Donations for Australia

I know many of my friends are wondering what to do to help the victims of the devastating fires in Australia. A donation can be made on-line to the Australia Red Cross. Here is the link:

https://www.redcross.org.au/howyoucanhelp_donationopt.htm

Who's Watching

I finally was able to take a decent photo of I piece I started in Keith LoBue's class at The Queen's Ink last October. Lots of old and rusty pieces were used. The high fiber vintage paper on the back and beneath the transparnecy is over 100 years old. I am not sure I could ever agan find all the pieces that would fit together so well.

I had a long talk with Dr. Erki yesterday. She is a cardiologist and I see her each year. I believe we all need to look a little deeper into our hearts. So, why not do it with a heart expert?

One of the issues I discussed with her was finding happiness through realizing that life is tough and that the hopes and dreams I have had over the years may never be reached. Once I acknowledged this, I was able to look at the moments I cherish and appreciate them for the joy they have brought into my life. Some, like marriage or the birth of children, were life changing events, while others were fleeting moments. Both play over and over again in my mind. A special moment that I often recall happened on a first, or perhaps second, date with my husband. We were playing tennis and, as he handed the tennis ball to me over the net for my serve, his fingertips touched my palm. I remember that touch and my heart still does a little dance.

Inauguration

What a day - January 20Th, 2009! I have been to many marches and demonstrations in DC but never one of so many gathering at one time, in one place, and with one purpose. The happiness which brought us together could not be daunted by the difficulty in getting around DC or the cold weather. The cheering of millions as Obama was sworn into office was heart warming.

It was a joyous day. We met many people from across the nation who traveled thousands of miles to be a part of history. There was a sense of pride not only among Black Americans but exhibited by each and everyone present. We did it! We can be a better America.

One of the highlights was seeing Bush being whisked off to Texas. He was abusive for eight years but he can no longer hurt us. we have scars to from his time in the White House but there is now hope and we will overcome the wounds he inflicted. It is going to take a long time to get over the damage he and his administration caused.

Heading to DC

We're leaving this morning for DC. We have had hotel reservations since the summer-thanks Hilton for the free night! The AE points add up quickly. I don't expect to see much of tomorrow's inauguration other than on the strategically placed big screens but it should be pretty powerful nonetheless.

Change is nearly here.

New Art

My friend Jean - see her work at Charmed I'm Sure by clicking on the link to her etsy site - spent today teaching me to enamel on copper. Her talent, generosity, patience, supplies, and wonderful, fully equipped studio helped me to create the charms pictured.

New Year's Greetings

Wishing you happiness in the New Year.

I am looking forward to the change in the US administration and hoping to see more kindness. Eight years of suffering has been too long. I am tired of the pockets of the big corporations being lined with gold. I am saddened by the war in Iraq and the fact that anyone could have believed it was OK then and still believes it is OK now. I am sick about the money that contractors received to rebuild New Orleans and yet the homes of the poor are not rebuilt. I am in disbelief that we do not have single payer national health insurance. I am astounded that educators have not moved education into the 21st century - it is criminal and they need to be held accountable for not only the failing school systems but also for the students they failed to reach and teach.

I know it is going to take a long time to fix what has happened to our country and change will be slow. I have hope that we will be moving in the right direction toward a kinder, gentler nation.

Jeremy Graduated Today

We are very proud of Jeremy's achievements. He graduated today from PSU with a BA in sociology. Here are a few photos to share.

Link to Paper Place Giveaway

The Paper Place is sponsoring a holiday giveaway: The Great Chiyogama Givaway. Here is the link. http://www.thepaperplace.ca/samplegiveaway.html

I have been a customer of theirs at Heirloom Shows for years and have never been disappointed.

Back to Basics-Image Transfer

Today, I finally managed to create a piece of artwork for Collage Cat's Art Party. You can see the piece to the left. It's a simple collage composed of ledger paper stained with Golden Fluid Acrylics mixed with glazing medium, a piece of a paper napkin for the floral effect, and an image transfer using Great White Imaging and Photo Paper (http://collagecloset.com) and Golden Regular Gel Medium. Great White is still the best for transfers. It is getting harder and harder to find!

Tomorrow we are off to DC. After brunch at Acadiana, we are going to the Smithsonian Folk Art Festival featuring Texas and Buthan this year. I'll take some photos to share. I was also there last weekend to see the Adornments Exhibit at the Renwick Gallery - second time I saw it and enjoyed it even more.