Away for awhile

Hello out there. Sorry that I have been away for awhile. I wish I could tell you I was on vacation or had another really good excuse. But I don't. Sometimes the computer just drains me. Do you ever feel like that? I'm not sure why, during those times it's all I can do to check my emails, let alone surf around and be productive in the blog world.

On another subject, I thought I'd share something I've been working on here. Remember that tree I cut out awhile back when I got carried away? Well, here is what I ended up doing with it. Please excuse the lack of depth in the photograph, I had a hard time getting a good shot of it.




I don't think it's done yet. It's kind of chaotic, there are no resting places for your eyes. However, there is something I like about that. So I think that I may just live with it on the wall of my studio for awhile until something else hits me about it. Behind the tree are some words taken from a song I really like by Phil Wickham called I will wait for you there. You really can't tell what they say, but I like knowing that they are there. It's how I was feeling while I was working on putting this piece together. My friend Melissa turned me onto Phil Whickham. He is a contemporary Christian artist, there is just something really different about his music. There is a certain depth to his music that I can get lost in. Here's what the verse says:

....and with outstretched arms I will sing out melodies
and my beating heart will pour out a symphony
Hallelujahs in the morning, Hallelujahs in the night
I will wait for you, as long as I have life.


Happy Monday everyone - hope it's a great week!

Summer

mmmm, summer..... hope yours is wonderfully warm and refreshing. i am in love with blueberries lately, they have been so sweet the last two times i bought them. i hope you are finding things you love this july. here are a few things that I have been loving...

austin evenings...the days have been blazing hot, but the evenings have been the perfect temperature with a slight breeze - perfect for sitting outside.

ice pops...when was the last time you ate one? we had some on the 4th of july and it was like taking a step back to childhood. i bought some the next time i went to the grocery store...

going swimming...i rarely went swimming when we lived in pennsylvania. mainly because i worked a normal job during the day and didn't have or know anyone who had a pool. i am loving the fact that now there is one right next door and the fact that we have very gracious neighbors who allow us to enjoy their pool with them.

that first moment when you walk outside and the heat hits you...and it warms you up because you've been freezing in the air conditioning all day.

that first moment when you walk back inside from outside and the cool air conditioning welcomes you back....

things like green, green grass and blue, blue skies...

anything that smells or tastes like coconut....

avocados....i can't eat enough of them since we moved here...

even though it's way too early, i love the fact that the school supplies are already out because it gives me the notion that september, october, november and december are only a short time away....they are my favorite months, even if it's not the same experience in texas as it was in the northeast.....

Carried Away

I always get carried away. My husband will agree with that statement for many areas of my life (i.e.- my ability to shop, worry and talk on the phone). Sometimes I get carried away when I'm working on a project - I hate to plan. A lot of times I run full steam ahead without really taking a look at what it is I'm doing.



I have had this background for awhile. I made it a few months ago and have been looking at it to try and figure out what exactly I want to do with it. Today, I jumped in with an idea that I had been mulling around in my head - full steam ahead. The background kind of reminded me of trees so I wanted branches and a bird..... notice I said branches....take a look at what I started out doing....



I got carried away. About half way through cutting this tree out I realized it was WAY too complicated and WAY too small for what I was doing. It's not like it will go to waste - I've already got it laid out on another canvas and am pretty excited about it. But it just made me laugh - a little planning may have been helpful....but then again, i wouldn't have gotten a pretty cool looking tree out of it if I had actually planned ahead :)

So here's what I ended up with...some slightly larger, slightly less complicated branches and a bird. This collage feels quiet to me. The bird almost blends into the background. Which I kind of like - almost as if it it doesn't know someone is watching it.



I am in LOVE with this lace paper that I used for the background. I love to use it as is and also to paint it to blend it in with whatever i am working on.




Be back soon - have a happy Tuesday!