happy new year!

well, it's hard to believe another year is gone

they say time flies as you get older

remember y2k?

it seems like yesterday we thought

the world was going to end

or at least "crash"
and here it is 9 years later

i don't make resolution, just set a few goals

something like

"make time for more art"

which i did this year

part of that was starting this blog

i'm so glad i did

i've "met" some great people and

would like to say thank you

to everyone for visiting me,

encouraging me with all your wonderful comments

and wish everyone a creative 2009

nancy

merrry christmas

may the spirit of christmas bring you peace,

the gladness of christmas give you hope,

the warmth of christmas grant you love

unknown

the big dig!

christmas waves a magic wand over the world,

and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful
n. peale

i guess we don't have to wish for a white christmas
i just hope it looks this pretty tomorrow

more snow!

looking out my wind this morning

i decided to stay in bed and read

but eventually we bundled up to clear the driveway

and surprisingly it wasn't that cold

it was nice to see the white blanket

so we decided to go for a walk

the view from the top of my street

snow dayz!!!

what a perfect day to stay in and

work on my crochet project

i've been so busy with work, school and

my wire ornaments that i forgot

that i had yarn waiting to be used

i finally finished my last project

which made my "baby" happy

her name: joey girl

it seems that "this" is her new favorite spot

last years i made 8

perfect for the couch

4' x 6'

the first one took five evenings

watching tv to complete

once i got the pattern down

it was a breeze to finish one is just a few nights

this year i will only get a few done

more photoshop

it's amazing how three simple images can be

turned into something really cool

the first is a photo i took at my local park

the second is a ttv image i found on flickr

and the third is an antique postcard

i just layered and played with the

blending modes and filters

i used the color burn blending mode on the top layer

here i applied the "high pass" filter


and here the pin light blending mode

just by a click of a button
you can change the mood
and "undo" anytime you want
i came up with several variations
but like these 3 the best

another day on cold meds

a massage and a nap

(yes leslie, i said nap)

i got inspired after reading maries blog

1. i loved the kaleidoscope effect

and manage to come up with the above project

2. her "call for care"

anyone looking to "give" the christmas spirit

please read this post

not sure if it's a good thing to be on cold meds while

operating photoshop!

i used my favorite winter photos and tried

on every ttv and background image

it gave me something to do

without having to think too much

i haven't had time to practice in ps for awhile

these are my four favorites

until the drugs where off !

california dreamin'

feeling a bit under the weather

don't know if it's the cold meds but

i 'm california dreamin'

all wired up!

i've always loved working with wire

i can sit all day and bend, twist and shape

which i did this weekend and managed to make

a ton of tree ornaments

my favorite are the little angels

they will make great gifts

see more on inspire me thursday

all my friends are artists

today, i got to finish work a little early so i

could attend the jolly christmas sale

some really amazing local artist

some of which i'm lucky to call my friends

seen above, clockwise from the top left

some of my purchases
Marissa Decepida-Wong jewelry journals, cards and art pieces.

Mary Ambrose vintage style jewelry and sculptural art.

Susan Williamson – Artopia Mixed Media Art.

Karen Arts – gemstone bead and silver

Carmi's button magnets, pins and embellishments.

Sharon Ginsberg Fabric boxes, framed tree ornaments

more christmas cards

after working on jewelry for the past several months

it's a nice change to work with wire again

i like to keep my hands busy

and can do these while watching tv

i'm on a roll now and will make some

wire tree ornaments this weekend

countdown

only 23 more days 'til christmas

i usually start counting after labour day weekend

it drives everyone crazy

i think i do it "just because"

but this fall has been very hectic and i'm behind

now that it's december it has sunk in

first task

christmas cards

like the one above made from

some leftover armature wire

in the past i've made tree ornaments

and decided that they will make great cards instead

i've also got some great pictures from

last winter, which seemed to last 6 months,

i've used in my new winter banner above and

know they will be great cards too

encaustic class

today was my last encaustic class

it was a mad panic to get everthing done

and of course my head is filled with a hundred ideas

i will take the class again next semister

just so i can experiment some more

and it will be nice to have the same teacher

mona shahid

this photo was taken near lake st. clair

and the texture was added in a grid

and done in a real hurry

i hope i remember how to do this again

i like how it turned out