"Flavias Dress" 11x14 Mixed Media Collage on Wood Panel
note Barty's birdie below it


i dared again, this time on a 22 by 10 inch wood panel

loving the wood so much more than canvas

Speaking of Favorite Things Part 1

crochet purse by Vintage Portals

Fabric Art courtesy of Moss Hill Studio

denim, especially when it's combined with other textures and lace

Paintings by Claudio Bravo

my denim jacket

Bookshelves with lots of books

and Carmen Silva paintings Still Life paintings
Clapton is GOD

Milagros

Shrines at the Beach

Assemblage Dolls by Janet Cooper Glamping=Glamour Camping

Old suitcases from Cabbages and Roses ..and old Granny Boots

Laurie Messeroll of Earth Angels

Amanda Wright

these are the things i missed while disconnected. enjoy

...and now a little bit of serenity to create "a few of my favorite things"

I have been away, literally, with very little time to write. What a couple of weeks! Emotions, emotions and more emotions: the much-promised, much-awaited trip from Chile by my best friend Paty and her sister-in-law Fran plus a re-encounter with a high school friend I hadn't seen since I was 14 years old have taken me on a whirlwind week and landed me flat in bed for a three hour nap after dropping them off at the airport. Paty is a live wire, non-stop energy and excitement for life. Me being a slow mo person, an introvert and much more private went into overdrive and almost collapsed. But what memories. We have been literally everywhere in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, stopping one night in Solvang and spending and losing at the Chumash Casino.

Friends have a way of awakening things in you that you might have missed along the way. Awareness brought back into full focus. So many discussions and conversations over our different paths and tastes and the things that motivate us. We learn from each other.

Amid the rush and confusion (my best friend is arriving from overseas on Sunday) a little time spent on making art for my MAMMA swaps. The top two are ATCS incorporating a background technique, a metal piece, a triangle and fabric (Auntie Nancy really pushed us on this one) and the bottom is a little charm that requiered, fabric and beads. This was my interpretation, breaking the rules a bit.

So much going on, so little time, yet yesterday, in the middle of the day. at lunch to be precise, I made the time to meet a longstanding cyber friend who lives close to where I work. I never thought these encounters could actually happen. I have seen so many blog posts about people who finally meet after longstanding friendships online but never thought it could actually happen to me.

Dianne and I have been talking for over two years. She even helped me set up my blog back when I had a few appehensions and she has been an ardent follower of my work on etsy, buying several of my ATCs over the years. So yesterday, meeting her and seeing her beautiful eyes for the first time was such a gift to the senses.

We went to a 50s Cafe, a diner close to my work where we had hoped to drink milk shakes which we forgot to order. One hour was so not enough to get to know her. So much to talk about. I am still processing all the nuances I perceived from her. She showed up with the most beautiful bouquet of wild flowers and roses picked from her backyard. And ofcourse we talked about her Sophie, a soon-to-be-arriving baby from China she and Dave have adopted.

Ah, friendship, kindred spirits, new love flourishing.