First Week Pseudo Empty Nester

Well, let's see. Jim is out of town and Sam is in PA so that leaves me and the two canines. I've gotten so many things done on my list that I needed to do all spring and summer. It's been wonderful having the endless time to get them done. I even fit in a rush hour movie yesterday to reward myself. I found myself in a theater seeing "One Day" with a 60 year old man. Interesting to say the least. I've still got plenty to do to get caught up, but I feel like I've put a dent in some things.



Happy almost Labor Day.....I think it is the Japanese Festival again for us. It will be strange without Sam but we can send her pictures. Also, I am working on my classes for Stamp Your Art Out on Saturday, November 12. More to follow on that. Come see me in Cincinnati.

Summer's Over

There has been a long drought here for many reasons. First, Sammi graduated from high school and the summer has been spent preparing for her nest-leaving. We leave to take her to Ursinus College in Pennsylvania on Monday. And yes, I will survive..... I think. We also wanted to spend time with her so we took her to England. What a wonderful week we had in late June-early July. I finally got to step foot onto the Wimbledon grounds, but the Cotswolds stole my heart. It was a trip I'll never forget.

Stampaway was last week in Cincinnati, and I was happy to debut a new class called Painterly Pizazzz. I had 25 enthusiastic students and my wonderful friend, Deb, helping me. I also got to stay at her house and had the best time.

So what am I going to do with the rest of my life now that Jim and I will be pseudo-empty nesters for nine months out of the year? Well, I am going to start teaching again so if you know of a store that would be interested in me, drop me an email. I begin again as of now in November at Stamp Your Art Out in Cincinnati, my old home store. After that, who knows........

I also want to pursue my own art at the same time so you may see some things finally posted from me again.

Happy dog days everyone.....

Beginnings and Ends

This week marks the end of Sammi's years of high school and new beginnings for all of us as a family. By summer's end, Jim and I will be partial empty nesters as we adjust to her being at Ursinus. These four years, marked by our third return to St. Louis, have flown by as wise people told me they would. My focus has been on getting her ready for college, getting her through gymnastics seasons, and adjusting to increasing freedoms and responsibilities. It will be this week that I will take stock on how we've done...... in between the appreciation luncheons, field days, awards banquets, and, of course..... graduation this Friday. The artwork to the right is my annual gift to Barat Academy.

Anniversary Surprise

We received a wonderful anniversary gift from our graduating senior today. What a fun video to reminisce to. It's been a hectic couple of months since I posted. We're caught up in senior moments, college decisions, traveling for gymnastics, sick friends. I can honestly say I haven't been in the studio since March. Things will slow down after graduation and I can get back to being Nancy. But I can never get back this time with Sammi so I am taking it without any guilt.

Happy Valentine's Day

I hope everyone has a happy, safe, and healthy special day tomorrow. I was treated to a beautiful bouquet today and a 5"7" Epic Rose from Ecuador. It's my second year to receive the tall rose from Jim. I loved the one last year and if memory serves me right, it lasted a couple of weeks. Not too bad for an import. I included a picture of it and two of my three men. The other dog, Bogart, was sleeping but Tucker was pretty docile in Jim's arms.

We had a wonderful weather weekend so finally the ice and snow is starting to melt. What a treat to have the ice gone from our driveway. It takes so little.....

Electrifying

Electrifying can mean so many things. I spent another weekend watching gymnastics and that truly is electrifying especially when you see two "10s" given out. In fourteen years of competition, I have never seen a 10. But electrifying to me is also seeing my nephew Jon's photography. He is a natural and last week during the storm took a wonderful macro video with his camera of a melting snowflake that I found "electrifying" in it's simplicity and rare view. When I went to do my inchie, I chose between "joy" and "memories" to showcase the word. It was a tough choice for me because I do find memories electifying when they just pop into your head out of nowhere...good ones and bad ones alike. But the most electrifying feeling I have felt is pure joy so that won out. Enjoy........

Mirthful

It is interesting that mirthful is this week's word and I am experiencing the worst weather of the winter so far. I am less than mirthful right now. My dogs that just slid about 8 feet on the icy patio are feeling even less so. But, as they say--the show must go on. I have a confession to make. I hate clowns and am terrified of them, however, I have a fascination with jester's hats. I make no sense sometimes. Actually, truth be told, party hats of any sort. Linda Malcolm at Lost Coast Designs has at least two wonderful sets of party hats of all sorts and then another must have set of wild animals with party hats. They are definitely for those with eclectic tastes and were perfect for my mirthful Every Inchie Monday theme. Enjoy......

Maudlin

Every Inchie Monday day again.....the week rolls around really fast. This week's theme was maudlin. I couldn't figure out my interpretation until I saw about 10 minutes of Beverly Hills Housewives or whatever it's called. They were bemoaning their youth and they looked stunning. My inchie idea came from that. It's always interesting where ideas find their beginnings. Enjoy....

Snow Day

An unexpected gift of a snow day and I got lost in my studio. Dreams do come true sometimes. This is a piece for my oldest friend in the world that I've found again. I feel so lucky to have made that reconnection since we spent a majority of our time together during elementary school. He was my other half.

Birds of a Feather

I am back in the tundra of St. Louis after quite an eventful trip to the Tampa, St. Petersburg Beach area for five days of gymnastics bonding. This was our fourth year to travel down with Sammi's team and we had a great time, although the weather could have been slightly warmer. Fun was had by all. This season is still surreal since it is Sammi's last under USAG rules so each meet is bittersweet. It was a fun time for her since she had uninterrupted team time and also took home the all around award for the meet after winning bars, beam, floor, and taking second on vault. Add to that the camaraderie of the team, team parents, coaches and just generally the gymnastics world and you come up with the first reason I titled this entry, "Birds of a Feather." Gymnasts are a different breed and those in that world with them all have to stick together. I would guess it is that way for any high level individual competitive sport as well. Well, we did all stick together and it was a memorable time.

I worked on my inchie for the word caring today. I didn't have a clue what I was going to do until I was in front of my bird feeder and saw a male cardinal putting seed into his female's mouth since she couldn't get up to the feeder (the restaurant was quite crowded). Hence, the inchie I made for caring has a pair of birds and the titled phrase. I spent quite a lot of time watching the bird interaction and found it quite amazing.

Powerful

That word means so many things to so many people. For me emotions are the most powerful thing in my life and always have been. This week I experienced a myriad of them....pride, fear, joy, and a little sadness as my daughter began her last competitive gymnastics season unless she chooses to continue in college. All were almost equal in intensity but the joy eclipsed the others when I saw her triumph over some physical and mental challenges. So for me, joy is the emotion I find the most powerful. I celebrate it in my entry for this week's inchie challenge. We leave for Tampa on Wednesday for her to compete again. It will be bittersweet for her since each meet will be her last one with the team. Fourteen years is a long time in a young life.

Eclectic

I noticed an online inchie challenge and decided to have a go. Now whether I will do it every week or not, I guess we'll find out soon enough. But it was very fun to work on this one today for the theme, eclectic. What's more eclectic than a post-Christmas phrase the I added at the end??? Today's "Fa la la" started as a leftover piece of transparency from a local demo last October. It was spot colored with Ranger alcohol inks, texturized with a product called Wood Icing that led to the darker more matte finish, and then gilded with Gildenglitz. I finished it off by backing it to a piece of white cardstock. What a fun time I had with this little piece.

Post Merry Christmas and Happy almost New Year

The rest of fall and holiday season are but a blur now. So much thought, effort, sweat, and sometimes frustration goes into the season between Thanksgiving and Christmas...and then it is but a memory. Our season itself was quite wonderful once we got through senior exams and another college shopping trip to PA the first week in December. We traveled back to PA for Christmas with family and managed to get out of dodge before the blizzard hit the area. My gifts of Christmas were many: time with family, laughter, a peaceful candlelight church service, some treasured gifts that were unexpected. While my family moments were wonderful, my favorite moment came when I was reunited with my best friend in the world for the one year I lived in PA during 8th grade. It was online that I found her, but we hadn't seen each other for 33 years. It was nice to see we could pick up where we left off all those years ago. I hope to see her for years to come.

I have many moments and people to be grateful for in 2010. It was the year of trips for all of us. Lots of gymnastics and college travel in the winter and spring. These trips were soon followed by my nephew's wedding and our summer Japan trip. I will treasure those family moments and the peaceful nature of the Japanese always. More college trips came our way later in the summer and into the fall. Each college had its own flavor and being on these stately campuses made me want to metriculate again...briefly. I took a break from that kind of travel to go on my first trip with my sister in November to the Caribbean. We had a lovely cruise together and enjoyed bonding over jewelry shopping and stingray swimming. I am really blessed to have had all these opportunities this year. Unfortunately, that meant that not a lot of art was done. I am ready to jump back in for 2011! The art above is a little taste...... Happy New Year and a wonderful 2011 to all.

Chills and Thrills

Mike Meador of Coffee Break Designs left us today. I will miss his wit, support, and good-natured demeanor. I feel lucky that I was able to see him at Stampaway and will remember him that way. Although I only saw him sporadically, he was always willing to help when I needed every little thing for classes....yesterday. I took some gentle ribbing, but he always came through. Thanks, Mike...you will be missed by many.

Halloween is rapidly approaching. I finished my cards tonight and managed to do some ATCs to send out as well. Yes, Chills and Thrills is supposed to be askew......I promise.

Willy-Nilly

willy-nilly adv: in a haphazard or spontaneous manner ... That word sums up my September. Maybe my 2010, too. I was pulled in so many directions all month that I got little done on what I really wanted to do and what I did get done was 5 minutes here and 5 minutes there so everything felt disjointed. I got a little of my studio cleaned only to mess it up again so quickly while getting some things out at the last moment. I got Sammi off for her senior year of high school..... and then had a moment after she left that first day. Then I had a week where I realized that I will need to reinvent my life after she goes off to college next fall. Yes, it took a week. I have come to no conclusion on what I want to do....another book? more travel? a job? more studio time? Hmmmmm....... Even my thoughts have been coming and going in a willy nilly fashion. They flit in and flit out and almost get forgotten. It's so fitting that my last artwork of the month celebrates the freedom of willi-nilliness (head nod to Red Lead for the great stamp). I think I will try not to fight it in October, but will embrace the randomness of it all. We'll see how that works.

STAMPAWAY 2010

Well once again it is Stampaway week and it's all happening here at my house. New samples, packing, more packing, more organizing for packing, buying supplies, forgetting supplies and having to go back again and again. But along with that is the excitement to see our small world again, meet incredible students and peer teachers, and get inspired by all the artful discussion all around. I've been going for 15 years and have been teaching for 10 or 11. It is always a week to be remembered.

Hope

It is midsummer and quite tepid here in St. Louis, although Tokyo was not much better. College shopping is in full swing as is prep for Stampaway in two weeks. I am quite looking forward to it. But back to Tokyo....what an experience. It was as if we stepped completely into another world for 8 days. The people were fabulous and the scenery in such a large city was lush and bountiful. We negotiated the subways and learned that just when you think more can't fit...they can. We also managed to handle the lack of English with dignity. Luckily, pointing to food mock ups was socially acceptable.

Summer 2010

Sorry for being in absentia for quite a while. We had a lot of post season gymnastics travel as well as a family wedding, college shopping and, of course, the lousy winter pneumonia scare. It's been quite a busy few months. I am really enjoying the slowing down in summer and have probably done about 10 pieces of art since school let out. I hope to get some of them posted on my main website shortly. This painting was done this morning and was my first foray into using Wood Icing as a texture tool on canvas. It was wonderful to work with after a terrific demo with Mary Beth Shaw last week. I think it is going to become a studio essential. This week was banner since I was able to head to the Collinsville Convention for a few hours with my bff, Tracy. Typical vendors but the day was capped off with an ongoing demo by USArtQuest owner and fabulous artist, Sue Pickering Rothamel. I hadn't seen her for a long time but was entranced as usual with her talent and demo style. She'll be around this summer so be sure to catch her when she's out. It is always worth a few hours.

Scrapbook Page!

I will tell you all that this is about the 6th scrapbook page I have ever done and had no pictures. So I had to do what I do best. My oldest nephew is getting married in May and this is a page to go in a wedding shower album. It was fun to do. I can see why people scrapbook! I am ready for spring now...that's for sure. I love weddings and haven't been to one in a few years. It will be fun.

Lost and Found

I am in the process of trying to find my art muse again. It has been lost for some time now. I still can appreciate art but have not been able to find the desire to produce until last week. I am happy it is here now and am going to try to keep it going.

I never understand why it comes and goes. Part of it is a lack of nurture I guess. Anyone have any suggestions?