No resolutions for me just another goal - calling card & blog banner

Goal 6: Calling card and blog banner

This fits nicely with my previous goal. I need a new banner. I have been admiring other custom banners for some time now. I have become more skilled at using Photoshop in the past year. These combined skills should help me easily accomplish this goal.

I really adore calling cards. I have simple little cards already but I want something fancy for 2008.

How do I measure this goal?

I'll have a new banner and some pretty new cards. I'll post a picture of the cards.

"True happiness consists not in the multitude of friends, but in their
worth and choice."

~ Samuel Johnston

No resolutions for me just another goal - HTML & CSS

Goal 5: Learn HTML & CSS

Most of what I know about computers has been self taught. I know a little about a lot of things but I am by no means an expert.

I'd like to be an expert in at least one computer related thing.

I'd like to teach myself more about HTML & CSS this year.

How do I measure this goal?

I'm not sure yet. I have a couple of books that I need to finish reading and complete all remaining assignments.

I think I'll take this advice

Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.

~ John F. Kennedy

No resolutions for me just another goal - personal sanctuary

Goal 4: Create a personal sanctuary

I need the space.

I live with four other people in a small house. As you can imagine it's gets a little crowded at times. Frankly, they are sick of my art supplies all over the house.

How do I measure this goal?

I'll post a picture of my space when it's complete

No resolutions for me just another goal - hand made birthday cards

Goal 3: Hand made birthday cards

This goal is pretty straight forward.

I want to make handmade birthday cards for all my friends. IRL and bloggy.

BUT I need to compile a birthday list for all my friends. I'm terrible I always forget birthdays - not this year! I'm going to write them down.

So if you'd like a birthday card from me, leave a comment with your name and month/day.

How do I measure this goal?
I'm sure you'll let me know! In fact I'm counting on it.

I wonder how many people secretly feel this way?

“Sometimes you put walls up not to keep people out, but to see who cares
enough to break them down.”

~ unknown

No resolutions for me just another goal - Make Art just for me

Goal 2: Make Art just for me

I think I suffer from performance anxiety.

I am a member of several local art groups. I am very fortunate to be part of these local groups. I greatly enjoy meeting, exchanging art and ideas with these talented ladies.

As much as I look forward to these meetings, they all fill me with anxiety as the date approaches.

Why? I'm not quite sure. Skill, expectation, self doubt, general cluelessness, social awkwardness. I'm pretty sure I'm kinda hard on myself too.

I have NEVER been made to feel unwelcome at any of these meetings, so I know the anxiety is self-inflicted. Maybe I just need a good therapist. lol.

How do I measure this goal?

I have been checking out challenge blogs as of late. Here are some that have caught my eye. If you have any to share, please leave a comment with the URL.

4x4 friday
gothic arches
mixed media mondays
think monday - think ATC
wednesday stamper

I'm going to choose a challenge and post at least one completed piece of art each week. (note to self: that's a total of 52). I may choose to do an 'expired' challenge instead of the current one because it's just for me. Right?

p.s. Is it significant to this entry that I capitalized the 'A' in art?

No resolutions for me

I don't make new year's resolutions anymore. I used to but I never kept them.

I decided to set some goals this year. Precise, attainable and written goals.

For the first seven days of January I am going to post a goal. I might post more but we'll start with seven.

Goal 1: Journal

A journal is defined as: a record of experiences, ideas, or reflections kept regularly for private use

I haven't kept a journal since I was a teenager.

My early journals weren't fancy and I loved writing each day. Choosing the right pen and ink colour, the right entry title, the right word and/or the right photo. It was my beloved sanctuary for my teenage angst.

Desecration and betrayal.

I've rarely written another personal journal entry since. If I did, I made sure it was promptly destroyed. In fact, I am quite surprised that I blog.

I kept buying journals though. I have accumulated quite a pile.

How do I measure this goal? The last thing I want to do is set my self up to fail. I will need to be consistent and follow through.

How many entries for 2008?
Once a month = 12
Once a week = 52
Once a day = 366

Those numbers don't seem so scary/impossible now that I've written them down.

I have a bit of a psychological block (OK a huge block) about writing anything personal down but I want to journal again. I already own these books and will use them as guides in my journaling adventure.

Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy
Visual Chronicles
Journal Revolution
The Art of Personal Imagery
Kaleidoscope
Art Journals & Creative Healing

Does anyone have any other suggestions for books?

Wish me luck.

Happy New Year!

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put
words on them ourselves. The book is called opportunity and its first
chapter is New Year's day.

~ Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Merry Christmas to one and all

The gifts I'd leave beneath your tree,

Aren't those that you can touch or see,

Not wrapped in Christmas tissue gay

But gifts to bless you every day.

The gift of friendship warm and true,

Is one that I would leave for you

Good health and happiness and cheer

To keep you smiling through the year

The gift of peace and joy,

With prayer to guide each path you trod

And when your heart has lost it's song

The gift of hope to cheer you on.

These are the gifts I'd leave for you.

Skinny book #4 for Altered Abbey

Here is a peek of my pages for book 4 ... (click on the photo to enlarge)

I'm looking forward to receiving the finished book.

Swing ... and a miss

I have been frantically working on my Altered Abbey skinny book pages. Twice.

Twice you ask? Yes, twice.

I was on track - backgrounds done, images dyes in tea and cut out (almost all), words printed, cut and dyed and a tree image altered and printed.

Then my sewing machine died and my little guy got really sick. I can still hear his little tiny voice apologizing (??) for being sick in the middle of the night as I stripped him and the bed. Poor little guy. My heart still goes out to him thinking about it.

The pages were quickly set aside with a deadline looming. I checked the site for updates and hoped I could pull it together in time.

My original idea had been to sew the acetate to the pages. That was before my machine broke down. I am not a whiz with the spray adhesive. My test page looked awful (No, I wasn't being hard on myself - it looked sticky and gobby).

Time to figure out something else. Think, think, THINK.

I headed in another direction which I wasn't entirely sure of, however, I kept working madly.
My little voice kept saying no, no, no! I ignored it. Phew! Finished.
I set the pages aside to dry.

A couple of days later ... I took out the pages and they were a mess. There was NO WAY I could submit them in good conscience. Don't believe me? Here take a look yourself.


I sat and stared at the pages with growing horror. I had to start over. I was officially late a few days already. Should I or shouldn't I?

I did. It made me really late (Sorry, sorry, sorry Chrysti) but I feel much better about my contribution to the book.

So that's what I have been up to. I'll post pics of the new pages soon. Just working up the nerve.

ATC Night - theme 'Winter'

This month was a twinkly snowflake breeze!

I have been so consumed by my skinny book that I didn't have time to fuss and fret this month.

I did 13 cards in just over and hour. That's lightning fast speed for me. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of one of my cards but I can tell you what I used to create them.
Due Date: 14Dec07
Theme: Winter
Supplies used:
Rubber Stamps: Stampendous, Gel a Tins
Paper: watercolour
Ink: Versafine - Majestic Blue
Paint: watercolour - blue (I'm sure it has a proper name but I've no idea)
Embossing powder: Diamond Sparkle

The meeting was in full swing when I arrived.

We had a new face this month. Yay! Welcome Sandy!

Participants for this month were:

Traders: Martha, Hope, Florence, Diana, June, Susan V., Marissa, Daniza, Ludgera, Mary, Kris, Sandy and Cori

Observers: Colette

Beverly, Jacqui, Susan W. we missed you! Come visit again. OK?

What is wrong with people?

This story really made me mad. It brought tears to my eyes.

I mean really, Santa's letters?

that Book! Cover to Cover

As promised, I am posting each individual page of my Altered Abbey 'Thinspiration' Skinny book.

You can see the cover here.
Thanks to my friend Kenny for taking the photos for me.

In Order of Apperance

Page 1: My page.

Page 2: Denice O'Heron



Page 3: Amy Smith



Page 4: Jamie Vowell



Page 5: Jane Melohn



Page 6: Kim Tedrow



Page 7: M. Kathleen Hendrix



Page 8: Joanie Hoffman



Page 9: Annie Yu



Page 10: "Inner Guidance Dance" by Gena Lumbruso



Page 11: 'Originality' Kristin "Krissy" Chadwick



Page 12: Katelyn Thomas



Page 13: Chrysti Hydeck



Page 14: "The Old Schoolhouse" by Mary Foreman


Page 15: Seth Apter



Page 16: "Create" by Laura Melohn



Page 17: Susan Goodell



Page 18: Tina Shoaga



Page 19: Mary Franzenburg



Page 20: Tamara Randi



Page 21: Florence Brick



Page 22: Nici Derosier



Page 23: Beverley Teichrob



Page 24: Ellen Gray



Page 25: Jane Altshuler
This page wasn't bound into the book as it is very thick. I guess it was to hard to punch through. I'm going to try to find a way to add this page to my book. Wish me luck!

An exercise in frustration

Printing on tissue is very frustrating!!!!!


AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!


OK, I feel better now.

family sunday and Santa

We managed to be out the door on time (sorta).

Onto the 505 streetcar (it came first), I love taking the street car. We meander through the downtown to our destination. We decide to walk down to Queen Street via the Eaton Centre.

I've walked through the Eaton Centre many, many times but it's all new with a toddler. I loved that it was almost devoid of shoppers as we strolled. (Merry Christmas to one and all. lol.) He loved the reindeer and Santa's sleigh. I was dazzled by the Swarovski Christmas Tree. What can I say? It's a well known fact I am drawn to all things shiny. We all enjoyed looking at the window displays. What is it about Christmas displays? They just seem brighter, happier and joyful.

Out of the Eaton centre and onto the street. Where we patiently waited for the light to change and were almost struck by a car. As usual, the driver was speaking on their cell phone, their passenger, merrily driving along while not paying attention. I would have wrote the license plate down but it happened so quickly. After safely crossing, I stopped and gave my son a BIG hug. He wanted no part of it - tough kid, momma needed it.

We stopped to check out the Bay windows, they were gorgeous. For just a moment I was transported back to the magic of childhood. I was getting all nostalgic but was quickly returned to reality by an impatient toddler. Maybe he'll be impressed next year.

We arrived at the Arcadian Court for breakfast with Santa. They had elves, a balloon artist, an musical entertainer, face painting, colouring books and food. Oh and a really huge Dora that terrified him.

We met up with my friend, her husband and her adorable daughter. It was so fun to meet her. They brought our little guy a gift. (ohmygoodimsoembarrased) Why didn't I think of that? I was born without the proper girl gene. I even forgot their Christmas card. Can you spell L * O * S * E * R ?

We headed back to our table to have breakfast and wait for the big guy. My son and I got matching snowflakes from one of the ladies who was face painting. I tried to get him interested in the singing but he wanted to sit at the table with us or maybe it was the balloon reindeer.

Then the moment arrived. Santa! Santa! Santa!

We lined up to get a picture with Santa. He was a little wary but no crying this year. He was thrilled to get a little yellow bear and a candy cane. All in all, it was a fun event. We plan to go back next year.

breakfast with Santa

We are taking my son to have breakfast with Santa this weekend in the Arcadian Court at The Bay downtown. Then we are taking our photos with Santa. I love taking photos with Santa.

I'm really looking forward to it, even though my son has loudly announced he doesn't like Santa.

While I'm there I going to check out the interactive holiday windows. Here's a little promotional blurb:

The Bay is spreading festive cheer among children, adults, and even
technology buffs, with the latest Christmas window technology from IBM. For the
first time ever, the Bay's famous Christmas windows could include your image.
Using new technology from IBM, a high-tech sensor will capture the image of a
passers-by and project it into the window. The results can also be printed on a
4x6 holiday postcard compliments of the Bay. The windows at both the downtown
Toronto and Vancouver locations are using the IBM developed technology as a part
of their Christmas displays. With its hi-tech sensor capability, the system
reacts when it senses a customer touching the graphic display.

I'm curious to check it out and see how people are responding to it.

I also really excited to meet up with a friend from work at the breakfast. We have never actually met but have known each other for years.

And everywhere that she went, that book was sure to go

It came. It came. It came. It came!!!!!

My long anticipated skinny book came in the mail today.

It is so lovely and absolutely worth the wait. I want to take pictures of every page and share.