Saturday, January 31, 2009

MY DOODLE

Lately everyone has been talking about doodling to help their art. Here is my first attempt at keeping an art journal. I hope it will help me become more grounded with all the creative ideas floating around in my head.

Friday, January 30, 2009

PUFFED UP AND PROUD

My middle son, Lane, is now working for the Round Rock Express organization. It is also an internship for him through UT. I think he is fabulous but you can judge for yourself. Here is the link to the site. When you are there just click on "EXPRESS TV" and the latest clip made on the O9 Astros Caravan is Lanes. Check back often because he will be handling all the videos for the season. GO LANE!!!!!!! http://www.roundrockexpress.com/

Thursday, January 29, 2009

SIR LANCELOT THE CLONE

Every dog has his day, but Sir Lancelot -- or at least his carbon copy -- has a second one.

A Boca Raton, Florida, couple paid a California firm $155,000 to clone their beloved Labrador retriever, who died from cancer a year ago. The clone, a 10-week-old puppy dubbed Lancey, was hand-delivered to them earlier this week by Lou Hawthorne, chairman of BioArts International, a biotechnology company.

"One minute with Lancey and you know he's special. He's both extremely aware and very sweet," Hawthorne said in a BioArts statement.

Edgar and Nina Otto said they began thinking about cloning Sir Lancelot about five years ago.

"I said 'Well, you know, it wouldn't hurt to have his DNA frozen,' and that's what we did," Nina Otto told CNN affiliate WPBF.

The Ottos were one of five families to bid and win a BioArts auction for a chance to clone their family dog, according to a BioArts statement. Lancey is the world's first commercially cloned dog, the company said; the Ottos are the first of six current clients to receive their clone.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/01/29/cloned.dog/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

DECAF or REGULAR

Today I read that Starbucks hopes to save $400 million by September by stopping its day-long brewing of decaf coffee.

The Seattle-based company says it will keep a fresh pot brewing every 30 minutes in the morning, as usual, but after noon, customers will have to request decaf.

With their current standard of continually brewing decaf after 12 p.m. regardless of demand, Starbucks has seen a high amount of waste."

Isn't something backwards here? If I drink anything with caffine after noon I would be buzzing all night! I must be in the minority! Can you drink regular coffee after noon??????

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

ZINNIA FLOWER

I took this picture of a pink Zinnia flower in my garden last week. I was so surprised to see that it had bloomed at this time of the year. Perhaps I am thinking about all my absent friends that I can't see everyday or who live far away in cyberspace. They say that the large, showy flowers of various colors symbolize different human emotions, generally fond remembrance of absent friends. A magenta zinnia shows lasting affection for one’s beloved, while a bright scarlet zinnia is a sign of devotion. The white flower suggests goodness of heart and mind and a yellow zinnia personifies daily remembrance of a loved one. A bouquet of mixed zinnia shows concern and thoughts of absent friends, remembering fond moments and bygone days of happiness. It is a small token of nature with varied meaning underlying its bright color surfaces.

Monday, January 26, 2009

KITCHEN MAKEOVER

Here is the color pallette that I went with for the kitchen. As you can see the blue tape is still up since everything was still wet. Today we will put the shades back up on the windows and try adding some decorations on the walls. Then I will take new photos.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

ZENTANGLE

My friend, Marie, turned me on to this site called ZENTANGLE. You might ask, "WHAT IS THAT"????? Well, check it out because it is the coolest thing I have seen in months. You probably have already done it when you were back in high school and were bored listening to your teacher. It is a method of doodling. http://www.zentangle.com/about-what-is--1.php

Saturday, January 24, 2009

NO PANTS SUBWAY RIDE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9La40WwO-lU&feature=dir This video was so funny to watch the people riding the subway who were NOT participating, looking and shaking their heads when they saw people without pants! I would be laughing, too! Actually I might participate in this if my ass wasn't so jiggly! HA...

Friday, January 23, 2009

NO LONGER THERE

I was going through some old photographs and came across these from the Galveston fishing pier. We used to really enjoy going down there and setting up for a few long hours of fishing. We never did catch anything to keep but it sure was fun trying. This pier is no longer there. Hurricane Ike took care of that. Will they rebuild it? Not sure...

Thursday, January 22, 2009

THURSDAY FUN

I have enjoyed playing around with this glass ball. Pretty soon I will take all the glass squares off of it and turn them into a fun mosaic.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

A KITCHEN CHANGE

With transition on the horizon, color experts have identified a need for optimism as yellow emerges as a popular color choice in 2009. Yellow both comforts and invigorates, with popular shades ranging from a bright, greenish citron to the soothing, orange-toned mimosa.
The natural scheme is in right now. It uses neutral earth tones and saturated jewel tones and finishes like brick, concrete, wood, and metal. It communicates earthbound, honesty, and straightforwardness. http://www.housebeautiful.com/kitchens/30-days-kitchens-colors-0708
Perry and I primed the walls on Sunday. All the wallpaper is covered up! I textured the walls yesterday and will finish that job today. Tomorrow will be the "PAINT" day. What color should I go with?

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

FREEDOM EXPRESSED TODAY

Watching the 44th President being sworn in to office today was very exciting. Freedom at its best being expressed. I am so happy to be living in the United States of America! This cartoon fit the feeling...

Monday, January 19, 2009

COOL PHOTOGRAPHY

My friend sent me these photos and I wanted to share them with you today. So take your camera and go out there and look for these photo opportunities!

Friday, January 16, 2009

The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Arts Center

The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Arts Center

930 King Street, Silver Spring, MD 20910

Gallery Hours M-F, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

240.567.1368

Feb. 9 – March 5

President Obama:

A Celebration in Art Quilts

Collected by local quilter Susan Walen & Curated by Mary Staley

Reception: Friday, February 13, 6:00 – 8:00 pm

This show, organized by Susan Walen, includes the work of 60 fiber artists from all across the United States and as far away as Australia. This is a quilt show of amazing diversity -- among the quilters and their art. Our work is in tribute to our new President, in gratitude for the hope and inspiration he has brought us. We present these quilts at an unforgettable moment in our country's history. Many of the participating quilters in this project have had the honor of being interviewed by Karen Musgrave of the Allance for American Quilts. Our stories will be saved in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress (www.allianceforamericanquilts.org/qsos/). I hope many of you will be able to come to see these quilts. It's a remarkable show, for the art, of course, but equally for the passion and the sense of history described in our Artists' Statements. We hope to produce a book on this show, the proceeds of which will go to scholarship funds at Montgomery College, many of whose students, much like our new President, are self-made people, coming up the hard way. WE'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU JOIN US AT THE OPENING RECEPTION. INVITE YOUR FRIENDS. SPREAD THE WORD.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

NEW PROJECT

What was I thinking when I decided to take down the kitchen wallpaper and paint the walls????? Actually I decided to take on this project because I truly enjoy the process. It is just another form of creating art, isn't it? It was fun chipping away and ripping off the paper! Wallpaper is so "OUT" now and since having the kitchen cabinets painted last year this was long overdue. I am thinking of going with some tone of yellow.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Monday, January 12, 2009

LABRADOODLE OR PORTUGUESE WATER DOG?

  • Obama choice: Labradoodle or a Portuguese water dog
  • Sunday, President-elect Barack Obama told George Stephanopoulos on ABC News' This Week that the family has narrowed the choice to either a Portuguese water hound or Labradoodle.
  • The former is actually known as the Portuguese water dog. It dates back to the 1200s and worked on boats with Portuguese fishermen, according to the website of the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America.
  • Sen. Ted Kennedy has helped make them famous, returning to the Capitol after brain cancer treatment with his two Portuguese water dogs.
WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE?
  • I WILL STAY WITH YOGI AND ZOEY!

Sunday, January 11, 2009

REMI, THE GOLDEN DOODLE

This is Remi, the golden doodle. He belongs to my nephew Josh and his wife, Ali. Remi is almost as big as a Shetland pony! He was so wild when he was a puppy but now that he is four, he has calmed down so much. They have two small children and he is wonderful with them!

Saturday, January 10, 2009

HAMAS' GOAL: ISRAELI RETALIATION

This article was sent to me and I just had to share it. If you don't understand what is going on between Hamas and Israel, then this will explain it. It is the best explanation I have seen yet! I am only including the first few paragraphs and the link where you can read about it further.

Hamas provoked Israel relentlessly until at long last it persuaded Israeli leaders to attack Gaza. Anyone surprised that Israel launched a massive attack has simply not been paying attention. Hamas wanted this war. Maybe not at this precise moment, maybe not with this intensity. But the Iran-backed rulers of Gaza, whose reason for being is to destroy Israel, need war to remain relevant and bolster their popular support.

Hamas gambled, and it may yet obtain everything it wanted from this confrontation. Tragically for the Palestinians living under Hamas rule, they continue to pay the most painful price. Predictably, Israel will be hit not only with the continuing barrage of rockets from Gaza, but also with international condemnation.

http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/frida-ghitis/story/830741.html

Thursday, January 8, 2009

OBAMA EXHIBIT

I am so excited to be a part of this exhibit honoring President Elect Obama! The exhibit will hang at the Cafritz Art Center, 150 King Street, Silver Spring, MD. The opening will be February 9th through March 3rd, 2009. If you are in the area please go by and see it. My piece is called "WAVES OF CHANGE".
WAVES OF CHANGE “Times Change and we change with them” Latin Proverb quote
America's first black president-elect Barack Obama will modify history and hopefully take the USA in a new, better direction. This is my hope for our country in the next four years! My inspiration for this quilt came from using two different images of his face. Having two faces--one looking to the future and one to the past-- allows Barack Obama to build a strong foundation on his current knowledge and build layers of change from the experiences he will encounter in the next four years. I chose to layer the images and frame them with “waves of change” for the future. My dream is that my quilt will inspire people to go after what they want and that change can bring about new direction! President-Elect Barack Obama’s victory has demonstrated that anyone, anywhere in the world, can dream of wanting to change the world. I am very excited to be part of this historical show for Obama’s 2009 inauguration.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

PATHWORDS

I am hooked on a new game I found on Facebook. It is called PATHWORDS. It is a fast, fun falling letter game. I am not very good at it and I can't believe that my friend, Risa, has a score of 1350 points! My score is only 350 at the moment. I will keep trying. http://www.insidesocialgames.com/2008/09/18/pathwords-zyngas-answer-to-word-scramble/

Monday, January 5, 2009

BEST FRIENDS FOREVER

Here is a picture of my oldest friend I have ever had. We met each other through our parents when we were infants. Believe it or not we are about to turn 55 this year! WOW This picture was taken in Galveston in 1957. I had just turned three.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

POST SECRETS

http://postsecret.blogspot.com/
PostSecret is a community art project where people release their secrets by anonymously mailing them on a homemade postcard. Frank Warren started PostSecret in November, 2004 and has since received over a hundred and fifty thousand secrets from all over the world. He made a $2,000 donation to The National Hopeline Network 1(800)SUICIDE, a suicide hotline. PostSecret has recently published a book of some of the postcards with some of the proceeds also going to the hotline.
The website won two Webby Awards in 2006 and this year was named Weblog of the Year at the Seventh Annual Weblog Awards. The PostSecret project also received a special award from the National Mental Health Association for raising awareness and funds for suicide prevention. Warren lives in Germantown, Maryland, with his wife and daughter.

Friday, January 2, 2009

FRESH PAINT

I decided to paint our dining room. Avery helped me with the primer but I had to paint it all by myself. I like it better now!