art saves...

for Ily. for her book. in Carmen's "ART SAVES" altered book round robin. the process of creating is such a deep JOY and intense PLEASURE. it's exciting and exhilerating. it's immensely satisfying and fulfilling. that's what this page is speaking for me and to me, and i hope for Ily.

DELIGHT IN LIFE....

yes, delight in life, even when it's hectic and busy and seems to be rushing by you... even when the whooshing sound it makes as it passes is a violent sound, like a winter storm. there are still always things of delight to be noticed: peonies with delicious colors and heady fragrance. warm summer sun on your skin. a joyful song blasting from the radio with a Caribbean beat. art friends to create with. the above tags were created on a whim, on a moment's notice, from the thought, "oh, I could make those with what's just on hand here...". it's just my deep desire for a warm tropical place speaking out from my inner soul...... and here is another of those tag folder, finally finished up... don't forget to DELIGHT in everything about your LIFE that brings you pleasure and joy... AND DON'T FORGET TO PLAY!!!!

in up to her elbows...

"To say yes, you have to sweat and roll up your sleeves and plunge both hands into life up to the elbows." -Jean Anowth So life is crazy for the bohemian right now... the card above is a graduation card for her daughter. Her baby daughter. Who's graduated!!! Where. Did. The. Time. Go........?!

Eighteen and off to try her wings....

next: #3 child & 2nd son... Marrying this summer!!! The bohemian is ever so happy as she adores this beautiful girl!! and the bohemian stamped up a storm at her quilty sister-in-law's playhouse because she also does rubber stamps, does this crafty sis-in-law!!!! one of the tag folders coming along... needs a few more things... a gorgeous summer day spent with #1 daughter (yes, the eccentric one who is soooo much fun!!!) went to proper tea at the Tea Garden, then shopped at the community farmers' market, which you see above... a bit of shopping, then COFFEE... then a string of rainy wintery days... brrrr! so she stayed indoors. played scrabble with a friend, read her beloved books, played in her art room, visited the library... and got out her "rainy day mug"... it says: "SMILE AT THE RAIN". this is a beloved seattle piece of art. it shows up on mugs, t-shirts, umbrellas, etc. And this little guy is on the back of her mug, just smiling away at the rain.... Hope you do, too..... Smile today....

one piece of paper...

take one fun piece of paper... make altered book pages for a round robin book about boys... and a few tags... add a favorite saying stamp and some punched flowers... use up leftover flowers on another tag project... one inspiration leads to another and another and before you know it someone has to come and fish you out of your art room so you don't starve to death in there!!!! hope your day includes some PLAYTIME in an art room (if you don't have one, go play in someone else's! they'll share! artists are very generous with their "stuff"....). patterned, colored paper wishes to you all today...

one fine day...

1 mocha + 1 latte + good conversation with daughter = one lovely hour... and the page i made for carmen in her "art saves" altered book round robin... and the glow of my bohemian mountain as the sun sinks down into the ocean. the end of a beautiful summer day...

what color is art bliss?

GREEN AND PURPLE!! oh guess what this is.... can you guess? ( hint: "the non-quilter is NOT gonna get sucked into quilt world"...) oh yeah... it's another purse alright! what is happening to her?!!! ORANGE (of course) AND GREEN AND TEAL AND RED AND YELLOW (somebody stop me!!!) and OH MY GOSH! she's crazy quilting, too? dang it! you should see the scrap box at her quilty sister-in-law's playhouse! those scraps were BEGGING to be put to use... so what could she do? there was no saying "no" to these colors. can't wait to show you the finished project! that will be down the road somewhere... hope you have time to make art today! and don't forget to indulge in a little playtime. it will put a smile on your face and giggle bubbles in your heart.

art dreams...

after reading an inspiring book called "In the House", the bohemian just had to make a house of her very own. but what kind? a mosaic house? a garden house? a gothic mansion? one of the book artists made a "House for naughty children"... this made the bohemain laugh out loud! so. she decided on a house of dreams for her first house (for she could see many, many houses wanting to be created...). the address is #10 dream st. she will make 4 outsides with the inside on the opposite side. above are her first two outsides... and here are the first two insides... here is a card for her card exchange group. the challenge: monochromatic . the stripey strips are some of her paste paper creations. the rest is store-bought scrappers papers. here are two random cards she made using a mosaic template. and here is a card she made using her favorite dragonfly stamp. the store-bought handmade paper was already bedazzled for her. and two father's day cards using that same wonderful stamp (by stamping up). she taught her tag folder class today and made a few more folders. but they aren't quite finished. of course, yes, she will post them as soon as they are finished! i do hope you are finding time to make art. creating art is certainly saving the bohemian's sanity on these never-ending drizzly days of ceaseless rain.... messy, creative, colorfilled wishes to you all....

"flowers feed the soul..."

"Bread feeds the body indeed, but flowers feed also the soul." - the Koran "If a flower blooms once, it goes on blooming somewhere forever. It blooms on for whoever has seen it blooming." - william h. armstrong oh how the bohemian needed to see these gorgeous peonies that were proudly showing off in the royal daughter's abode! the weather nymph has been in such a tantrum lately and the bohemian has begun to wonder if there ever really WAS a mountain there outside her picture window... even the sun breaks have decreased at an alarming rate. the bohemian stayed indoors under her cozy blanket most of the long weekend. she felt sorry for anyone camping, although they should have known better anyways. so she stays in her nice warm, dry cottage and waits somewhat impatiently for the gray drizzly curtain which hides her mountain to be pulled aside... although, with her rosy-colored glasses on, it could conceivably be thought to be a lovely purple and silver-sequined veil of a curtain... colorful, flower-scented wishes to all. and may this day be filling to your soul!