here we go!

see, i first became aware of Vondra and her antics a few years ago when i discovered altered books! one of the activities that was going on in a group i joined was to depict and name your muse. here are the layouts i did of vondra... (these were my very first altered book pages!)






she has a bit of a flair for the dramatic i'm afraid! but she sure is fun to work with! i told her she could hang around as long as she wanted. :-)

now, if i can just find creative ways to store all the things she's managed to accumulate! i CERTAINLY wouldn't have bought all this stuff! my goodness! *sigh*... what to do... what to do... lol.. i'm off to sort!

dealing with vondra...

well now... i haven't introduced you to vondra yet. she's an artist also, and she's addicted to craft supplies; she looks for them everywhere, and can usually find them! but she does tend to get in trouble a bit over her spending, and she even drags other people into that trouble too, which is rather frustrating. but she's delightful to be around and is more inspiring than irritating, which is a good thing! you see, vondra is my muse. she is who inspires me to do the things that i do... and to buy the things i buy! lol boy does she get me in trouble! right now i am sorting through things in what is shaping up into my art studio. there are things that i truly forgot that we had! very cool. disturbing on a certain level, but very cool too! lol vondra is this reall cool free spirited girl who loves to create, loves to shop, and loves to belly dance! she's a little shy of the camera, but somewhere i have a picture of her... when i come across it, i will most definately share it! in the meantime... say "Hi Vondra!"...

been MIA for a few days

well, with last week being an emotionally draining one for me, i just kind of kept a low profile and just took things nice and easy and did what felt right for me as each day went by. (for anyone reading that didn't know, friday would have been my daughter amanda's 19th birthday. she passed away in november 2005 from leukemia, she was 16 yrs old). right now i am doing pretty good. much better than i did last year. i am doing alot more "for" me this year in that i am staying pretty active with my art, which i find to be very therapeutic. so maybe that is the key for me. my very good friend eileen came over this weekend and we spent some time just chit chatting, working a little on art stuff, etc. she's been an awesome support and encouragement to me. the cards she sends me in the mail are just hilarious and always come at just the right time. she definately has a knack for picking out good cards. she's also my partner in crime when we go to the recycle materials center and find "treasures" to bring back home for projects. i'm so glad i know someone who gets into this creating stuff too!

i have finished another project... a board book swap in my RR group. i can't mail it yet, which is driving me insane! lol but it is done and i am very pleased with it, even if i do say so myself! lol i will post pics of it as soon as i can. i still don't have any ideas on the cigar box/shadow box activity... i guess i shouldn't push so hard to think of something... i know it will come.

another project i have in the works is for a "Fat Book" project our RR group is doing. the theme is the alphabet and each of us is assigned certain letters. i have w, x, y and z. which is cool, no worries there. i've just never done a fat book before, and i really haven't seen any pictures of any except for one! so i'm kind of freaking out here trying to figure out what the pages are suppose to be like. i mean, i know it is another type of altered art, so it isn't set in stone how it HAS to be... i get that... but i just have to get my mind wrapped around this thing and figure it out. i don't like feeling like i'm floundering out in the middle of nothing. i've cut my pages, allowed for the binding margin, i've found the letter images i want to use (some really cool ones too!)... and that's where i'm stuck.

a few things on a more personal note... #1, i'm on a weight loss program and am actually losing weight! yay! 18lbs so far and feeling pretty good about it. i am pleased with the program, not hungry or tired or feeling deprived and all that kind of stuff. we'll see how it goes. #2, i'm planning my next tattoo (i only have one, i make it sound like i'm covered with them! lol). i talked to the guy and took him some pictures to work with. he's going to work up something for me and call me to come check it out. i'm hoping i can get it next month for my birthday. we'll see. and #3, still haven't heard exactly when our oldest son is deploying to iraq. sometime in the first or second week of august. i hate it that he has to go. scares the crap out of me. and i hate the thought of his wife and little girl being alone while he's gone. they just moved all the way across the country from north carolina to washington state. i'm hoping that things settle in fairly quickly for them so the girls can keep busy and meet new friends and all that. #4, my partner, ann, is scheduled to have surgery on august 12th. nothing really major, i guess, but i consider all surgeries major basically. i love her and worry about her.

well, that's about it for now. i'm going to be working in my studio tomorrow, continuing getting things sorted out and more organized so i can work in there better. when i have it done, i'll take some pics. i can't wait, it's going to be an awesome space with plenty of room to accomodate all of my crafting endeavers. pretty darn cool.

and another day goes by...

still plugging along here... today wasn't so bad. i guess the emotional venting yesterday helped relieve at least a little of the emotional overload i am feeling this week. and i continue to create! i find it to be very therapeutic. i can get lost in the process, the ideas, the supplies! lol and i'm doing more than sitting around watching tv or taking a nap, which is probably what i would be doing if i didn't have my art.

my latest finished project is the recipe art swap that my RR group is doing. i've picked some of our families favorites to go in the cookbook. i'll get these mailed off to our group leader on friday and anxiously await the finished product! can't wait to add it to my cookbook shelf... ok, shelves... but who's counting?! you can't really see them very well but this is a sample of them. i used a variety of cardstock, both prints and solids, and tried to find images that might go with each recipe.



every time our granddaughter visits us, she and i always end up making something. i am keeping track of those recipes, making notes about how she liked it or something funny that happened, etc. and now that i have a digital camera i am going to start taking pictures of the finished recipe to include in a ever-growing recipe book. when elena grows up and ventures off on her own, i'll give her this cookbook to have and hopefully use and enjoy some memories too.

my latest project is one that kind of stumped me at first. just couldn't wrap my mind around it. but i've figured it out now, and i'm running with it! lol i'm hoping it turns out as fun as i'm thinking it will! lol wish me luck!

staying busy as possible...

well, i finished another project today, and i'm very glad! in my "round robin express" group we are having a "recipe art exchange" activity where we all contribute 6 different recipes (one from each listed categories) and send them in and they are going to be laminated and bound into a cookbook! now ain't that just the coolest! there are 6 of us participating, each contributing 6 recipes, so that makes... 36 recipe cards total, if my raggedy math skills are correct! lol i'm really looking forward to the completed project. i love cookbooks, i have a ton of them, but there's always room for just one more.

i have finished so many projects in the last couple weeks, i know i was/am ahead of myself on some but i couldn't help it. as i finish one i'm looking for another to do. as i look through my supplies i see things that i want to use to make something. as i ponder little details i of a project new ideas flit in and out of my head... and i think i just figured out why.

as some of you may know, we lost our 16 yr old daughter, amanda, in november 2005. she had leukemia and complications of pneumonia took her life. it's the hardest damn thing i've ever had to deal with in my life. i've lost other people... relatives, including my dad, and also friends... but losing a child... just doesn't seem fair. it totally screws up the whole order of things, you know? i'm still dealing with all the shoulda, woulda, coulda, what if, stuff. i feel so cheated. her precious life was ripped away from me by a cruel disease. i am at peace with the fact that she died when she did. i know that sounds crazy after what i just said, but she was extremely sick and her illness had relapsed and she was going to have to go through more extenisve chemo to try to get rid of it. they gave her less than a 20% chance of making it through the chemo. it would have made her more sick than she had ever been up to that point. i don't think i could have watched her just waste away day by day. she was too strong and too spirited for that. she would have hated it! so, that is why i say i am at peace with the fact that she died when she did. what is hard for me is the absence of her physical presence in my life. hearing her laugh. dealing with her attitude! telling her i love you and hearing her say it back. *sigh* well, july 25th will have been her 19th birthday. shit, now i'm crying. well, i've kept it in check fairly well, so what the hell! it's hard... because birthdays are to be celebrated! when someone dies, what do you do? when your child dies, what do you do for their birthday? you talk about them, you look at pictures, maybe you go out for dinner or make their favorite food, you release some balloons, you cry... alot of people don't do anything, because they just don't know what to do. i have such a hard time with amanda's birthday because i just can't let that day go by without rejoicing and celebrating the fact that she ENTERED this world! it has nothing to do with the fact that she died. it is the celebration of her LIFE. we had been planning a long weekend away this year, over her birthday weekend. it was going to be busy and fun and filled with people and good times. but it's not going to happen now, circumstances beyond our control nipped it right in the bud. so, i'll be home, or somewhere near home. and yes, a few people will remember her birthday... but most don't mention her anymore. they don't know what to say, or they figure i don't want to talk about it because it makes me cry, or whatever. or their tired of talking about it because i like to talk about her when i can. oh, right now i wish i could just freaking scream at the top of my lungs till my throat can't take it anymore, till my voice is gone, till my head explodes! i think i've worked so hard at being busy because amanda's birthday is so near and i know it's going to be so tough. if anyone reads this, if you got this far... go hug your kids, ok? it doesn't matter what they did or didn't do, doesn't matter what they broke or lost, doesn't matter if you are at your wits end because they are driving you out of your everlovin mind... just hug them, make a point of really hugging them, holding them close and tell them how much you love them. how special they are to you. i would give anything if i could do that just one more time. ok, i'm going to go wash my face now, and try to stay away from my mom till my eyes and face go back to looking normal so i don't upset her. i never did finish cleaning those cages, so i think that's what i'll do. i'll take care of all of our furbabies that i love so much. i know amanda would have loved them too. she was such an animal lover. if anyone is interested, you can visit her memorial site at http://www.amandacox.memory-of.com . nothing fancy, just a bit about her and some pictures and stuff. oh, you can see all of us bald! that's good for a laugh! lol ok, i'm off to more productive things...

damn it's hot!

ok, i got all the errands done, thank goodness! it's like a freakin oven out there! oh, with a tad of humidity thrown in just to make things peachy keen. ugh. now i'm home and trying to cool off before i have to do some stuff around here. i've got to remember that it's summertime and i have to do my errands FIRST thing in the morning or in the EVENING after the sun goes down! i'm off to get something cold to drink!

errands and stuff...

well, today it's back to the "real world" lol... it's the beginning of another week, things to do people to see and all that jazz. i'm off to run a couple of errands and then back home to clean cages (we have furry critters) and then to make some sense of the art supplies i have strewn hither and yon. oh but it was a glorious weekend of creating and i loved it! i do miss my family though. just doesn't seem right/the same without ann and alex here. and i certainly don't sleep as well! it's like a part of me is missing. but at least i had my artwork to keep me busy... oh, and of course sarge (the puppy)!

last night i worked on my recipe pages for the recipe art swap our group is doing. i think i have them just about ready to go... well, to print at least... though i may do a bit of tweaking here and there still. i think the project is going to turn out to be a really neat one! especially since i love cookbooks! lol

well, i'm off to the races as they say. got to get the business part of the day done and over with. happy monday everybody!

creativity flows!!!

this is what i've been working on for the last few days... it's in the current altered book RR that i am participating in... i couldn't decide on just one idea, so i did all three that i came up with.... they just sort of evolved... hope she likes them!










i wish i knew why in the heck some of the pictures always end up uploading sideways! ack! that irritates me so much! oh well, not going to stress over it. i'm just happy with having so much creative time.

on to the next project! whooo hooo! lol

lazy day, friendship and art...

what a great combination! lol my friend eileen came over yesterday. i had all these plans in my head about what i wanted to get done/accomplished and in the end i threw it all out the window and just had a wonderful day! we sat around and chatted for a bit, then we decided to go over to the recycled materials room at the childrens museum near me (have i mentioned before that it is my very favorite place?!) because she needed some magazines to cut things out of. well, of course i can't go in there and not leave with a little something! lol i picked up a few more small hardbound books to use for altering (they dropped their price on books to only 25 cents each!) got some more used greeting cards (eileen and i have a whole bin full of them now), i also got a baggie full of embossing powder (it's the white sparkly kind that makes me think of sparkling beaches or fairy dust!). gosh, i know there was something else and i just can't think of it right now. anyway, it's always a wonderful time going there and coming out with "treasures" for mere pennies! then we came back and worked on some art while we chatted the afternoon away. we had a great dinner (beautiful salad and chicken tenderloins that were seasoned and grilled) and watched a movie (Juno). it was just a nice, no stress, to-heck-with-housework, fun kind of day. i guess it just has to be done sometimes! lol

after eileen went home (she does of course have her own life and family!) i sat and fiddled around with some more art, watched a little tv, surfed around on the computer looking for some stuff and before i knew it my mom came out and said "are you ever going to go to bed? it's after 4am!" i was shocked! lol i finished up what i was doing and headed to bed, which by this time was 5am... lol... snuggled up in the bed while the light slowly started to creep into the sky and drifted off to sleep... and didn't wake up till almost 11am!!! that'll teach me to stay up so late! lol

i do have a few things that i definately want to accomplish today, and i will hold my artwork out in front of it all like a carrot dangling in front of a stubborn donkey! lol i won't sit down at my art table until i am finished with my household chores. HONEST! i won't! you'll see, i'll keep my word! oh you doubting bloggers! lol so long for now... off to... do housework, yeh, that's what i'm going to do... housework... *mumbling as i go... "i won't even LOOK at the table, not once, i won't open the book to see how that spread looks again... no... i'm not even walking past it... i'll go the other way... "

today in the life of rho....

well, as far as being productive... i accomplished a few things... banking stuff, post office stuff, grocery store stuff... after that, i pretty much vegged and goofed off the rest of the day! well, actually that's not completely accurate... i worked on some art stuff tonight. very pleased with how it is going so far! i managed to stay on track with my "new way of eating" (i refuse to call it by the "D" word!) and feel pretty good about it so far. i also played with our puppy, sarge. he misses his 'nother mama. so do i. ann is out of town this weekend. tomorrow i have to kick it into gear and get some things done here around the house. i've got some definate things planned out to do... we'll see how many i get done. now i'm headed off to dreamland. well, i don't care if i dream or not, as long as i sleep! lol by the way... if you see any typo's, the "k" and the "l" aren't working very well. it's driving me insane! oh well, i shouldn't complain. this little laptop has really done well and continues to do pretty good even after 3 years of constant use. ok, goodnight! i outta here!

ok, ok, ok! so i haven't been here in a while! lol

it's been a crazy few weeks. i've been dealing with my back being out and after an MRI finding out i have two herniated disks. oh joy! i have to go see the orthopedic dr, but the first available appt is august 29th! geez! so i'll just have to deal the best i can between now and then. i've been working on some art for several swaps i'm involved in.

this is for an Element Tag Swap activity. i decided to not go with the "obvious" symbols for each element. yes, i'm odd at times! for fire i chose birthday candles, for earth i chose mudpies, for water i chose water balloons, and for air i chose blowing dandelions! they aren't very fancy, but i think i like them anyway.

and this is in a RR book that is circuating in the group i'm in. (i have no idea why the first picture turned out sideways! lol)

and of course having fun with our new puppy, sarge. he's growing so fast and he's so darn smart! just love him! that's it for now... i'm sure i'll be back with more later!