This I Believe

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year."  Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Emerson wrote these words about time.  He called it the great illusion -- that we live as though the best days are yet to come, and take the present moment for granted.   On the one hand, when we're having a bad day, it is comforting to think that our best days are yet to come.  But if we wake up with the attitude that today will be ordinary, chances are it will be. 

This quote inspired me to honor my parents.  They truly embrace each day to the fullest.  There's not a Broadway show, opera, museum exhibit or concert that they don't see.  They have traveled extensively.  When they're not at a performance or out of the country, they're dining out with their friends, walking on the Coney Island boardwalk, volunteering somewhere, or visiting their children and grandchildren.  They have joie-de-vivre to the max!

This is the quote of the month at Artists in Blogland's Color This Quote challenge, which starts tomorrow.  What does it make you think about?  Share your creation with other artists here!

Materials and process:  This is the back cover of a book I altered (I'll be showing the rest in my next post!).  I cut the niche to fit the photo, and then collaged book pages through and around the opening using matte medium.  I also used Tim Holtz Symphony tissue tape underneath the quote.  I stenciled the squares using my borders stencil, mixing mica powder and glass bead gel to create the glittery texture.  The heart and rose are polymer clay baked in my (accident proof) Amaco oven (thank you Judy Shea for your wonderful class!), and I made the leaves using fiber paste painted onto deli paper, then cut and stained with fluid acrylics (green gold, quinacridone magenta and nickel azo gold and carbon black).

Submitting to the challenges at Stampotique (SDC88-use text) and at City Crafter (all that glitters).

Linking to the blog hops at  Create With Joy,  Creative Everyday, Make It Monday, and Monday Mantras.

Thank you for visiting! I read and treasure every comment and will answer any questions as quickly as I can.