when it was still summer

I'm wearing three different kinds of stripes.
1) my striped shirt
2) my striped shorts
3) my zebra striped sunglasses

I'm outside the hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida,
looking out on the beach.

Playing card games and Yahtzee,
 outside with my guy. Notice our hotel room key.

Hotel lobby in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Lobby chair close ups

Hotel lobby, seashell decor

I like the details of the lobby table.

My nephew Speed Racer with his mom.

My twin nieces, and my nephew Baby JJ

My art journal page of my tribal inspired crushes.

This Summer I need to let go of perfectionism.
 I know I'm not perfect, but I feel like I really do set such a high standard for myself.
So much pressure.
July 18, 2012

a day late

Yesterday was Inspiration Monday.

When the ladies of Two Birds Boutique choose an outfit

 to inspire a personal look.

Here's my version.

The inspiration outfit was:

Rachel Bilson
To see what others wore, look here.

This past weekend, it finally felt like fall, in Texas.
We brought out the layers, and turned on the heater.

...Journeys don't really end.
Even when you reach a destination,

the lessons learned are like organisms,
stretching and evolving into ways you could never anticipate... from the book Found by Tatum O' Neal

...Sometimes I felt like I was missing an outershield,
a thick layer of skin to protect me from the piercing outside air.

I was the sensitive pink underbelly.
Life was too intense for me...  from the book Found by Tatum O' Neal

My art jounal pages from August 24, 2012

art pages inspired by Art Jounaling with Jenny and Aaron class 1

It says: It spiraled past her comprehension.

It says: Such dizzy making was beyond her control.

...No doubt we will have ups and downs over the years. We may never reconcile our memories of the past.
We will certainly struggle in the present. And the future is still a mystery. I can live with that. What I know for certain is that I tried my hardest, I'm a very courageous survivor, and I'm still out there trying...
from the book Found by Tatum O' Neal

being bold

She was more than just her bold outfit.

Vivienne Westwood Red Label Fall 2012 RTW

Anna Sui Fall 2012 RTW

 She dreams of a technicolor life.

Alice + Olivia Fall RTW 2012

Anna Sui Fall 2012 RTW

Forget rose or purple tinted glasses.

She wanted psychedelic ones.

My niece EJ

My niece Lil Bug

My nephew Baby JJ

My nephew Speed Racer

Local art my guy and I  saw:

left image by Mary Ann White
right image by Carole Harston

by Billy Hassell

by Jo Ann Dunham

My art journal page
from June 2012

  I did a magazine image transfer.
Then I used oil pastels directly on the transfer,
and then glued it to the paper I painted.

My art journal page from June 22, 2012
I used papers I painted and collaged.

Self portrait photo from 2010
I'm wearing the hat and sunglasses

my birthday 5 yrs ago

The other day I came across these photos of me getting dressed on my birthday in 2007.

If you look at my bed, you can see, I was trying to decide what I was going to wear, before work.
I used the crumbled plastic shopping bags to stuff my boots,
 when I didn't wear them. They help hold their shape.

My guy and I hand stencil painted the border
on the bedroom walls.

In my old house, my closet was so small.
 I covered the floor with my shoes,
but my shoes and boots didn't all fit inside it.

I wonder if I knew my husband
was taking my photo? 
I honestly didn't remember these photos.

My mom made my bed spread, the afghan, the square pillow, the blue quilt, and my purple purse.

My friend made the jewelry box,
that my bracelets are stored in.
My brother gave me the white fringed lamp.

Here I'm trying to decide what bracelets to wear.

My bedroom was my favorite room in our old house.

This is me in front of my closet of scarves, and trying to decide what coat to wear.
I painted the teddy bear with the pumpkin on the wall.

   That white framed picture near me with the blue ribbon was given to me by my great grandma Opal. 
It hung on my childhood bedroom wall. It was of a girl reading a book in a meadow. She had handwritten my name and the date inside the painting of the book. 

Here I'm trying to get the silly string
that my husband got all over me.

He was paying me back from getting him on his birthday.

Books on left I had checked out at library.
Books on right are the books I got for my birthday.
October 2007  :)

if i were...

I saw this post from She at the blog
 She may be the song that summer sings.

If I were a month. I'd be October.

Me in October 2006

If I were a scent. I'd be Japanese Cherry Blossom.

If I were an expression. I'd be a smile.

Photos taken with tripod, and self timer, when I was in another state,
at our old house, on the backyard patio.

If I were a pair of shoes.I'd be these Fringed Wedge Booties.

If I were a color.
I'd be midnight blue.

If I were a liquid. I'd be water.

What my guy saw,
 on his bike ride the other day.

If I were a flower. I'd be a daffodil.

An object my guy captured in photo.

If I were a fruit. I'd be a strawberry.

Strawberries remind me of my husband.
 To see my strawberry blog post in November 2010 look here.

My guy looked at the grove of trees.

If I were an object. I'd be a stained glass window.

My guy watched the sun set over the lake.

If I were a gemstone. I'd be an Opal.

It has many colors, depending on the light.
It's my birthstone.
It was my great grandmother's name.

Little me, with my great grandmother's boyfriend, and my great, grandma, Opal.

If I were the weather.
I'd be sunshine with a gentle breeze,
on an Autumn day.

My husband captured the colors of the leaves.

If I were a car. I'd be an electric Mustang in blue,

(no, they don't make those yet, although some people are converting
 their Mustang vehicles into electric cars).

My art journal pages inspired by these art journal pages by Donna Downey.

If I were a taste. I'd be peppermint.

If I were a musical instrument.
 I'd be a guitar.

She welcomed the sun.
After all the grey.

Tuesday September 18, 2012

If I were a sound.
I'd be laughter from a baby.

from Wednesday September 19, 2012

If I were a song. I'd be Imagine by John Lennon.

To see Imagine art by or inspired by John Lennon
 post from March 2010, look here

Imagine by John Lennon

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one