Hello World...

The new year does that to me. I just want to say "Hello World" and twirl around and toss my hat like Mary Richards. I don't do much twirling any more ( although I used to twirl as a majorette) but I plan on doing that and lots more this year.

I've been working on solutions for storing my numerous bottles and jars of sweet smelling loveliness, that I showed you last week. I'm thinking shelves on the wall next to the dresser, but we'll see.

I do a lot of online research and love to learn new things, especially art techniques. I have been using prisma color markers and copics for several years now, but I never thought to combine them with my other favorite medium, colored pencils. There's a young guy, named Merrill Kazanjian, that does amazing art using these and many other techniques.

I particularly like his tutorial on drawing an apple. I used his ideas, but used an apple instead of a picture. I did run into one problem, I need to have my glasses changed. I wear bifocals and I need to have trifocals. I just couldn't see the apple to draw, with it just sitting on my table, so I had to hold the dang thing. Well, that meant I had to draw my hand also, so here is a life sized version of my hand and apple.

Well, that was my first art project for 2010, but I'm really wanting to do some different things this year. That brings us to my friend Shelly, who does the most wonderful collages and I am so inspired by them. I know that I'm not ready for the detail that she puts in her's, but I love studying them. Here is the link to her Flickr page, so check them out.

There's another chick that does collages that my friend Linda and I have been watching. Her name is Teesha Moore and she has a very elaborate web page and she also has lots of youtube videos to watch when you have the time.

So it was off to Michael's for some paint pens, new journals and scrapbook papers. I don't have much in the way of printed paper to work from for collages, so it will be purchased paper and copied vintage photos to start out with.

I just fell in love with the skull paper and while some folks make their own journals, I really prefer the spiral bound art papers for mine. That gives you the option of gluing pages together for thicker pages if you want. Anyway, they were BOGO at Michael's yesterday.

Saturday, DH and I went to our favorite used book store, not only to sell some books (got enough for a fancy lunch) but to check out the old craft books, which I love. Of all the things I have done in years past, I have never done needlepoint. Probably from always having cats in my lap fighting me for the yarn. In any event, I found these two fab books and had to have them.

Don't these look like fun books to have. Can hardly wait to start a needlepoint project.

So that's were I am here on the first week in January 2010. Already learned a new art technique, am chompin' at the bit to do some cutting and taping and lettering on my collages and have needlework projects climbing into my dreams at night. Combine that with keeping the dust bunnies at bay, doing laundry and making sure my hair looks marvelous at all times, I'm also going to be using this book...

So if you want to follow my journey on getting fit and transforming my life, stop in periodically at my other blog (Let's Lose Weight This Year) and check it out.

So that's it for today. I'm hyped and psyched and ready to go. Jump in with both feet and join me. You'll be glad you did. Until then,

xoxo
Susan