Wishes

The other day I wished that I had predator to eat all the slugs and, most especially, snails in the yard .  I was thinking a turtle would be nice.  Instead, my cat Lucy decided to be a great hunter and take on the slugs.  Last night, a rainy night, she came inside with a weird "smile".  It looked like she had some photoshop work done to her mouth. On closer inspection it was slug slime and dirt!  YUCCCK!  Slug slime doesn't come off anything easily, so she sported her "grin" until morning. 
I'm also going to have to explain to her that she needs to dispose of her victims outside.  The big juicy slug she caught had crawled across the laudry room rug, leaving a glistening trail, and was headed up the wall.  Sigh, I can see why she picked him, he was a big one. LUCY No!!!!

Art Night

A few years ago I was lucky to have met a very nice and talented interior designer, Sue Lyn, while taking a drawing class at the local Community College.   Sue Lyn graciously allowed our class to use her beautiful backyard retreat as our class room for that summer. Perhaps this summer I'll do a post about her yard alone, it is delightful. Sue Lyn and I became instant friends and continue to meet as our schedules allow, to have "Art Nights".  We schedule these nights to ensure we have some fun, creative time to practice our craft, as well as a little red vino.  We met last night for the first time in quiet a while and it was great to catch up with her.  I packed in a hurry for our get together and didn't bring a lot of supplies or paper, this actually worked out well.  I am currently on an Imaginary Trip to Paris, so I grabbed my travel art kit and a packet of prepped watercolor papers, knowing that I wouldn't need any more than that to be able to create.  I was surprised to find that all of the watercolor papers had previous works started on them, most random washes and splashes of color from a class long ago.  I had no sketch pad or blank paper.  I was in the mood to color anyway, so I picked out an ugly painting I did in an en plein air class of an old tree.  I've always disliked this image but thought I could play with it and see if I could make it better.  I was sure there was no way to make something nice of this scene.  The tree was a very dark blue/purple and the 3 layers of land around it were very bright green and yellow/green.  One other time I had tried to make something of it by adding lines with a gold marker, without much success. Looking at the color wheel, I couldn't see a way to make this work.  I had no other choice, so I started to work.  I liked a bird and branch clock that Sue Lyn had on the desk in front of me so I  incorporated that into the picture.  Over the course of 3 hours the painting and the colors changed. I can't believe it's the same piece I started with and wish I had taken a before picture. The scanned image doesn't show the yellow glow well.

I'm not sure that it's done  But I'm amazed at where its at now, I don't know that I'll do anything more on it for a while.

Imaginary Trip To Paris

I've been in Paris since April 20th, 2010.  I'm here with 3 other gals and an art instructor. We are wandering the city, occasionally stopping to paint the sights.  Really, a very economical way to travel, especially since we will be here until May 28th.

The time has already gone by so fast, so here's a quick recap of our work to date.
April 21st we started off with a breakfast of freshly baked croissants and cafe lattes.  Mmmmm, homemade pastries.

April 24th, we wandered into this back alley and were captivated by the light on the buildings and this charming planter of flowers.

Last week, we traveled to Versaille and spent the day wandering the large grounds.  I found this statue tucked in the corner of living hedge.

On Friday, while crossing the Seine River, we spotted these faces built into the detail on the bridge arch.  Very cool.

Well, gotta go.  I'll keep you posted as to our the rest of our travels.  Until then, adios amigo!  ( another bonus of imaginary travel, you can speak whatever language you want!)

Canary Islands -- Virtual Paintout

Tonight I'm posting my first VP (Virtual Paintout) painting "on location", with a lot of help from Google Earth.  Every month a new location is posted at Virtualpaintout.blogspot.com and everyone is given the whole month to travel there by Google Earth, make a painting and submit it to the blog.  Last month, I stalked in the background as others painted Stavager Norway.  This month, I couldn't help but participate and tour the Canary Islands of Spain. This Google Earth thing could be very dangerous, as I'm ready to take a real trip there now!
Here's my look at the Carnary Islands:

Location: 20 Av del Emigrante/Calle de la Isla del Hierro,
Guia de Isora, CN, Espana.

Sharpie and watercolor crayons on watercolor paper.
6.5 x 8

Digital Scrapbooking Update

As I said in an earlier post, I have been using CTMH's new digital scrapbooking program, Studio J (tm) for the last month.  Today I completed my 10th layout and I'm still head over heels for this program.  Never have I put my pictures into a layout and journaled my thoughts and memories so easily.  Really, there's no mess to get out or put away, and you can work on it as you have time. All you need is your computer with access to an internet connection and your photos -- there's no program to buy either. 


If you want to review all my gushing comments about Studio J (tm), view my post from earlier this month.  If you want to see what all my excitement is about, you can do that below!


I'm including pictures of 4 of the 2 page layouts I completed this month, so that you can get an idea of what you can create. 


Want to try it for yourself? Playing with is free. Studio J reportedly will be available for customer use in mid April! My website is where you will design and purchase your Studio J (tm) layouts.




All you have to do is go to my CTMH website, http://www.fse.myctmh.com/ and watch for the Studio J (tm) info to appear. 

All layouts above created with Studio J (tm), available soon at http://www.fse.ctmh.com/

Eagle's Nest

On Thursday the 18th, Randy and I traveled to Waldport to check out a possible vacation rental.  The coast was fabulous!  Sunny, with a little wind, but how can you complain about that in March.  Here's a couple pictures to whet your appetite!

These windows look west and north.  You get to see the ocean, Alsea Bay and the town of Waldport.  What a great view!!!

This is looking west , toward the bay inlet and the ocean.

This picture is from the deck, looking out over the town of Waldport and the Alsea bay.  This is going to be a great place to storm watch from! 
A link to the rental calendar will hopefully be available in June.  Stay tuned!

My Art Gallery

I have been motivated by some of my favorite local artists, to start posting my art on my blog.  This is the first post in this category, we'll see how this space evolves over time.  Thanks for looking!

I drew this in July or August of 2007, of a hosta in my backyard.  I was taking a Travel Journaling class from Lauren Ohlgren at Linn Benton Community College.  In the class we practiced drawing blind and semi-blind contour drawings, to get our images on paper.  This was a drawing I did for homework, and later added my journaling.  It's amazing the connection you develop to an image after you've drawn it yourself.  And both techniques work really well to help you put what you are seeing on paper.  I highly recommend Laurens class to anyone, especially if you thing you can't draw.

Studio J!

Ok, I've found the new best way to scrapbook! Coming this spring Close To My Heart will unveil our new Studio (digital) scrapbooking site called "Studio J "TM , named after our founder Jeanette Lynton. As a Consultant I have been been able to play with it this month and I have to say it's fantastic! It solves so many issues that kept me from doing the real thing, tell me if you don't think these features are cool....

• The basic layout is already made, just choose how many photos you want on a page and go to it.


• Upload your pictures from your computer right onto the 2 page layout. The size is RIGHT and fits the space the first time! Or in the second or third places you try it. Want to try your photos in sepia or B&W, just click it!


• To mat your photos or not? Click it. What color mat, how wide a mat? Click it, un-click it if you change your mind.


• You can make a layout, and make additions and subtractions without wasting supplies. You can try it, you can try it there, you can put it back where you had it the first time!


• You are never out of supplies!!! Your virtual kit supplies are coordinated and you can use as many or as few items to embellish your pages as you want.


• The "Title Tool", need I saw more?! You have as many letters as you want, you can make the size as big or as small as needed. Your spacing is always consistent.


• Speaking of words....journaling has never been easier! Plenty of font choices, coordinating font colors, and the words will shrink to fit your space if you chose!!!!


• Yeah but does it look like a real page? Yes, all the MyStickies TM, brads, ribbons, etc, appear dimensional!


• You can distress your paper too: Sand it, ink it, tear it.

I could go on, but you get the idea. After completing a layout, send it to your cart, go over it one last time and approve it. Pay for the two page layout, $12.95, and it will be shipped to you. Mine arrived in 3 days, well packaged and gorgeous! I can't wait for this program to be available. Stay tuned and more details will follow. If you are interested, let me know (email please) so I send you the link when it's available.

If you've wanted to scrapbook, but haven't felt you could, well you can now. It's really that easy, Studio J makes it easy.

Anatomy of an Avalanche | Mount Hood Meadows Ski Resort

Anatomy of an Avalanche Mount Hood Meadows Ski Resort

I loved to ski in this area of Mt Hood Meadows and I found this blog post very interesting. Mother Nature is a force beyond our control.

Merry Christmas

We are truly thankful for the wonderful friends and family we have been blessed with. We wish you all a Merry Christmas and can't wait to see what 2010 brings.

Fog and cold in the valley? Go to the coast. These pictures are from Seal Rock, on December 24th, 2009. No fog and 50 degrees (when blocked from the east wind).

Open for Online Business

I used to teach paper crafting classes as an Independent Close to My Heart Consultant, but stopped when I needed to focus on promoting at my other job. Although I stopped teaching and passed my customers on to other Consultants, I remained with the company as a "hobbyist". I really miss being an active Consultant with CTMH and have decided to re-open my business online. I plan to start posting info here and slowly progress to occasional workshops. If you are a previous customer of mine and haven't seen a catalog in a while, you are in for a treat! CTMH just keeps getting better and better. You gotta see what you've been missing. Contact me for the latest catalog and keep checking back to see what's new.

To start things off, a stamp special that we don't see very often, buy 2 get 1 free! This offer is good through November 30th, 2009.



Continuing on the creative side....If you are an artist or a crafter I'm sure you are like me, always looking for a way to organize your creative space. I found a blog, and magazine, called "Where Women Create" that features women doing their creative thing in their "spaces". Take a look and see what you think, and perhaps gleam an idea or two: WWC

Creative Girls Weekend

This past weekend I went to Portland with two of my CTMH friends and fellow Consultants. We spent two days at the Portland Regional Celebration put on by Close to My Heart.

We had a few short business classes, but most of the time was spent learning about cool products CTMH is going to bring out; making CTMH cards, scrapbook layouts or projects; and listening to the company founder talk about her vision and ideas for the company. I think I enjoy these Regional Celebrations better than the company Conventions we used to travel to. While I miss the airplane rides, I get everything else I like about traveling with friends, in a less expensive format.

I still love this company and am so happy that I became a part of it. This is me with the company founder and CEO, Jennette Lynton.

Time in the Pearl

Sunday, August 30th, 2009

I went to Mom and Dad's for the afternoon. We decided to go to lunch and Dad had just the place, the "Elephant Inn" in NW Portland. I enjoy visiting Portland because there is so much to see and do in downtown Portland, it is such a cool city. I wish we had considered buying a condo there. NW Portland is famous for it's "Nob Hill", or as I used to know it, the "Pearl District", which is home to blocks of fine dining and shopping. Dad thought the place he wanted to go to was on 21st or 23rd street, north of Burnside, so we toured up and down the streets looking for a place with an Elephant on the sign. After much back and forth, we weren't able to locate it, so seeing an old familiar place, "Roses Deli and Bakery", we parked and waited in line.


I grew up knowing Roses as the place with the really, really, really large cakes. We're taking like 6 layers of cake, held together with beautiful frosting, yum! Roses is in a new location now, but the food hasn't changed. You can see mile high cakes in the dessert cases, as well as huge eclairs and other fabulous looking desserts. If you want to have some dessert, it's best not to order lunch, or only eat half of it. Nope, half was too much also. Our family loves Rueben sandwiches, and Roses is famous for it's Rueben. If you are super hunger, or want left overs for 2 meals, you can order the "Original Roses Rueben", which resembles a very large Club sandwich only with "Rueben" ingredients. YUMMM! (There's turkey on that Rueben, it's not all sauerkraut). We all ordered our with a mix of pastrami and corned beef, and it didn't disappoint. Except the part about not having room for dessert....


At lunch I found a map with Dad's "Elephant Delicatessen", located 1 block north of Burnside on 22nd St. Dad wanted to stop in and show me what I missed. This little deli has everything! You can put things on a plate and eat there, or buy food to go. I saw salads, cheeses, wines, desserts, casseroles, meats, and olives. I bought some of the olives and they were the best I've had. If you're in Nob Hill, besure to take a stroll through this interesting deli, I know I didn't even scratch the surface of the possibilities here. I will return someday and I'll be hungry.

Creedence Clearwater Revisited

Saturday, August 29th, 2009.

Our last concert of the summer season was at Albany's Northwest Art and Air Fair, starring Creedance Clearwater Revisited. Present were Kris J, Candi and Joe, Tom and Wendy, Derek and Annie and Chris. The art part of the festival was much bigger this year, the wine/beer garden part was much smaller (what were we too roudy last year?). The best part about concerts at this location is the grass hill seating with blankets and lawn chairs. It's like a big picnic with good music, food and friends. After the concert there was a fireworks show. A lovely way to spend a summer evening.

Here are some of the people I was sitting by:

And, just to prove that the Sawyer Brown video sounded bad because we were too close, here's CCR:

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Tended Soil....

A run to the nursery

twice

too much money spent

shovel in hand

dirt under the nails

a handful of compost

plenty of rain

a bit of sun

more plants as gifts from friends

more rain

squirts of Roundup

dashes of heat

and a stiff back

the plot is planted

and tended

daily progress checks

A sprinkle of fertilizer

what's taking so long?

weeds growing fine!

Now the results

too many cucumbers

too many zucchini

big handfuls of basil

bunches of lavendar

baskets of flowers

lots of tomatoes

TOO many patty pan squash

some slugs

carpets of petunias

paths overflowing

bushes of sage

handful of corn

a few peppers

bush of rosemary

bounty of potatoes

hidden chives

Yum

fresh garden eats

Need any zucchini

cucumbers or

squash?

Sawyer Brown Rocks Oregon Garden Resort

And we were there, in the grass ampitheater at the Oregon Garden. Despite the rain, the concert was great. We, (Randy, myself, Candi and Joe) had a nice "picnic" dinner from our nearly front row beach chairs and rocked out to the old and new sounds of Sawyer Brown. Joe actually met the lead singer and has his autograph to prove it. I'll post a video, sorry the sound is bad, it's just a digital camera. I think if we weren't so close the speaker, it might have turned out ok. The lead singer does a lot of funky dancing in is worth keeping an eye on. These guys are worth supporting. New album out this fall.

Suislaw River Run

Today Randy and I launched the boat for it's maiden voyage on the Suislaw River out of Florence. We took a ride to the mouth of the Suislaw at the ocean, then headed up stream all the way to Mapleton. A very pretty ride.

Leaving the Port of Suislaw dock. This is where I backed our boat down a ramp for the first time. I didn't do too bad, just a little readjustment.

Typical for Florence in the summer, the day started off overcast and cool. We could see that the clouds might burn off, but no idea when. I wore my winter coat and it was needed when we hit full speed. Pilot Randy assuming his natural position while I provided nagivation advice from the forward lounge.

The highway 101 bridge, as we are heading west bound.

Our condo building as seen from the river.

Our condo, top floor very right unit. We didn't stay there because it was rented. We stayed at the Casino instead.

Heading westward still....

Straight ahead (the dark colored land) is the north jetty and the "beach" of Harbor Vista Park, where we like to camp.

This is as far west as we went. The Coast Guard was doing some sort of exercise around the bend and we wanted to stay away from that.

This is a railroad crossing over the river, east of Florence at Cushman. We have come all the way back up river past our starting point and are headed east towards Mapleton. The river channel is very difficult to see as you boating east near the casino. Luckily another boat had just come from upstream and we headed in the direction they came from.

The upstream Siuslaw River has a whole different feel, as if the ocean was hours away.






A cute boat in Mapleton


HWY 36 bridge over the Siuslaw River, Mapleton.



The scenery upstream from the HWY 36 bridge.

I drove the boat all the way back to the port, because it was fun. Who's CAPTAIN now, huh?!

The "pirate boat" in Cushman...

The wharf at Old Town Florence. Gee look at that sky, pretty blue! Of course this was when we were getting ready to take out. All done with the Siuslaw for now.

The next day we took the boat out on Woahink Lake, no pictures of that. We circumnavigated the lake and browsed our dream lake houses. We saw a couple of jet skiiers, otherwise the lake was empty. I wish I had thought to get fishing licenses, it would have been enjoyable. The weather did the same thing to us again, cold and cloudy until we loaded up. We'll be back.