Happy New Year

Well this is the last day of 2009 and I think I am ready for 2010, or at least I will be when I get the new blank journal I ordered from Dick Blick. I think I have accomplished much of what I set out to do at this time last year. I completed my first art journal and have continued to follow the plan of practice, practice, practice.

I have more goals for 2010; they are similar to last year in that I want to continue to grow as an artist, to try new things, to dare to go outside of my comfort zone, to be creative everyday. Already in 2010 I have registered for two workshops: one is at Hollander's in Ann Arbor and is for making a concertina journal from a found book and the other is several workshops over three days at Artiscape in Columbus, Ohio. I must thank my dear friends Nancy and Tina for telling me about these respective opportunities and for also registering. I have taken a couple of workshops (both at Hollander's), but have always gone alone. I think both of these workshops will be so much more enjoyable going with a friend.

I would also like to develop my non-dominant hand a bit. I got this idea from my friend, Nancy. For one she is taking a creative lettering class and is a leftie (southpaw?) and she is trying to write right handed and is doing quite well at it (in kicks the competitive aspect for me)  and for another she loaned me a book about the brain and the amazing changes that occur with stimulus. I am about half way through and am fascinated with it. It is called "The Brain That Changes Itself" by Norman Doidge, M. D. I wish I could see just a tad better with my right eye. I would be tempted to try wearing a patch over my good eye for a bit of time each day to see if I could strengthen it. There was a thought that if I had worn a patch when I was a child, my right eye would focus, but the old school of thought was that if it wasn't done at an early age it would be too late. I have mostly only peripheral vision in my right eye (which is a good thing especially when it comes to driving), but I am unable to focus with it.


Here is my first attempt at writing printing with my left hand. It turned out better than I expected, but was very difficult and awkward.

I have also begun another journal page with a face. This time I have tried not to have "her" straight on. I have no idea how she will develop, but when I am finished with my morning coffee, I will don my painting apron and see what transpires. I will take pix as I go and share them.

 

 Sorry about the picture quality.

I am so looking forward to a new year and all the wonders and changes it promises.

Happy New Year to you. If you are out and about celebrating and drinking, please don't drive.

xoxo

Intuitive Collage

I found a blog through Seth Apter's Sunday series that showed a process of making a collage by starting big and then subdividing it into smaller parts. I really liked the idea because I have a hard time making a collage that is to be the finished product. I tend to overthink it. The artist is Martha Marshall and she has a great blog that not only showcases her art, but includes some of the process that she goes through.

The paper I am using is only 60# and is 14" x 17". I began by adding several shades of blue randomly.

I took this picture with Photo Booth (on my Mac)

After it dried, I pulled out a couple of containers of scraps and a couple of magazines and began to randomly paste parts of pictures that I liked the color, pattern or something that just caught my eye.

This also was taken by Photo Booth

After this step dried, I randomly spattered and sprayed a yellow/gold color. Then after that dried I did a little bit of stamping. Here is what it looked before I began to cut it apart.

Photo Booth

I let it dry thoroughly and then using a 4 x 6 piece of glass I looked for composition that I liked. I found four small collages and will use the leftover in another project. Here are the choices I made.

These pictures were taken with my DSLR.

 

 

I am not sure these are oriented in the way they will be once they are matted, but for now I am quite happy with them. I can't decide if I want to glue them to small pieces of wood or attach them to matboard..... Any suggestions?

As this year draws to a close, I am very much aware of how much of my growth and confidence is due to my internet family. I want you to know that you are greatly appreciated and I look forward to another year of blogging and exchanging ideas and comments.

xoxo

Ack!

So, I attempted to add some flowers and butterflies, dragonflies, you know garden things to the upper left side and made quite a mess. Instead of getting out the gesso and "mending" it, I decided to write a simple (and trust me, it is simple) haiku in a pretty frame to put there. I've gotta admit I cheated, I typed it in Photoshop and added pretty things with brushes and then printed it out. I say I cheated because I am in a creative lettering class and really should have hand printed something or doodled.
At any rate, it is what it is.

Here is what she looked like when I started yesterday:

In retrospect, I think I could have just stopped here.

Here is my finished page.

Here is a close up of the haiku.

Meanwhile, some time ago I bought a Strathmore 14" x 17", 60 lb. sketchbook spiral bound. It was on sale for just over $5 because it had a fold on the front cover and many of the initial pages. I've decided to use it to make large pieces of art to be cut up either to use as backgrounds in smaller pieces or to be used as smaller collage pieces.

So far I've gessoed it, added a bit of random bits of paint in 3 different shades of blue and weighted it down overnight because it was curling like crazy. Then just before retiring last evening, I went through some of my stash and an old magazine and tore out things that looked interesting either in color or texture or just happened to catch my eye.

I think I am going to randomly glue down bits and pieces and then maybe use the toothbrush trick I've seen others use (I've never tried it) to spatter bits of a contrasting color around a bit to unify it before cutting it up. I will decide what kind of cutting I am going to do when I see how it comes together.

I'll share my progress tomorrow.

No specific plans for today except to make art. I think I am going to use up the leftover ham by making scalloped potatoes for dinner; that is if I can get the hubster to make a run to the store to get some lactose free milk.

xoxo

I Almost Fell Out of My Chair

You are not going to believe this - I still think I must have been dreaming.

In the evening of Christmas Eve after dinner and the gifting, my son asked me to upload the pictures he had taken and burn them to a CD. We went into the art/computer room and I noticed that I had some new email. He said he didn't mind if I checked that first, so I did.

One of the messages was from Milliande. I am sure you know her; she has been a constant in my internet life since the beginning of my art exploration. I think my first introduction to her was via a YouTube video about journaling. She is the best. She is talented, funny, real, big-hearted...you get the picture. She has a ning site that is so welcoming and has a boatload of talented women sharing and caring and nurturing each other. You can see her link in the sidebar of my blog to a page on her ning site.

The message directed the recipient to go to a video to see the announcement of the winners in the Make A Wish giveaway she was hosting. Just as it was loading, I looked at my son and said, "Think #47."

Here is the video:

Can you believe it? I am still agape!!!

Thank you so much Milliande; not just for this wish gift, but for all the inspiration you have provided me over the past year.

xoxo

Sketching and Painting

I have been doing a bit more sketching in my "faces" journal and I am afraid I made quite a mess of these ones. I had forgotten to keep my hands off of the already sketched part and ended up with quite a bit of smearing. One of my "resolutions" is going to be to do more sketching and try to learn to do gesture sketching. The scan isn't very good, but I think you can see the idea. Actually the one on the right is not a face, but more a back of the head.

I've also been working on putting a bit of color onto the face that I showed in my last post. Here is what I have so far:

I had a lot of fun playing with the background.

I'm pretty sure this is what is called the "awkward" stage.

I feel pretty good that I didn't put this in a corner somewhere in disgust at this point. That is what I would have done in the past because I would have thought that the hideous color of the hair was impossible to recover from. Not this time; here is the next step:

Still not loving it, but definitely better.

I have colored some of the flowers with yellow petals and orange centers, but realize the flowers are just a blob at this point so am planning to make something going off into the top left and maybe adding some text.

Here is my picture with notes about possible additions/changes. I'd love some input.

On another topic, I have finished the art journal that I began on January 1, 2009 and have ordered another blank one from Dick Blick. I never thought I would finish one let alone be anxious to begin another. It is amazing the changes I have undergone in just one year. I am sure it is in part from being a member of such a caring and supportive online community. Without you I am pretty sure my inner critic would have become much larger instead of retreating a bit as she has.

It has been a wonderful year and I am so looking forward to another. Hope you are having a wonderful holiday season.

Hope to see you tomorrow!

Peace on Earth

Oh if only we could have peace on earth! What a glorious Christmas present that would be.

Happy Holidays all!

xoxo

Christmas Eve

Good morning! Hope you are snug and warm and at the destination where you are spending the holidays. Southern Michigan is under a weather advisory for freezing rain and sleet this morning and then a bit more intensely overnight tonight. There is also a storm coming across the country from the Southwest. Be safe.

The hubster just left to pick up two of the grandgirls to spend the day with us while their Mom is working at Toys R Us. She will join us along with her brother and his daughter later today for our Christmas celebration.

We have to keep the girls occupied today as the presents under the tree will just keep calling to them all day. I found a cool project for making angels out of empty toilet paper rolls that I will do with the first grader. She loves doing art.

Meanwhile, last evening I was working on a creative lettering lesson and had the urge to draw a face. I haven't been drawing faces lately so didn't know what to expect, but I am quite pleased with her. I really have to learn how to add color, though. I haven't decided if I will try with pencils or acrylics or water colors, but I am determined to take my time and layer and layer to see if I can get something that I like.

It is bound to be a busy, busy day, but loads of fun. I'd better get it in gear as the girls will be hear soon.

Merry, merry Christmas (Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Holidays) to all of you!

'Tis The Season

Good morning. Are all your gifts wrapped? Do you have the menu planned? Do you have loved ones to spend the holidays with? It is Christmas Eve eve today!

I've made you a virtual ornament for your virtual tree. I sure hope you like it.

I began by scanning a circle of wood that I purchased in a package from Michael's. The hubster had been kind enough to drill holes in them for me. I then added a layer of light green; I set the blending mode to "color" so that the wood grain would show through. Then I drew the deer using a small round brush. You may think my drawing is a little crude - I prefer to think of it as "folk" art. I gave him antlers like the grinch tied on the head of his poor dog. I used a star brush to add a few stars and then a calligraphy brush to make the J and y. I used a Christmas ornament brush to make the O.

I also found a picture I took several years ago when we really had a freezing spell and the creek in the background looked so wintry.

Doesn't that make you just shiver? Brrrrrr!

And, big surprise, I also have a lovely pattern to show you. It reminds me of winter because somehow that pattern reminds me of ice crystals.

Still lots to do today. The hubster has wrapped most of the presents and is doing a little bit of running today to finish up. I should go to the post office but I don't know if I am going to get dressed or not.

I finished my virtual cleaning yesterday. I now belong to only 5 Yahoo! groups and have winnowed my list of blog subscriptions from a little over 200 to just 111. You've got to admit there is something about the symmetry of the number (grin). That is not to say that I won't be adding more. Every time I visit one of these blogs there are links to other fabulous bloggers - you know it is very difficult not to subscribe to them as well.

Perhaps today I will commit to doing a bit of actual house cleaning - ugh! Surely not my favorite chore; I hate cleaning house, but I love having a clean house. It is a conundrum!!

I'll leave you on that note and wish everyone a very warm, loving holiday season.

xoxo

Resolutions and Virtual House Cleaning

Huh! I should probably be doing real house cleaning - but what fun is that?!

I am trying to streamline my computer time to allow myself more time to do all the creative things I want to do. For example:

Some time ago, I bought the supplies to do encaustic painting and tried it a couple of times on consecutive days and then put it away - I want more time to play with it.

A long time ago, I borrowed a light table from my dear friend, Nancy, and have yet to take it out of the box. At the same time she let me use some really cool buttons and metal things with wonderful designs on them to use to play with clay and foam stamp making ideas. They are still in the box, too.

I have a large basket filled with interesting, mostly flat, pieces of wood that I am intending to paint or otherwise alter. They just sit neglected in the basket.

I have supplies to make cards, a Wizard, a drafting table and books on calligraphy (and of course, pens), I have texture in jars to play with, I have a few "steampunk" gadgets to play with, I have a bazillion dominoes, both classic and bamboo to play with, the list goes on and on.

Maybe that is the way we all are, but I was absolutely overwhelmed, so last night (or was it early this morning) I did some virtual house cleaning. I began with my subscriptions to Yahoo! groups. I weaned myself to 5 smaller groups (I think I stayed in one large one) so that I would actually get more out of them. Later today I am planning to go through my blog subscriptions (I subscribe in Google Reader and have about 200 subscriptions). Some of them don't post any more. Some of them have changed, some of them are about things I am no longer interested in. Some of them are not what I thought they were when I subscribed. This is going to take some time and then I have to be more selective with the mouse on the "subscribe" button.

Meanwhile, I am still eating wisely and trying to get this cough under control. Here is yesterday's lunch:

Yes, I was eating it at the computer!

I saw a really cool tree with cross stitched pics in it and it reminded me of one of my favorite ones that I made about 25 years ago that we still parade out every Christmas and hang with the dated ornaments along the dining room wall. It is a little blurry, but I think you can see it okay.

That is Tigger hanging down at the top.

You know it is hard for me to be at the computer very long without opening Photoshop and playing. I got into making patterns again, but decided to try making them by aligning the edges instead of using the Offset Filter. It is more difficult than I thought.

Here is what I have so far:

 

 

 

Well, I stayed up too late last night and just got up about an hour ago.  The hubster is waiting for me to get ready to head into town with him to pick up the ham and shrimp and other supplies for Christmas dinner and to do any last minute gift purchases.

Gotta go; hope to see you again tomorrow!

xoxo

Winter Solstice and a Birthday

Today is the shortest of the year as far as daylight hours are concerned in my part of the world. And it is also my little boy's birthday. How did he get to be 28 already? Happy Birthday, Adam!

I've been busy - haven't we all - trying to get all the things done around here that I need want to do before Christmas, which is approaching like an out of control freight train, so haven't been doing much in the art room.

I did spend a couple of hours the other evening playing with making repeating patterns and Christmas-themed backgrounds. Here is what I came up with:

 

 

And I also like to play with the wave filter. Usually I start by making a gradient on the background and then I use the wave filter to produce some very interesting effects. You can get some nice striped and checkered patterns that way.

And never overlook the rectangular to polar filter. It, too, can produce some really nice designs. The one below was produced by doing a red and green gradient, playing with the wave filter and then using the rectangular to polar filter. Just play with it. You sometimes get some very nice surprises.

 

 

If you don't remember, or haven't learned somewhere else or by a different method, you can find my tutorial on making repeating patterns here.

Well, I have a bazillion things to do today, so I'd better get a move on. I will try to find time to make some art to share tomorrow.

Bye for now!

Fun with Winnings

A short time ago I was fortunate enough to win the "name the bot" challenge at Inke's site and this is a picture from her site showing the loot. It arrived in the mail yesterday and looked even better in person. By the way, if by some far out chance you don't know Inke at Altered Artifacts, you are missing out on a very talented person and a funny, good read to boot.  And you must check out the bot her husband made. I want one! I thought, maybe by being the winner of the naming contest, I'd get him, but, alas I got a packet brimming with wonderful loot. Not a bad second choice at all.

I decided to load and browse the Dover CD "Floral Embroidery Designs" and do a bit of playing. I first chose a round floral that I thought would make a good mask, but I had forgotten that only the edges of the file are pixels and you cannot just choose the inside (for the inside part of a leaf) to color in.


Here is the file I chose to work with:

First I tried merging these two layers so that I would have areas to select, but the pattern does not have well defined areas and an intended small selection was selecting the entire purple section. Merge unhelpful. Undo. So instead I carefully colored with a brush in color mode until I got a look I liked and then put a copy of the ring in dark green on top to bring back the lovely outlines.

Then to try this out, I put it over a picture of a lovely sunset that I took from my back deck years ago, which by the way was a finalist in a national photography contest. What did I win, you ask? Well, actually I only got an official certificate stating the fact that this picture was a finalist in the contest. But, still it was a nice notice.

To get the final image, I used the marquee tool with the shift key held to constrain to a circle and using the shift bar to help me move it into place, to select the inner circle of the ring. Then being careful to be on the photo layer I selected the inverse (that selected the portions outside of the ring) and filled it with black.

What do you think?

I can't wait to play with these some more. These decorative patterns would make lovely brushes.....

xoxo

Christmas Card - PlayDateCafe Challenge

Here is my entry into the Play Date Cafe Challenge:

http://theplaydatecafe.blogspot.com/2009/12/play-date-cafe-challenge-pdcc09.html

Brrr! It Sure Feels Like Winter

I finally got outside for the first time in about a week only to find that it was too freaking cold to be out. I spent most of the afternoon at my daughter's house waiting for the Maytag repairman. The window she was given was some time between 1 pm and 5 pm. That is a very large window. As it turns out, they didn't make it within that window, but they did call her to explain that they were running late and came out and repaired the stove.

I find it very hard to spend time alone at someone else's house. It would never occur to me to watch TV. I picked up the living room and checked my email and the blogs to which I subscribe and still had several hours to kill. I did bring my journal with me so I decided to doodle. I am quite happy and surprised with how this one turned out. It seems like at some point in the process, it decides what it wants to be and you have absolutely no control over it.

I began this one with a wavy road that ran around and under itself. I filled in the "road" with doodles and then decided to fill in the empty spaces. There were three of them, but when I got two of them filled in, it decided it was done and I was left looking at a 1-strap bra. Is this the kind of bra one would need if one were wearing a sarong?

This doesn't look anything like I was expecting (I'm not even sure I had a notion what it would look like when it was done), but sometimes you arrive at the end and you don't even know you are done. I was in no doubt that this was the finished product. I hope you like it.

I am going to the chiropractor in about an hour and then going to try to finish my Christmas shopping. Then I think I will come home to a cup of tea and a nap. Ah, the perfect day!

xoxo

Doodle Doodle Oo

I am beginning to feel better and knew I was when I came into the art room and got my pen and my journal and began to doodle. You would think that being down with the flu I'd have had plenty of time to doodle and/or sketch, but all I wanted to do was drink tea and sleep.

Here is what I came up with yesterday:

And then I did this one. It was done using a red pen, but I forgot to change the settings on the scanner this morning. I had it set to scan in black and white.

 I didn't particularly like looking at that heart in black and white, so I just opened it in Photoshop and colorized it.

I am hoping to get some creative time today. I am planning to be at my daughter's house when the Magtag repairman comes. She bought a brand new stove in May and this is the second time someone has had to come out and replace the electronic controls. She asked...they don't have a lemon policy.

I am hoping to do a little bit of shopping while I am in town, but want to be careful not to overdo as I am not yet 100%.

Hope to see you tomorrow!

xoxo

I'm Still Here

Just a quick note to let you know I am still here. I've done nothing the last four days except drink green tea with lemon juice and honey and sleep.

I am hoping to feel well enough to do some art soon, but I am not sure it will happen today.

I am just barely keeping up with emails and the blogs to which I subscribe.

My eyelids are starting to go even now. I think I will make a trip to the couch and snooze a bit.

xoxo

Vicki

Sleepyhead

I am taking something called Tussionex for my cough and it is causing a heavy weight on my eyelids. I find I am sleeping all day except for about 4 hours. I am dizzy and lightheaded, but heavy lidded.

I did try to make a townscape, but didn't get very far before I had to go back to bed. I like the start, but don't know when I will get back to it.

It is only about 1/4 done, and I am thinking a doodled sidewalk in front of the houses would be a nice touch.

I haven't taken my cough medicine yet this morning hoping to get some work done before I fall asleep, but I am sleepy still from last night's dose.

I'm going to try to read the blogs to which I subscribe so that I don't get too far behind and then maybe have some scrambled eggs before I go back to bed.

I have a new assignment in my creative lettering class that I'm going to try to get to later. No promises.

I don't know when I am going to get my Christmas shopping done. I guess I still have 13 shopping days left. I don't know how long I am going to be taking this stuff that puts me to sleep, but I cannot drive and I don't think I can be trusted with a credit card, either HA!

See you!

Brrrr!

Lots of schools closed this morning here in south central Michigan. I'm sure glad I don't have to go anywhere today.

I went to the doctor yesterday with fever and chills on top of the barking cough. He suspects some kind of influenza, but wrote bronchitis and some other word that I couldn't read on the paperwork. He had his nurse give me a shot in the bum (he said it was to keep this from going to pneumonia) and wrote two prescriptions, one for cough medicine and one for an antibiotic. The cough medicine is killer. I got home around 1 pm, took my medicine and slept until 6:30. I went back to bed around 8:30 and slept until 7:30 this morning. I haven't slept through the night in weeks.

I didn't get any art done yesterday. I thought about doodling while waiting at the doctor's office, but just dozed in my chair. I'll try to get something done today. But I may just sleep.

Meanwhile, here is a little something I just put together this morning. It is made using my paper stash and Martha's elephant template.

I'm feeling a little sleepy and I am not supposed to operate machinery while taking this medicine, so I'd better get off this computer (teehee).

I'll do some art after I nap a bit.

Doodled Christmas Cards

I got my cards ready to go yesterday. I have two varieties - a stocking and an ornament. The ornament has hand lettering and the stocking has computer printing. While the computer printing is much easier and is centered, the hand printing is my favorite. I just have to get better at centering and printing.

For this one I began by cutting the 8 1/2 x 11 piece of cardstock to 7 x 10 so that when it was folded it would be 7 x 5, a standard card size. I have envelopes they will fit into. Then I began the ornament doodle and played until I thought it was done. I then wrote "Deck The Halls". My printing needs some improvement, but overall I am happy with it and I think the recipients will like it.

For the stocking card, I opened my stocking doodle that I showed the other day and using the magic wand tool, removed the white from within and behind it. I then saved it as a .png file so that it would be on a transparent background. I copied it onto a new 8 1/2 x 11 document and put a small stroke around the 10 x 5 space that would be cut to card size so I would have a guide to cut to size. I then used one of my favorite fonts, Lithos Pro, to write and center  "The Stockings Were Hung". I am quite pleased with it.

I hope to get these in the mail today.

Later this morning I am going to the doctor. This cough has been with me for way too long. I have been barking to the point of giving myself a headache since the weekend before Thanksgiving and I think it is time to make sure it isn't something that should be treated.

Later today I am tutoring Geometry and then hope to have a quiet evening with some hot tea with lemon and honey.

For now, it is time for that first cup of coffee and then once the hubster gets up I think I will walk the treadmill for a bit.

Perhaps a Stocking

I've tried another idea for a Christmas card using a doodled stocking and I think I like it. I am also thinking I should try a wreath. Maybe later today I will. I have had some wonderful suggestions about using Photoshop to turn these doodles into stained glass looking creations. It is funny, but I was thinking of using colored Pitt pens to achieve a similar effect. I am not sure I am going to add color this year, but there are other holidays coming up so I could practice before then. Christmas is quickly closing in and I need to get these cards in the mail. I think making them on colored card stock is going to be my plan this year.

This morning I have routine fasting blood work, and then I am meeting my Statistics tutee at Panera's. We will probably work for about three hours. I think I will make my cards when I get home.

I'd better get the teeth brushed, decide on what to wear (I am in my favorite loungewear) and get a move on.

I hope to see you tomorrow!

Addicted to Doodling

It is Monday morning; I've just finished 1/2 hour with Sharon Mann on FitTv working on the balance ball working mostly abs and glutes, followed by 1/2 hour on the treadmill alternating speed and incline. Now I am warmed up and ready for my day. It will take me about an hour to cool down and then I will shower and enjoy my day before tutoring Geometry for an hour in the middle of the afternoon and then tutoring Statistics for 2 - 4 hours this evening.

Meanwhile, I am doodling and loving it. I wrote the other day about dreaming about making a doodled ornament for a card and yesterday I couldn't help myself I had to try it. And I like it even more than the reindeer from last week. What do you think?

 I am thinking about trying a stocking next. I think I will make homemade cards with these things and I am planning to use colored card stock to make them. I will use a brown for the reindeer, a red for the ornament and maybe a green for the stocking.

I also am looking forward to the new lesson in my creative lettering class and I really must try a steampunk domino.

I think I'd better get on my horse and get this day started.

See you later.

Giveaway Winners

Sorry, I am late with this, but I've been gone all day and then had to put a meatloaf and potatoes in the oven as our kids and their kids are coming over around dinner time for dinner and to help decorate. The little girls so love to help Poppa hang the dated ornaments (we have 31 of them dating back to 1978) and they will also help assemble and decorate the tree.

At any rate, I finally used a random number generator to select the three winners of the giveaways, and here they are:

#16 Stephen Hall - you are the winner of the Ingrid Dijkers book kit
#4   Rhonda - you are the winner of the Complete Origami book
#14 Trisha Too - you are the winner of the Origami Boxes book

Please contact me (my email is available at the "view my complete profile" link just below my picture at the top of my blog) asap with your addresses so that I can forward these gifts on to you.

To everyone who took the time to enter, thank you for all your kind and gracious comments. I wish I had a giveaway for each and every one of you.

xoxo

Vicki

December has Arrived

There is a bit of ice and snow here and the satellite isn't sure it wants to work to provide me access to my internet friends.

I spent most of yesterday morning working on the website I get paid to maintain (actually most of the work is preparing the pictures to be uploaded). When I was done with that, I made the soup I have been promising to make for the last three days and it was yummy, if I do say so myself. My son and a friend came out in the afternoon for a bit of help with their Algebra homework and then I spent some time in my art room.

I am working on a Christmas card for my Mom. The sketching of the fanciful reindeer went pretty well, but for some reason no matter how I try I can't get colored pencil to look good. I tend to get lines and pretty childish looking coloring. I did try putting a layer of Caran d'Ache water soluble wax pastels over it, but the jury is still out on the verdict.

So I spent some time doodling in my art journal and decided to play a bit more with the red and black one I started a couple of nights ago. I actually doodled without much mindfulness and it appeared to draw itself. It decided it wanted to be a parachute, and who was I to argue.

What do you think?

And then the more I thought of the card I was trying to make for Mom, the more I thought that maybe a doodled reindeer would be cool. So on the facing page I sketched a fanciful reindeer (his head would not cooperate) and began to doodle. I am not completely pleased with how it turned out, but I am really excited to try again.

I think I must have an addictive personality because you already know I am addicted to playing with Photoshop. A whole day can go by and I will have done nothing but that. Well, now I am pretty sure I can feel that same narcotic feeling when I doodle. Who knew? Maybe I should have left well enough alone and remained in my "ignorance is bliss" fear of doodling state. At this point I am not sure what is going to happen next, but last night I dreamed of making my Aunt Mary a Christmas card with a zentangled ornament on the front. YIKES! But actually a great idea.

I am going to Chelsea with my friend Nancy today and hope know I will have a great time. I am in the right frame of mind and she is always so much fun. She is like a sister (not that I don't already have enough of them).

I think I'd better get a move on and get ready to go. See ya!