I'm in a "Dark Book" RR with a group of fine ladies!

The top photo is my cover. It's made from 2 5x7 canvases. The second photo is what you see when you open the journal. The last photo is the back of my book/sign-in page. This should be quite the interesting RR because I usually work in light colors. The artists in this RR are awesome; this is going to be short but sweet!

A "Non-moving" Piece.

I just didn't feel like thinking about the move today. Instead I just wanted to focus on my class. The day was loooooonnnnnng! The students were tired and I had such a headache and didn't really feel like doing anything when I got home. Then I remembered the promise I made to myself about the 3x3s and tried to make a happy piece. It certainly made me forget about the move for awhile!

A Peaceful Day...

Which is really hard to believe! I managed to avoid all parental contact, although I did get a few emails from parents that I couldn't ignore. I'm really happy that the parents are letting me have my privacy concerning the move and my last few weeks with their children undisturbed. I do have to meet with them for Parent-Teacher conferences and that will come with a lot of questions! But it will be my last week working when that happens.....

I made this piece because it was a happy, peaceful day. I don't seem to get too many of those lately. Perhaps I'm on an upswing (and my house will sell??? )

The Tears Fell...

I had to tell my students today that I was leaving. This was so difficult for me to do; I knew how they were going to react. It seemed like everyone was crying, boys as well as girls. Those that didn't cry just sat there in shock. I turned their world upside down and it felt just awful. The amazing thing to me was how quickly the news spread after school. School dismisses at 2:45 and by 2:48 I had students from every grade level in my classroom! I was truly amazed. I'm NOT looking forward to the reactions from the parents. (They're going to be angry; how could I possibly leave?) I now know that I have 13 school days left with 34 of my favorite 5th graders. I want to make the best of it!

Lend a Hand?

This is how busy I was today. I could have used an extra hand several times today. Since I didn't have one, I figured I'd just make one for myself! All I know is that I'm SO happy it's the weekend.

I have to go to my son's wrestling tournament tomorrow. I wonder what kind of a 3x3 that'll produce!

I'm moving...

And man, is it a move! My family is moving back to the east coast after living in California for the past 9 years. This is a BEAUTIFUL area to live in, but the schools in this state are horrendous and the cost of living is out of this world. It is also extremely crowded; we miss the beauty and tranquility of NY state.

So, we're moving because my husband got a WONDERFUL job opportunity in Connecticut. Both of our families live on the east coast and we saw this as the perfect opportunity to go back. Needless to say, my children are not thrilled, but they are very understanding and I think a little sick of California living as well. My oldest (18 years old) is having the hardest time out of the three boys. He goes to the local community college with a bunch of his friends and would like nothing more than to stay. But realistically speaking, he knows it isn't feasible.

I'm currently miserable because my husband is already in CT working and I'm here in CA teaching full time, taking care of the kids AND working like a slave to keep my house neat and clean for the people who are coming through. I HATE THIS PART!!!!!

To get through this move, I thought about keeping a written journal to record this whole pain in the arse experience, but then it hit me...why not record this experience by making the 3x3s that I love to make? So here we go...

This is the first piece I made on October 29th. It's called "Get a Grip!" I used blue acrylic to reflect my mood and Kosher salt for the tears I've been crying just about every day. The wings will help me fly away from all the stress. The red crown represents the fire I know I still have somewhere inside me...it just needs to be rekindled.

This piece was made on Halloween. I was home all alone. All three boys were out and about. I ate dinner by myself, had a glass of wine, and made this on the kitchen table while waiting for the doorbell to ring. I also worked on a RR journal that evening as well. First quiet and completely relaxing night I had in a long time...

I made this one this evening. It's called "SELL MY HOUSE!" I had to lower the price of the house because the market here is just horrible. I'm trying to keep a positive attitude, but it's so incredibly hard. the houses here used to sell in a day; LITERALLY! Now they're on the market for weeks. I'm not a happy camper.

Check back tomorrow...I'm going to try to make a 3x3 everyday...

Journals, journals and more journals!

For whatever reason, Blogger wouldn't let me upload any pictures for about a week. It kept telling me it was aware of the problem and they were working on it. I was about ready to just toss my computer across the room because all my other Blogger buddies were able to upload. ARGH!!!!!!! I hate being at the mercy of cyberspace!

OK...I vented!

I have worked on 3 RR journals and wanted to share them with you. All three are for one Yahoo group that I belong to. For some reason, the mailing got all screwy but at least they're all safe! The first spread is for Bonnie. She turns 60 this year and wanted that number represented somewhere on her spread. Her color was sepia and her theme was Time Flies.



This spread is for Donna. Her color was blue and she didn't have a theme. I work so often with vintage images that I thought a change would be good for me. I like the way this came out...


This is for Martha. Her colors were whites, pastels and a hint of red. Her journal is an old children's dictionary. What a fun book to work in! The photo is of relatives of mine whom I never met. Unfortunately they perished in the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. I like using pictures of my relatives when I can; it makes me feel like they didn't die in vain.

The last of the Circle Journals is finished!

What a fun RR this was. I participated in a Circle Journal where everyone picked a word that they wanted to focus on and the layouts related to that. These pages are for Heather, the originator of the Circle Journal. Her word was FEAR. Her entire journal was done in black, reds and whites so I stayed with her color theme. I hope she likes it!

The last 2 are finished!!!!!!!!!!

These 2 make a total of 48 made! Phew...I feel like I ran a long marathon. But now they're done and they were a LOT of fun to make. If I ever get the chance, I'm going to make a book of them for myself!!!

Almost done with my 3x3s...

I had a little hiatus from the 3x3s. Now I'm back to making them. I have 2 more to make and then I will have made a total of 48 of them! Holy cow; can't believe I made that many. The top 2 are a white theme. The one with the heart is for Barb. Believe it or not, there is birch tree bark under the white heart. The other one is for Paula; her theme is White Caps

I just love Autumn...

I think Fall is my favorite season. I just love the crispness of the air, Halloween, the changing leaves...I really can't think of anything that I don't like about it! These 4 ATCs are for a "Favorite Season" Mingle for Altered Designs. I sure hope the recipients like Fall as much as I do!

A Diva Dictionary!!!

I belong to a great art group called Altered Divas. We are putting together a Diva Dictionary. My word is divadipity: a diva's good luck in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries. The pages are 5x7, a real nice size!

Halloween Tag Book

I'm participating in a Halloween Tag book in one of my art groups. I love Halloween; it's always been one of my favorite holidays. I think it may be the time of year that I really love!

Oh,to have friends that love mermaids!

What a fun time I had with this RR journal. Judy, the owner of the journal, decided to make a long, thin book about a land called Mermania. I love anything that has to do with the sea. This was my interpretation for her. The pages are back-to-back, so the top photo is the front and the bottom photo is the back.

Oh to live in Mermania!!!

It's been a loooooooooooooooong time...

since I blogged! With the start of the school year, my time has not been my own. My 5th grade class has kept me so incredibly busy. And of course, with that, comes the falling behind of my art commitments. But I was so thrilled today; I had time for art and this is what I was able to complete. This is a 4x4 for a swap in Mail Art (it was actually completed awhile ago. I just completely forgot about it!)

This is for a RR in We Dream In Color. The Journal belongs to Lisa and it is an absolutely stunning book. The detail in her cover is just amazing. The page with the words is the left side and the page with the picture is the right. ENJOY!

What a loooong day!

Getting ready for the new school year is so stressful. We teachers spend weeks (literally) getting things ready for the beginning of the year. I spent the day today getting all the texts and workbooks numbered and at each students desk (I have 34 fifth graders!) And it was so hot in my classroom. You got it; no air conditioning. When will schools catch up to the 21st century?

I had a little time this evening to myself. I made this 3x3 for Barb. Believe it or not, the background is made from the paper towel that my former kindergartners used to dry a water color marker project on. I brought the paper towel home because it was so cool looking. Barb's theme for her 3x3s was "The Artist in You (and me)" and she wanted it done in bright colors. Hope this is bright enough!

This 3x3 is for Christy. She wanted all shades of white and then whitewashed with gesso. It looks really neat in person.

Tomorrow is my last day to work in my classroom to get it ready for the kids. I hope I can get everything done!!!!!

Oh, baby! Some down time!!!!!

What a wonderful feeling! Through the daze of jet lag and the stress of setting up my classroom, I managed to find time for...ART!!! How exciting is that? But of course, what do I make? Those darling little 3 x 3s. I so highly recommend the size. It truly is so much fun to make these!

This one is for Bonnie...

This one is for Donna...

and this one is for Kelly. I had that Helen Reddy song in my head the whole time I was making this!

I'm HOOOOOOOOOOOME!!!!!!!!

And this is how I feel right now! I'm so incredibly tired. Got back from Vermont at 1:30am this morning and woke up at 6:30!!! Oh man; jet lag is awful! I have to get back into my art real soon...or else I'm going to turn into a pumpkin!!!

Sitting in So. Glens Falls, NY

And I keep thinking how it's been DAYS since I was home going art. It's amazing how ADDICTING creating and blogging is. I'm worried that if I don't blog, I'll fall off the face of the earth, although that really wouldn't happen, right?

I'll be going back to California on Tues., Aug. 14th and I can't wait! I'll write soon!!!

Having Direction

I belong to a word Circle Journal with women who scrapbook mostly. They wanted to have the experience of an altered art/mixed media RR so I agreed to do it with them. They are very lovely women and their work is wonderful!

Everyone in the CJ had to pick a word for a theme that everyone needed to focus on. Noelia's word is direction. Here is the spread I made for her.