Daily Art Post for July 10

Time to Celebrate!

     I was inspired to create this piece after my oldest son called me yesterday to let me know my daughter-in-law was in labor and they were on their way to the hospital. It was very exciting, he called and sent messages throughout the day and evening. Being so far away (he is in Texas), I wanted to do something to celebrate the impending birth of my new grandson. I used Photoshop CS4 and traced an old image of myself and used brushes and filters to build a colorful and layered piece. However, my son called after midnight to let me know that the contractions had slowed and they were sending my daughter-in-law home...again! This is the second false start they have experienced, so I think my new grandson is going to keep them jumping through hoops once he finally arrives. Sooo, no grandson yet, but maybe today? Or tomorrow? I have a good feeling about today...

Happy Birthday Sophie!

Happy Birthday Sophie!

     My youngest turned 11 years old today. She is my millennium baby, born right after the new year in Texas. Bright, energetic, sensitive, creative and affectionate, she is a bringer of joy. I watched "Toy Story 3," last night for the first time and sobbed uncontrollably at the end. My kids thought I was over reacting, even though I almost always cry at movies. But this was different. The movie showed the end of an era, the end of Andy's childhood and since these movies began when I had a 5, 3 and 1 year old, it represented the end of their childhoods for me as well. I'm getting all choked up just thinking about it again. Not sappy, just the heavy thud of reality. Heartstrings tightening up in response to a particular loss of sweetness that can never be recovered. I miss those days, when they were young, innocent, full of open affection and curiosity. My birthday girl was not around for the first movie, and I long to keep her in that "baby" mode at times, but I don't want to keep her from developing into a healthy teenager, so I have to let go, be less mothery at times, and just hang onto all my sweet memories. I know everyone tells you that it is going to fly by so fast, but while you are living it, you don't pay attention to the time, you can't, or you will forever fret that you are not doing enough, being enough, spending enough time, all of that. We do our best, we enjoy as many moments as possible and make a million little memories. Thank goodness for cameras and recorders. So Happy Birthday Sophie, my tween-ager extraordinaire, you are so loved and wished a wonderful life full of love, learning, art, adventure and kindness! Someone pass me the tissues...

Happy Birthday Julie!

     My friend Julie turned the big 5-0 this week and we threw her a surprise cocktail party. We had vintage photos from her childhood along with more recent ones plastered around a big photo from her childhood that everyone could sign. We also had some balloons in the tropical bright colors she and I both love, turquoise, pink, orange, lime green and red, forgot the purple though. The cosmo is her favorite cocktail and she had enough to keep her happy and cute all night long. I made this card for her using the visual journal techniques I've picked up, especially influenced by Teesha Moore, of course. My friend is among other things, a survivor of breast cancer, a wonderful mother of 3 smart and good looking kids, supreme knitter, seamstress, photographer, crafter, boss lady and generous friend. I feel so lucky to have her in my life and delighted in celebrating such a milestone birthday! Happy Birthday my friend!
     And it was after the party that I had my ridiculous gall bladder attack, can you believe it?

Birthday and Father's Day

     It's my son Ricky's 16th birthday today and Father's Day, so we had mucho amounts of celebrating to squeeze in to the day. We had a lovely ice cream cake thanks fo my mom for the birthday and we had a brunch of chorizo sausage and eggs along with homemade tortillas, also thanks to my sweet mom.
We didn't get to visit with my dad as much as I would have liked, but we still had a four hour drive home.
     Now we are getting ready to enjoy my hubby's Father's Day present, a slide show! His mom and dad gave him a nice big box of slides years ago and I finally found a projector and trays recently at a garage sale so we can all take a look at them. We have a sheet hung up on our entertainment center and we are just waiting for it to get a little bit darker and then we'll have our show! There are photos of him in the hospital up till his high school graduation and lots of birthdays and Christmas' in between. We are so excited to see these, there is something about old fashioned slides that we just love. As I was putting them into the trays last week, I got to see little snippets of them, which was like getting to have a whiff of baking brownies but not getting to taste them!