade for God sakes!! (we will not discuss what year that was...)-is the author of this month's Gypsy Bonfire at Lisa Hoffman's blog.

This is the girl whose lacey, canopy bed I coveted, who I sat huddled together with in her mom's closet, reading her mom's sex books at sleep over parties, who I was a twin hobo with on Halloween ('cuz neither of our parents would even dare consider purchasing a costume, oh no.), who I sneaked eating candy with on the school bus, and who I am so grateful to share a love of art and still have as a friend, so many years later. We do have twin chicken pox scars after all.

Go check it out!

Winner for April!

2008-05-01T13:53:00.000-07:00

Is Mija! Well, Mija - thanks for leaving your comment this month! You win the lovely microscope slide necklace! It will be on it's merry way to you by tomorrow. Wear it well. Below are the lovely pair of earrings up for grabs for May - blue dichroic glass with sterling silver beads and findings. Only the best for you guys!

All you need to do to play is leave a comment on this blog during the month of May. Each comment is an entry!

Where have you Been?!

2008-04-30T08:54:00.000-07:00

Oh my - it's been two weeks since my last post and so much has happened, I'm not really sure where to start. I just returned from a week long vacation at the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, and Zion National Park. This trip came on the heels of Passover after only one day back from Art and Soul in Asilomar.

This trip inspired a short poem, which I will mix in with some pics:

I Hear You - by Tally Oliveau

Down in the canyon

I can hear you

calling my name.

So quiet

so still,

yet I hear it.

I hear your call.

Down in the canyon

I can hear You

echo on the walls

layer by layer,

so quiet

so still,

yet I hear it.

I hear your call.

Down in the canyon

I can hear you

blue sky reaching

down to caress me,

so quiet

so still,

yet I hear it.

I hear your call.

This canyon that I am sharing these photos - is called Antelope Canyon - and was quite amazing. We took a guided four wheel drive way out into the desert to find it. While hot outside, it is instantly cool and quiet inside. It felt like a stone womb - smooth, dark, undulating walls - I flowed through - following the light to the other side.

What else can be said about Art and Soul that you haven't read already? It was really, really great, I met some amazing people whom I hope to see many times again, and I made some really cool stuff. I took LK Ludwig's two day nature journal class, which was chock full of good learnin'. I really enjoyed taking a two day class, allowing to delve more deeply into one project. Of course, as these retreats go, it's not complete. I also took Stephanie Lee's Junk Drawer Metalsmithing. Lots of good learnin' there too. The class was totally overcrowded, as another jewelry design class had gotten cancelled, and all (well it felt like all) those people were transferred over to this class. So, not much time with teacher, but, again made some cool things that are unfinished. I have promised myself to finish all these projects by the end of the week, and I will share them then. Rest assured, the teachers and the classes were wonderful and worth every penny.

I was also a vendor at vendor night, selling my cards. You should all know, that A&S charges a crap-load of money to have that table on vendor night. Yes, even to the teachers. Apparently, this keeps out the "riif-raff". I was definetely the riff-raff there - some really cool art for sale! I sold lots of cards - so thanks to everyone who bought them!

Here are some pics to share from Asilomar. They can't convey the beauty of the location, or the campy, feel-good feeling you get when you think of the friends you met there. But, at least they are an attempt.

Can you feel the grass glowing in the sunset?

Here are three of the super-cool peeps I met on this journey. There were many other cool peeps, but just don't have the energy anymore to resize photos and load. L-R: me, Rachel, Raquel, and Audra.

Creativity, Step by Step

2008-04-12T22:43:00.001-07:00

This is the name of an article in the latest (April 2008) issue of the Harvard Business Review (HBR). The article discusses Twyla Tharp, and her theories on creativity. Twyla Tharp is a very famous choreographer, who is said to have changed the face of modern dance. What I found especially interesting were her thoughts on "creative people" vs. "noncreative people" and originality.

She believes that creativity is something everyone can have, not only the "creative types". For her, creativity is a habit (she wrote a book called The Creative Habit), and that creativity must be prepared for, "...with routine". What that means, is that developing a routine of being creative is not contrived, but necessary. Practicing art or creativity, is the way to be more creative.

Furthermore, she advises people who want to be creative, to "get busy copying." There has been a lot of talk out there about everyone copying someone else's work. Some believe that there are just too many party hats and wings on vintage children images. HBR asks, "Should we be worrying about lack of originality?" Twyla replies simply: "Of course not." Firstly, she recommends immediately getting over being intimidated by those you admire - so intimidated that you can not produce anything yourself. Of course your first try at something will not match up to an expert's work - so just start doing something so you can eventually become an expert too.

Secondly, Twyla doesn't worry about originality. "Personaly, I don't worry about originality at all. Has anyone ever done what I've done before? Yeah, probably." For her, "copying is taking somebody else's solutions. Learning is taking somebody else's problems. " Think about that for a minute -it's a good one.

She goes on to describe Braque and Picasso, who at a certain point, were making very similar artwork to each other, but they were two totally different artists, with different backgrounds, values, philosophies, etc. Just because they made similar artwork, does not make them unoriginal. Sorry about not having links to these two artists - I just can't deal with it right now.

I can't deal with it right now, because I'm leaving for Art and Soul tomorrow! Whoo hoo! I'm still not finished packing. I don't know what to wear. I guess I'll just have to find a mix between my crappy mommy clothes and the suits I bought for the Vegas show. Now, go practice being creative and don't worry about copying anyone else.

Photoshop Is My Bitch

2008-04-09T13:19:00.000-07:00

Yah, that's right. I am conquering the beast. I can do some seriously cool sh*t now in Photoshop. It only took me 4 months, but I did it.

One thing that made me feel a little better, was that in the latest (also the first) issue of Somerset's "Digital Studio" they had a big comparison chart of all these different programs, and most of them were "easy" or beginner". Well, I'm using Photoshop CS2, and apparently this is a professional grade program and the learning curve is listed in their chart as "very difficult, advanced". Well, it's my bitch now.

On other art news, I taught a fantabulous visual journaling class on Sunday. It's a new twist on an old concept. I won't get into it - but I actually managed to do some cool art during the class. In the garbage can was a big roll of architectural drawings, so I immediately snagged those and started throwing on some paint. Here's my favorite thing I came up with. It's called Quiet Nest.

It kinda might look like a giant mess. Well, my nest is a giant mess, and it's definetely not quiet. I think I'm seeking some quiet. I actually got the name because I used some paint chip samples in the piece, and one of the colors was called quiet nest. I had already glued on the nest and bird image - so there you go. (Yah, there's a bird somewhere under all that paint, very visible in person, but not so much in this photo). I also did this in about 20 minutes. Trying to think a little less. I really like the sun and the tree branch, of course. Those tree branches keep popping up everywhere for me.

The sun manifested itself again, also - the next day, when I led my 5 year old daughter's kindergarten class in an art project that will be sold at auction as a fundraiser for the school. Here's what me and the kids came up with:

You really can't see the beautiful gold paint that's in the flowers in the photo. This piece is 20"x 24" (approximately). I have a frame for it too. Should look really cute in some kid's room.

We also did altered photos of each kid, so that the parents can buy an altered photo of their own child. Using their school photo, each kids painted over the boring blue background as they desired, then added an assortment of wings, hearts, designs, crown, party hats, and things cut out of playing cards. I wish I could reprint what they did, but as I don't believe in putting photos of children that are recognizable on my blog (including my own), I can't do it. Rest assured, these kids made AMAZING pieces, with very little direction from me. It's nice to see how these kids had very little fear of "doing it wrong" and just dived right in. Happy to have no rules. That probably won't last very long.

Next post - What do Twyla Tharp (genius choreographer) and Harvard Business Journal have in common? Hmmm....I guess those of you who subscribe to this FABULOUS magazine already know, the rest don't need a subscription - I'll tell yah in another day or so.

Gettin' ready for Art and Soul in Asilomar!

Private Concert with Craig Carothers

2008-04-05T21:18:00.000-07:00

Last night (Friday) I went to friends' house for a private concert with Craig Carothers. It was beautiful! The location was beautiful. These friends have an amazing home, on an amazing piece of property here in LA, overlooking most of the San Fernando Valley.

Not only is the home itself beautiful, the location beautiful, but, almost every single darn thing in that house is a piece of art. The furniture and its placement, the lighting, the potted plants, the rugs, and oh, the artwork and sculptures all over the place! These people are serious art collectors.

To top it all off, they are really nice people too. Our children go to school together. There's just not a snotty bone in her body.

So, last night, to further fill their home with art, they had a private concert with this great musician that they flew in from Nasville, TN, no less. A small group of us sat in their living room (um...about as big as my whole house...) and listened to witty and wondful music, had wine, a potluck dinner, and just a nice, casual good time.

That is living each day. Taking the time for beauty, art, friends, and laughter. Having some adult time. Putting aside the excuses of how much a babysitter costs, how tired you are after a whole week, how you may not get there quite on time. Putting that aside, and enjoying the good things and people that surround us. Check out my favorite song he sang last night "Angels Never Fall in Love". Scroll down a little and you can click to hear each song. I also recommend "One Revolution" and "She Needs Me". Be prepared for wonderful lyrics, and to have a good giggle.

Do you make time to entertain and visit friends? I bet they wish they were being invited over to your place tonight. It doesn't have to be a private concert, of course. That was so special, I just can't believe my luck. Just coffee and cake. Or a good glass of wine. Or how about a good glass of water? I'd come!

Shake, Shake, Shake!

2008-03-31T21:18:00.000-07:00

Patti V! You are our winner for March! Yay! You get the fabulous pair of handmade earring posted at the beginning of this month! Please email me privately with your snail mail addy so I can send these along!

Now, for April...how about a necklace? I have a few microscope slide necklaces left over from way back when I used to make these for stores. These used to sell for about $23-$28 in boutiques here in CA and AZ. I think I'll have a fire sale of the leftovers at Art and Soul in two weeks. Or, you can just win one here for FREE - shipping included! - just by leaving your comments throughout the month. So here's what you could win for April:

If you're interested in actually purchasing one of these, email me directly there's lots of designs to choose from- fire sale price is $6!! Whoa, I must be nuts - or in need of space in my closet...

I actually did some art this weekend that wasn't card designing - let's hear another "Whoa!" I took a class with the wonderful Juliana Coles at this wonderful studio in NoHo. I could only be there one day, 'cuz there's just no way I can justify being away from kids and husband for more than that. Well, ok, there probably is, but I'd be guilt ridden for months.

Here's some little snippets from my journal:

Oh yes, the fires within. I actually have a strange fire/water thing going on in much of my art. The background is an image torn from a magazine of coy fish swimming in water. Then I added the silhouette of a woman (supposed to be me), and fire on top of that with acrylic paints, then outlined with black sharpie. Fun.

This is a small portion of a layout where I did journaling on my book page (I'm using an old encyclopedia for this journal) with sharpie, painted over with oranges and yellows. Then using a stencil found at a scrapbooking store, did swirlies with red/orange acrylics, outlines with black sharpie and white gel pen, added ephemera of butterflies, circle nailhead and masking tape.

This is the left side of a two page spread. This is my favorite of the pages I did, and it's so simple. Turquoise acyrlic on encyclopedia page, with Asian paper and film image glued over that. I cut out this image of a woman jumping from some ad in a magazine that I wanted to add to this layout. When I turned the image over to put the glue on, I acutally decided that I liked the reverse silouette type image more than the photo image I had actually intended to use. Hmmmm....another silouette - what could that mean?

Here's a portion of the right side of this same layout. My handwritten text says "The power is in your hands". It really is - yah, I'm talkin' to you.

Don't you just love my big lotus on the left? I do! I painted yellow acrylic over the text on the page, then added large, red circles with more acrylics. I drew the lotus and colored it in using oil pastel crayons, blending with my finger. On the right, I used white paint over a circle stencil then glued on that vintage Asian paper doll I've been "saving for something special" for over four years. I'm using the good stuff! It's just no good when it's in my drawer. It looks real good in my book where I can see it more often. The text under the lotus reads "Follow your Instincts".

Can you believe all that was done after lunch?

$110 per day

2008-03-26T21:52:00.000-07:00

The kidlets are on spring break this week, and I just couldn't bring myself to spend $110 PER DAY (that's for two kids) on "sports camp", and so here we are.

Getting nothing accomplished.

Getting frustrated some more with Photoshop.

I keep learning more, and realizing how very little I really know. I have that drop shadow thing down now, but if anyone knows how to do that sun rays thingy - not the glowing thingy - but where there are light and dark lines radiating out from a center object, and you can link me or give me a hand-holding tutorial, I will be your best friend for life.

I wish I could show you what I'm working on, but when I showed my new designs to my mom tonight, she was pretty quiet....hmmmm....yah, we know what that means. She's usually not that nice either.

So, to get out my frustrations, I am thankful that I will be going to the gym tomorrow for another fun morning of torture - oh, I mean health building exercise. Can you believe that my weight training teacher is also an artist? She's pretty good too. Her name is Pam, and you can check out pics of her art here. She constantly makes corny and witty jokes during class which actually do help forget that you are in the middle of doing 200 pilates sit up thingies.

And if I use the word thingy in the singular or plural form one more time this month, feel free to yell at your monitor at what a bad writer I am. Go ahead , let loose. Thank goodness there's only a few more days...

Saints and Sinners

2008-03-19T09:59:00.000-07:00

It's been too long, and I have so much to blog about, I will have to divide it into more than one post. I will begin with the fun I had last night at the Los Angeles Craft Mafia's little get together at the Saints and Sinners Lounge in L.A. I actually looked at the website beforehand, and while my immediate thought was "Is a mommy from the Valley cool enough to go to this place?" I wasn't going to miss it.

Well, it was so fun! This group meets once a month to socialize AND do a craft at the same time. Mark Montano is a member, and just came out with his FIFTH book "The Big-Ass Book of Crafts" which you can buy here on Amazon. This link will also show you his other books for sale. Mark was there, directing the group on an awesome craft.

Well, you just won't believe the craft he had organized for the group - making your own rubber stamp! Yay! So, now I was able to complete Michelle Ward's challenge for this month! Well, it's cheating a little, 'cuz it's not "carved" but it is totally handmade/hand cut, so I think it counts (It does say "Cut It Out").

Here's what I made!
It was unbelievably fast and EASY!! All the instructions are in Mark's book, but, basically, you take a wood block, attach a flat layer of a foam sticker sheet, then, using the same foam sticker sheets, you cut with plain ol' scissors your design and stick it on! What could be easier or cheaper! This idea is so simple and brilliant. I flipped through the book, and it has TONS of easy crafts just like this one.

Moving onward - I know I promised to post my visual journal entries from Vegas - so here they are for your viewing pleasure!

Remember how I said I got the journal at a craft fair in Tel-Aviv? Here's the cover:

The Hebrew at the bottom actually says "travel journal". The Hebrew at the top can be loosely translated to Wonderland. The entire book is handmade.

The paper is from a vintage map, and I have circled Thessalonica (today known as Salonica, Greece) and Sofia (in Bulgaria) because those are the two cities where my paternal grandparents were from before they moved to Israel.

How do I love this layout? Let me count the ways...This is SOOOO me. The Asian paper is ripped from a newspaper. I hand drew the tree branch on tracing paper, tore the right edge and inked with red ink. It's glued over paper that is actually the inside of a security envelope. Oh yah - gotta check out the cool designs inside those security envelopes, folks! To the far left are staples from the next page, which I didn't originally realize would be there, but I love how they look.

The background papers for this were glued on ahead of time (i.e. before I left for Vegas). I added the "Vegas" arrows from some advertising brochure I got in the taxi, then did my journaling on the green mulberry paper.

This is the last entry from the trip. The background was also pre-glued, and I just added the journaling.

Ok - that's WAY enough for one morning!

She's an Artistic Genius!

2008-03-14T23:17:00.000-07:00

Well, if I don't have time to do much of my own art, I can certainly post my older daughter's art, right? Well, she's five, and she is an artist. She will tell you this herself. Isn't this piece a stroke of genius!?! Her lovely little hand as an octopus. My favorite part is the bubbles. And the seaweed. And the octopus's suckers. Oh yes, she's a genius.

So, of course, I am now contemplating utilizing the potential slave labor I have at hand (i.e. two small children of crayon yielding age) to begin creating artwork for some new cards. In addition to many other things, I have a demand for children's cards. And I think my little creative geniuses are just the ticket to bon bon-dom. Well, not really, but it'll keep them outta my hair for at least an hour.

And just an FYI, it's Christmas time around here. I know, we don't even celebrate Christmas, and it's even earlier than "Christmas in July", but I gotta get some new holiday designs done by May 1. Something tells me it's gonna be a busy year.

I've also given up trying to figure out why my paragraphs look normal when I write the draft, and then have no spaces in between when I publish. Anyone have info on this? Bueller?

What Happened in Vegas Better Not Stay in Vegas!

2008-03-08T22:08:00.000-08:00

So what happened in Vegas? Lots! But right now, there's mostly talk. The next few months will reveal what's really going to happen with my product. But, hey, at least I'm getting it out there. I will say that out of the many, many prepaid and gift card products on display at the show, NOTHING was like mine. Not even really that close. Here are some pics of the booth that I shared with a company that I partnered with for the show, MT&L. They are a plastics manufacturer, packager, and also do fullfillment. If that doesn't mean much to you, it's ok. Just go out and buy gift cards!

Here is the left side of the booth, with some fairly pooped salesmen. On the left is Stan from Texas and on the right is Michael from Tennessee. You can see my cards to the far left on a spinning display with the gift cards and also on a clip strip, hanging just to Stan's left.The photo above shows the right side of the booth. There are two hanging panels with my cards hanging from hooks. On the table is another panel with more card samples, my give-away samples, and catalogues.

Here's a close-up of the spinning display. Why they chose orange for the background, I'll never know. Doesn't go with anything!

I will say that my cards brought some serious attention to this booth. First of all, they were really different, somewhat artistic, and colorful. Remember, the gift card holders are not meant to be truly artistic, they are meant to appeal to a mass audience. My product is also a perfect add on to gift card sales.

I will also say that MT&L brought some serious attention to my cards. They have a lot of good relationships with others in this industry, and have been doing business in the plastic cards biz for several decades. I was impressed with their salespeople's professionalism and their connections and/or potential connections.

I will say that there was hardly a moment during the time that the exhibits were open that we weren't all quite busy. There was a total of six sales people from MT&L, plus me. We were all busy. Tuesday night I was actually hoping to go out dancing later in the evening. After the "gala industry dinner", where companies basically pay an exhorbitant amount of money to buy honors (i.e. 2 minutes of advertising in front of the whole crowd, I mean, who do they think they're fooling anyway?). I went back up to my room to rest. Famous last words! I sat on the bed, fully clothed, contact lenses still in, to rest my eyes for an hour (it was only 9pm). I woke up at 2:30am, realized I missed the party, trudged over to the bathroom to remove my contacts, put on my pjs, and dove directly back into bed.

Yes, I did bring a travel journal with me, yes, I used my new travel packs I prepared from the street team challenge, and yes I did journal everyday. I will share those goodies in the next post. This one is already way too long! And I just lost an hour!

I've Been Tagged!

2008-03-06T15:41:00.001-08:00

My good friend Julie - both online and off - tagged me! I've never been tagged or anything before, so it was exciting! Here are the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Now, I'm kinda thinkin' that most of the people she tagged are people I would tag, so I might not tag 7 people. But here are my 7 facts:

I often play with my hair, and I can even tie my hair in several knots that easily come out. I am twirling my hair right now, as I take breaks to contemplate this list. I cannot, for the life of me, get rid of this habit. My dad takes full credit for this habit – when I was little (about 3)I sucked my thumb. My dad suggested that instead of sucking my thumb, I should play with my hair. I immediately commenced playing with my hair AND sucking my thumb. I did get rid of the thumb sucking part.
I love to write poetry, and have a collection of all the poems I have written since I was about nine years old in several journals – all original. The poems that I write usually come to my mind complete – I am usually merely the carrier from the abyss of my brain who writes them down.
I am far too impatient to ever spend more than about thirty seconds contemplating Soduku or a cross word puzzle.
I am extremely picky about my sleeping pillow and not picky enough about what foods I eat.
I only watch about one to two hours of TV a week.
My two favorite foods on Earth are pomegranate and good crusty bread with salted butter.
As kids, my brother and I used to sneak homemade milk shakes upstairs to the TV room (where we weren’t allowed to eat) and watch Love Boat and Fantasy Island (which we weren’t allowed to watch). My favorite milk shake to make was with coffee ice cream and raisins. I can still remember some nightmares from watching Fantasy Island.

who am I tagging? Oy. I just checked about 5 blogs - and they've all already been tagged. Just go look at the right hand side for some fun places to visit!

Yes, I'm back from Vegas. Yes, I had an amazing experience. I will post about it in another day or so, with pics of my booth and everything...

We have a winner for February!

2008-03-01T16:49:00.000-08:00

And the collage goes to: octavine! To tell you all the truth - I'm not even sure she knew she was playing! Octavine is a member of a women's artistic entrepreneur's group in Portland, which is where she found out about me and cordially left a comment! Well, that comment just got you a collage, girl!

I just love giving away things, and I think that March will be another pair of earrings. And here they are:

I have no idea what the big, beautiful, greenish-blue stone is. Those are real fresh water pearls and everything else is sterling silver, including the handmade ear wire. Oh yah - handmade by ME! The total length hanging from your ear would be 2 1/2 inches. Nice and dangly!

So, again, the rules are: every time you leave a comment during this month of March, you get your name in the pot for a chance to win these! If your comment leaves me no way of reaching you, please check back (at least by the end of the month, or hopefully more often!) to see if you won! You will have to give me your snail mail so I can mail them to you if you win!

And now, I must go figure out how one girl, with only two arms, will be shlepping three large suitcases full of crap - oh, I mean, cards and clothes - to Las Vegas. Bye!

Tidying Up Before I'm Off to Vegas!

2008-02-28T14:05:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been a week since I've posted! I've been very occupied with family get togethers and preparing for my big show, which starts Monday. I'm all about gift cards these past few weeks!

But I needed a break from my lovely new catalogue and my BEAUTIFUL new cards! I continue to be astounded at the quality and magic of the printing press. I just can't believe I did it all myself!

I've been searching and searching this whole month for just the right little zipper bag for Michelle Ward's Crusade No. 17 - A Traveling Visual Journaling Kit. To my delight, last week, I found the perfect bag at my gym's boutique - but they were super expensive - and being the total cheapskate that I am, left them in the boutique. Well, it pays to be a cheapskate, 'cuz today they were ON SALE for 50% off! Hurrah! So, of course, I did what every woman would do, I bought two.Aren't they cute? I really don't plan on having a lot of time to journal on the go. These days, I hardly have time to go to the bathroom. So, my kits are fairly bare bones:

glue stick

Jet Pens brand gel pens in black, white, gold, and red

regular pen

pencil

prismacolor oil pastels (one of my fav things ever)

pair of scissors

Yah, I know. Seriously bare bones. But that's what it's got to be these days. Maybe when the baby is in preschool I will add to the kit. I'm just glad I got it in right under the wire!

Also, I've been up to a commissioned collage. As if I didn't already have enough on my plate - but I just couldn't say no, especially because I knew exactly what I was going to do. So, I thought I'd share the process of this collage. I think it's the biggest size I've ever worked on, and I must say, I'm loving it! Here's the first two layers:

It looks a little rough, but there's a long way to go. I will share the layers as I go on this blog, to show the progression of the piece, which I expect to take about a month.

The size of the wrapped canvas is 36"x36". I first layered cool looking vintage ads and images from vintage magazines I collect. Yes, I used the real things. These were mostly from vintage Esquire and Liberty magazines. I also added printed tissue papers and sewing pattern tissues. I just like the text, arrows, and images. Some are directly related to issues that my commissioner is having right now. Then, I added some gesso. I also added Titan Buff acrylic paint to sorta help some of the transitions from one paper to the next seem more smooth. It looks like a big mess in this photo, and I can see it needs a little more gesso and some layers of plain tissue paper to smooth out more transitions. I really like where it's going, but it will be sitting in my studio for at least another week while I'm in Vegas!

Do you have an ANT problem?

2008-02-21T11:58:00.001-08:00

When we struggle with ourselves, are we our own worst enemy? Our own worst critic? I know I can be. I’m working on solving my ANT problem.

What is ANT?

Automatic (or Angry)
Negative
Thoughts
When you dream about a goal, what is the next thing that comes to your mind? Are you having an Automatic Negative Thought? When you think about submitting artwork to be published, do you immediately say to yourself – “my work is not good enough”, or “those real artists are just going to laugh at me”. When you think about your goals for your appearance or weight loss, do you immediately say to yourself – “I’ll never be able to stick to an exercise program”, or “I just have no willpower to say no to sweets”. When you think about starting a business is the first thing you think to yourself – “Who would even like this idea anyway”, or “no one will ever buy this”.

WELL STOP THAT!!! NOW!! You are simply causing your own failure! If you never even try – how will you ever know if you could make it? If you never submit any artwork for publication, I can guarantee you will never get published. But if you do submit, and submit often, you are bound to get published. Maybe not the first time, but perhaps the fifth time. I have a dear friend whose work I had to forcefully take out of her home to submit for publication (she knows who she is!). She said it “sucked”, it “wasn’t good enough”. Guess what happened? That artwork became the spotlight artwork for a certain publication.

If you continue to tell yourself you hate to exercise and can’t stick to a program, guess what – you will continue to have problems exercising. I have to say, that exercising is one of the THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS behind my high energy and positive feelings. I have found things that I enjoy doing – at least most of the time. I don’t always want to go. Yes, I would have much more free time if I didn’t exercise. But, it is a non-negotiable part of my day. I’m not always happy to go, but I sure feel great when I’m walking out the door. I keep reminding myself that.
Don't be a thorn in your own side!

If you never try your business idea, you will never know the success that awaits you. You don’t have to be afraid that someone out there won’t like your idea. Guess what, there will be LOTS of people out there who won’t like your idea. But, it only takes one person who likes your idea to get it started. What’s most important, is that YOU like your idea – in fact, you should LOVE your idea, because to make a business successful, it takes months, and more like years, to bring it to reality. You’re going to be spending lots of time with your idea, so you must be confident and believe in yourself (even if it’s scary or overwhelming at times).

I’ll go back to that quote from my dad:

“Ask, the worst they’ll say is ‘no’. ”.

You really have nothing to loose by asking. If someone says no - you are in the same place you were before. But, you say: “Well, I’ll feel embarrassed!” My response is – your ANT problem is not going to go away with that attitude.

My suggestion to begin getting rid of your ANT problem? Begin each day with saying something positive to yourself. Then repeat it at least 10 times a day. I bet you can even think about 10 different positive things to say to yourself. Do it daily, maybe even hourly. You deserve it. This is just a baby step. We all know that wiping away the ANTS with a wet paper towel doesn’t really get rid of the real, deeper problem, but you have to start somewhere.

Here's me and a friend helping you with your first baby steps.

A Seven Nation Army Couldn't Hold Me Back

2008-02-16T17:22:00.000-08:00

That is the strength, thought, and effort that I am currently putting into my card business. I started my afternoon on the computer rockin' out to the White Stripes, and they said it for me.I even finished my chunky book page for Art and Soul in Asilomar, which I will be attending this April! I will be looking forward to meeting lots of new people there. Anyone out there attending? The image above shows the front and back of my page. It's actually not all that chunky. I have no actual embellishments on the page, but I did add a little bell on the bottom right corner of the page with a jump ring.

The theme for the book is "Windswept". So, I went with the windswept hair look. I just love the look of my hand-drawn craggly branch (with sharpie) and the fabric leaves from a piece of leaf ribbon, which I managed to find in these three lovely colors while in San Francisco.

But back to business. I am expending serious amounts of energy and time right now. I want to. It's almost all I can think about. It's all I want to do. I dream about my catalogue layout. I'm planning marketing ideas. I'm emailing and preparing packages for potential customers. Big customers. I'm envisioning where I want to be.

If you have no goal, you will never get there. If you have no plans to achieve that goal, you will never find the right road to your destiny. What are you doing to set goals and make plans for what you really want? It doesn't have to be a business - it could be anything. Take baby steps - BUT TAKE THOSE STEPS!! You don't have to know every step on your road at the beginning, because it probably won't be what you thought anyway. But know your goal. Write it down. Then, write down one to three next steps to begin your journey toward that goal. THEN! Take those steps. What do you have to loose?

My dad always used to say: "Ask, the worst they'll say is no." It's so true.

The Mission District Map! New Cards Now Available!

2008-02-13T22:05:00.001-08:00

Interestingly, I've had quite a few private emails about posting exactly where this totally cool and hip area, known as The Mission District, really is. For you independant mappers, you can find the epicenter at Paxton Gate: 824 Valencia Street @ 19th, San Francisco, CA 94110. Or you can just click this link.

This week has been ridiculously busy, and to top it off, I've been kinda sick. I came home from teaching an altered photos class on Monday night, and literally felt the congestion moving into my head. I've been preparing like a mad woman for my tradeshow in March. Those scientists really need to get crackin' on that cloning thing.

So, within one week, I have put together 10 new gift card holder designs and put together my first, professional catalogue. By professional, I mean, I'll be printing it at a printer, not my home HP. I am still struggling with Photoshop and am having a hard time releasing Publisher as my main design factory. Print shops don't seem to work with Publisher, and converting files to jpgs is apparently "uncool" because sometimes things get screwed up. Converting files to PDFs from Publisher is possible, but not easy or straight forward. What's a girl to do? Yah, that's why I need a clone!

This post has a few of my favorite new designs. I hope you like 'em too. Off they went to the printer yesterday, so, now I officially have everything "in stock".

Sunday in San Francisco

2008-02-09T17:03:00.000-08:00

After a tiring day of LOTS of walking, standing, shopping and dancing, I actually managed to get 8 hours of sleep. To you, that might not sound like much, but it’s a lot for me. I don’t have sleep problems; I have problems going to sleep at a reasonable hour.

That morning, my sister took me to a sweet little café that I just don’t remember the name of. It was right across the street from a park on one side and The Creamery on the other. After a lovely breakfast of veggie omelet and scone (yes, there seems to be a scone thing in San Francisco) we walked on down to Valencia Street, where it’s all happenin’ in The Mission District.

Our first stop was Paxton Gate. What else can I say about this shop was that it was magnificent, and difficult to describe. Their store description reads: “Treasures and Oddities Inspired by the Garden and the Natural Sciences”. Their postcard also quotes TimeOut Guide: “Martha Stewart meets David Lynch…It’s completely bizarre, and completely unique.” Yah, I’d say so.

Walking into this store was like walking into a classic, 18th century science laboratory slash natural science art gallery of assemblage. Throughout the store are both small and large assemblages of taxidermied and preserved animals (yah, real animals) within a natural vignette. Some are in jars (not so natural…). Can you see the big glass jars behind my sister with the bright red, drippy wax? It’s creepy and beautiful all at once. Wouldn't you love to own that beautiful red bell jar and stand?
I was not allowed to take any photographs of the assemblages, but the store manager was gracious enough to allow me to take some very limited photos around the store, and I am so pleased to share them with you. All the sea creatures you see in the photo above are the real deal, perfectly preserved. The most interesting were the preserved ocean tube plants (the white tube things near the front of the photo).

This store was definitely the highlight of the day, and I can only implore anyone in the San Francisco area to visit and stand in wonder. And, oh yah – buy something!

Yah, those are porcelain mushrooms popping out of these cool little tree boxes. Made of real small tree trunks, the tops of the boxes swing open to reveal a small space inside, perfect for hiding a little nest of eggs, or a texidermied beetle with a little moss.

Right next door is a nonprofit children’s center for underprivileged kids to have a place to go after school. The theme of the center is pirates! Right when you walk in, there’s a big copper tub full of sand and plastic rhinestones. Just perfect to keep the kids busy. I need one of those in my house.
Here is a whole wall of drawers. Each drawer is labeled with a “mysterious” label, enticing you to open it and see what’s inside. For example, one drawer labeled “Enlighten” is filled with candlestick holders. Here’s what was in another drawer. There is also a small covered corner that feels like a mini movie theatre, but it’s really a big fish tank with lots of chairs around to veg-out staring at the fish. There’s a sign just outside stating that no one is allowed to propose marriage within the theatre. In context, it’s funny, ok?

Thrift shops galore! I want these drawers, don’t you?!
Check out the naked babe painting to the left - guess that one snuck in the photo.

Michael de Meng talks about these glove molds in his recent book Secrets of Rusty Things. I can’t believe I saw these at one of the shops.
Another shop I LOVED is called The Curiosity Shoppe.
A true mish mash of lovely and artistic…things…and …stuff…that you just…can’t…live without!

Don’t you agree? Who doesn’t need some white porcelain keys?

or mushrooms?

Or realistic porcelain peanuts? (There is even a small porcelain peanut rattling inside each shell…so cool.
There is a small alley somewhere along Valencia Street, where apparently a group of artists got together to paint murals. In general, there are murals all over The Mission District, but these really got to me. Among the trash and logs of crap (yes, I mean poop) are these beautiful murals. Go there, just watch your step!

This was my favorite:
As my flight time approached, we made one last stop. No trip to the Mission District is complete without having a taco at one of the many taquerias. This one is sisters’ favorite:
Oh my! The chicken soft taco was unbelievably yummy and unbelievably cheap!