Its been a couple days since I last posted because I've been temporarily detatched from my computer. While looking at the screen on Monday and turning it just slightly, a LARGE crack stretched across my screen. Thankfully its just the stylus screen (its a tablet laptop) and should only run me $170 and not $700+ for a full LCD screen.
I have had a good couple of days NOT tied to the computer though. I just finished up some paper hanging frames for the book I'm currently working on and they've turned out lovely. I'm also working on some collage painting just for the heck of it and they are making me utterly happy! As soon as I get one finished I'll pop a photo here.
The girls and I just finished up some cards for a little boy's birthday. Some scraps of paper and some Hot Wheels stickers and the girls have created a cute little gift of stationery. Of course because we are still "in progress" with our Cornell inspired collages the girls have been bugging me let them back into the studio. Unfortunately, because the the other projects I worked on this week, it is hard to see the layer of collages underneath the great expanse of paper scraps! The table I work at is a huge conference table that measures about 5 feet by 10 feet but it doesn't matter how big my work surface is, once I start working I end up covering the whole table and working from a small 6" square of table top! When I get my laptop back I'll try to remember to post some pictures I've taken of my studio at one of its "clean" moments. I think its time to get back to one of those moments. I find a clean studio totally inspiring. Can the LACK of clutter be a muse?

I wonder who invented mondays. I'm not a big fan of them. I like Thursday. On Thursday there is still time to get something done in the week and I can start getting excited about Friday. I'm not quite sure why Fridays should be exciting to me. It's like the ONE day of the week that the love of my life (read my husband Matt) NEVER comes home early. And when I say early, I really just mean "not late". I'm always in a conundrum about whether we should do something as a family first or if I should get a sitter so that Matt and I can get some time together. But I digress.
Its Monday and I have a lot to do. I have a lot of illustrator work to do for Provocraft. In an effort to spend more time making art, I am first working on getting some income streams flowing from fun projects like those I'm embarking on with PC. I can't tell you too much about it but the fun goodies I'm working on are totally engaging (and sucking up my time!)
I am also working on my third book (book number 2 with Linda Blinn and Jennifer Francie Pantz Bitto) --Baby, Oh Baby!

and then, nagging me from the depths of my soul is this creative monster that I keep locking in my closet, stuffing in a box, hiding under the bed and just generally putting on the back burner. A few weeks back Matt and I took the girls to a exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art called Dialogs. It compared works from Rauschenberg, Duchamp, Johns and Cornel and discussed how they influenced each other. So I picked up a lovely book called Secrets In a Box at the gift store. Matt and I read it and discussed it with the girls, then went to lunch where we sat and made lists of our favorite things and then we headed to an antique mall to look for treasures. The girls couldn't wait to get back to start painting! We are still "in process" but they are coming along nicely. Matt was a great sport and I'm loving the opportunity to share what I do with my girls. I'm taking lots of photos so that I can write up an article on this family friendly art endeavor.

So I shall go tackle one of these tasks and stop complaining because its MONDAY!

CHA CHA CHA! I'm back from CHA!

Wow, what a trip. Feeling slightly overwhelmed after such a whirlwind trip. Had a great time seeing the new product out there and meeting with old friends. Here are some highlights.

Provo Craft was all about the new Cricut machine which cuts die cuts using a programmed cartridge. The shapes can be cut out in 11 sizes ranging from 1 1/2 inches to 5 1/2! The cartridges come in shapes and fonts. They had given away Cricut backpacks to conference goers the first day and had run out by 9:30 in the morning! I saw them everywhere (they were in my favorite green color!) and I even had two on the plane ride home with me. Provo Craft also has a great new line called Mon Petit with beautiful new baby inspired papers and embellishments.

In the new exhibitors isle I found a not so new company with a great NEW product. WD-40 now makes a Pen! I don't know yet what I'll be using it on but it takes crayon and pen marks off and takes off labels which is enough for me!

Far and Away has some fun papers in their new Welcome to Asia line. These are definitely being used in an upcoming project for one of my books! How fun!

I got a close up look at Lynne Perrella's new book Alphabetica during our Author breakfast at Rockport/Quarry books and its just delightful, as is Karen Michel's Complete Guide to Altered Imagery

more on CHA to come.

Made it to Vegas

All checked in and situated here in LV. Really looking forward to seeing what is instore behind the curtains. Next on the adgena is find a nice place for dinner and to power up for a great week.

Jackpot!

Well hello there! Finally got this blog up and running again. There are probably only five of you out there that even knew I had a blog before. I sometimes wonder if Matt isn't making me too "Techy" for my own good. I also wonder..."will I scare my artsy friends away when they find out I have a blog?" I feel a little better after seeing Claudine Hellmuth's blog. Doesn't she always seem like she has her act together?
It's a little after 11pm Central time and I'm in a quandry. Do I stay up until 12 to try to adjust to Pacific time for my trip to Vegas tomorrow, or do I hit the sheets now because I have to get up at 5 in the morning.
I'm all packed and ready to go. I'll try to blog from the show floor just for grins. Matt says I can do it from my phone...here we go all "techy" again! I have a number of things I'm looking forward to at the show this year. I'm hoping that this is a good year for new products. The last two years have been ho hum. Also, Pockets, Pullouts and Hiding Places is up for the Craftrends Papercraft book of the year award so there is an awards dinner on my "to do" list.
The joke here in the house is that Matt will be attending a conference in Vegas a couple weeks after CHA. AND if "what happens in Vegas, stays in vegas" then will it still be in Vegas when Matt gets there?

Well, I best go decide if I'm staying awake or going to sleep. More from the show floor!