Isn't Life Amazing? And a Giveaway!

Today was so warm and sunny.  I walked my dog along the old train tracks near my house and admired the beauty around me.  Still on the tracks, however, were trees and branches felled by Hurricane Sandy.  I thought about how fragile I have felt since the storm.  How does one treasure life and its ephemeral nature without becoming overcome with worry?

In my mind, this haiku took form:

Knowing as I do
that all I hold dear will change
how then live with joy?

When I came home, I wrote these words in my journal, and thought about how opposites or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the world and inside of us; how we're always striving to live with grace and a sense of balance.

(using the Dots & Dashes, and 6 Pointed Starry Night stencils from Stencil Girl)

Must we experience feeling fragile to recognize our strengths?  Do we need darkness to appreciate the light?  Do we know what pleasure is because we have felt pain?  Life is made up of all of this, and yes, it is beautiful and grand, but sometimes heartbreaking too.  Linking up to Frilly and Funkie's "Light" challenge. 

 List it Tuesday's theme this week at Artsyville is "small comforts."  Besides meditating, making soup, walking in the woods, cuddling with my kids and hubby, and connecting with friends, my "go to" thing for self-soothing is making art.  This weekend, I needed a lot of that, so I went on an ATC (artist trading card) making spree:

Because my next post will be my 100th post since starting this blog in March 2012 (I can hardly believe it), I am giving away 2 ATCs to one of the commenters to this post, my 99th.  So leave a comment (and for an extra chance, let me know if you follow my blog), and you might be chosen by Random.org to win two ATCs!  Then, check in on Thursday, December 6, to see if you won.  That post, my 100th post (!!) will also be the first post of the Stencil Test Drive, where Carolyn Dube, Michelle Rydell, Judy Shea and I will be giving the Hebrew Calligraphy stencils a whirl! 

UPDATE:  The winner of the medieval leaves stencil is Gloria!

Gloria  November 26, 2012 4:49 PM

Wonderful vibrant colors, loving sentiments and a picture of JOY! I would love to win a prize!  

Gloria, send your snail mail address to jessicabethsporn (at) gmail (dot) com and I will get your stencil right out to you!

Finally, instead of doing a holiday card with our photos this year, I decided to do a Santa/yoga card.  Here is our card for Christmas 2012.

I painted Santa, the tree and the yoga mat with watercolors, and then assembled it in photoshop.  Linking him to Christmas Cards All Year Round!

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

This I Believe

You must...

... if you want to smell the roses!

And now, a short list for Artsyville's List it Tuesday.  Warning -- this list may be shocking - discretion is advised...

The theme for the week:  Been There Done That!

1. Baking - I once baked.  I love when other people bake.  I truly admire people who bake.  But I don't bake.
2. Loading and un-loading the dishwasher - why?  Why not just use the clean dishes and pile them up in the sink until the dishwasher is empty and the sink is full, and then just put them back in the dishwasher.  What's the point of putting the dishes in the cabinet? 
3. Putting away my clean clothes -- why not just live out of the laundry basket?  Take 'em out, throw 'em back in.  
4. Spending a lot of time on my hair - once upon a time I ironed it on an ironing board (in the age before blow dryers), wrapped it in orange juice cans -- anything to straighten it out.  No more.  I'm au-natural baby!
5. Backpacking through Europe, traveling without reservations and just seeing what will happen, roughing it ... I did a lot of that as a teen and young adult.  I don't need a swimming pool, but at least give me a comfy bed and at least one pillow!
6. Clubbing/bar hopping/partying like it's 1999.  A good night's sleep trumps those in my book.
7. Meaningless romantic interludes... now, all I need is my sweet husband.
8. Extreme fitness workouts -- I'll trade "no pain no gain" for "no laughter no happiness" any day!
9. The mile high club -- overrated -- uncomfortable.  

No more time for these "been there, done that, things."  Time to STOP, close my eyes, and BREATHE!
  
How about you -- do you have a "been there, done that" you're willing to share?

Also linking up to Spark Your Creativity Now,  Show Me What You've Got, 
Art Journal Every Day and Creative Every Day Month.  Lots of inspiring artists to visit!
 
Thank you for visiting! I read and treasure every comment and will answer any questions as quickly as I can.

List it Tuesday

I was feeling glum today (just saying the word "glum" immediately evokes that feeling), when I saw that Aimee at Artsyville finally has her power back on after nearly two weeks.  Even without electricity, she managed to post pithy (and attractive) commentaries post Hurricane Sandy life.  But she's baaa-aack - and so is List it Tuesday.  This week is a double list week - list your favorite movie quotes and also make a list of list topics!

Well that sounded like fun.  And an excuse to dive into You Tube.  Here are some of my favorite movie quotes and moments:

From the 1978 version of Heaven Can Wait, one of my all time favorite movies:
[Tony Abbott, after ushering the shreiking Mrs. Julia Farnsworth out of her husband's office, returns to the office and, from the doorway, says]
Tony Abbott: Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Farnsworth. Mrs. Farnsworth saw a mouse.
Betty Logan: She just saw a mouse?
Tony Abbott: No. Before. Outside. But she relives it.

From Five Easy Pieces:  "Now all you have to do is hold the chicken salad and just bring me the toast." 

From Postcards From the Edge:  Is it my fault that my skirt accidently twirled up?  And also:  I'm not a box, I don't have sides.  This is it.  One side fits all. 

From Bowfinger:  nothing's really said in this clip but it's one of my all time favorites!

From Annie Hall - Woody Allen's shark simile about relationships. 

From Back to the Future:  "Why are things so heavy in the future?  Is there a problem with the earth's gravitational pull?"

 From Forrest Gump:  From that moment on, Jenny and me was like peas and carrots.

And of course, From A League of Their Own: "There's no crying in baseball."

By the time I watched all of these clips, I was feeling downright giddy.  So I made this journal page:

Thanks Aimee!

Here are some other things that made me happy today:

• Reading that Marjie Kemper just became a member of the Eclectic Paperie Design Team.  Marjie is a phenomenal artist who I met at Art is You in October.  We had been blog friends, and it was so nice to meet in person.  Best of all, it turns out that Marjie lives about 5 minutes from my lake cabin, so we'll definitely be sharing some cocktails this summer!  Marjie just opened an Etsy shop -- check it out!

• Finding this amazing collection of tutorials by Roben-Marie, and these by Michelle Reuss.

• An email exchange with Carolyn Dube, who wrote:  "Cool, I just didn't want to do something unintentionally…I have a gift with that some times…"   It's always so great to find out that other people feel just like you do!

• Discovering that one of my paintings was featured on Kristal Norton's blog, and on Miriam Schulman's blog and Etsy collection. I can't lie -- it feels good to be noticed!

Aimee - for a future List it Tuesday - how about a list of words that sound just like what they mean.  Like "glum."

Linking to Artsyville and Mandarin Orange Monday.  

So what gets you out of a blue mood?  Let me know.

And thank you for visiting! If you are so moved, please leave a comment. Hearing from you means the world to me.

Words of Wisdom

 

More of the chickies.  This time strutting phrases of wisdom I have heard or overheard:

• Labor is a craft, but relaxing is an art.
• Sometimes the most important thing to hear is what isn't being said.
• We have two ears and one mouth so that we will listen more than speak.
• Instant gratification takes too long!
• Procrastinate now, don't put it off 'til later.
• Resist temptation, unless you can't.
• You can never go wrong with black, except for sometimes.
• You can't chew with someone else's teeth.
• Just because it's worth saying doesn't mean it's worth repeating.
• You can't ride two horses with one behind.
• A half-truth is a whole lie.

Happy List it Tuesday!

Thank you for visiting! If you are so moved, please leave a comment. Hearing from you means the world to me.

Why I Love Where I Live

I never EVER thought I would say I like living in New Jersey.  I was a New York City kid.  Born and bred in Brooklyn, New York.  I went to high school in Manhattan (to the High School of Performing Arts, or the "Fame" school), and then lived in Manhattan through college and law school.  When I got married at 28 and moved to New Jersey, I didn't even have a driver's license!  For months I rode around on a bicycle like Elmira Gulch in the Wizard of Oz.  But then, winter came, it snowed, and I had to learn how to drive!

But I've come to love where I live, and here's why:

• I'm only 15 miles from New York - so I can go "home" anytime I want to.;
• Glen Ridge is small -- only around 6000 people.  Everyone knows everyone's business, which is sometimes what I don't like.  However when something bad happens, everyone comes together;
•  the town is very pretty -- many different styles of homes, wide sidewalks, pretty gardens;
• both of my daughters were born here;
• my block is great -- wonderful families and I love my house and garden;
• it's only one hour to our lake community, Pine Lake;
• we're only 20 minutes from Newark International Airport so traveling is very easy;
• we're 1 hour from the beach -- the Jersey Shore!;
• I'm less than one hour from all of my immediate family;
• the neighboring towns have great restaurants;
• I've made wonderful friends here.
• great parks, nearby hiking; fun town events, lots of trees, and my town is famous for its gas lamps!

An example of the town banding together - sadly:  Last Tuesday, a high school senior died of an accident.  The town has come together for his family and peers in the most loving, supportive way.  I did not know him, but I knew his stepsister and many of his classmates.  I created this artwork for his family:

The text uses lyrics by Linkin Park, which I found through Scrapping the Music's current challenge. 

Thank you for visiting! If you are so moved, please leave a comment. Hearing from you means the world to me.

Linking up to List it Tuesday at Artsyville.  

Fall Fearless Challenge One, Part Two & A List!

More thinking about the future because of the Fall Fearless and Fly challenge at Artists in Blogland.  On the left of this two-page art journal spread is a very "stream of consciousness" list of things I hope to do and be someday - que algún día si Dios quiere -- as my husband would say!

How could I ever be all that I hope to be, or do all that hope to do?  Every day new, and one step at a time.

You can link up to Artists in Blogland through Sunday.  I hope you will!  If you don't, I hope you'll check in on Monday for the second challenge!  Ronda Palazzari will be our guest artist!  We're very excited.

Today's prompt at Artsyville's List it Tuesday is "I'm a Sucker for..." Here's what I did:

I collaged book pages and then scraped turquoise and white acrylic paint with a credit card.  Lots of little bits of handmade papers and leftovers from my stash went into creating the hearts, which I then doodled around with black fluid acrylics and a tiny paint brush.  The border is stamped with a stamp I hand carved in Julie Balzer's class.  I journaled my list around the hearts.  In case you can't read it, it goes like this:

I'm a Sucker for (in no particular order):

SUNSHINE:  basking in it, the sight of it streaming through the window, sun glimmering off wet tree leaves, any kind of sunshine connects me with all things holy and sacred;

ART: classes, retreats, paint, pastels, stencils, stamps, markers, pens, notebooks, and now clay!;

LETTERS: fonts, lettering, handwritten letters, old air mail stationary, old mail, letter stamps, and word eytmology;

YOGA: philosophy, classes, clothes, books, jewelry, art;

FLANNEL: sheets, p.j.s, bathrobes, quilts, blankets -- anything cozy!;

LITTLE THINGS: miniatures, collectibles, cameos, doll houses, fairy villages, decorative erasers, pebbles -- anything tiny;

A FEW FOODIE THINGS:  Cinnamon toast, guacamole, the roasted chestnuts you get on the street in New York at Christmas time, really crispy and salty french fries, and sweetened condensed milk!;

A WORTHY CAUSE - I will do anything for someone in need - which is how we've ended up sponsoring 3 families in Guatemala, 3 children through Save The Children, and our foster son;

ANYTHING MY DAUGHTERS NEED...

"If you need me, call me, I'll be there in a hurry, no need to worry..."

I realize I left off something very important to me --
ALL THINGS FRENCH:  the language, the country, the history, the food... - Alors là!

Thank you for visiting! If you are so moved, please leave a comment. Hearing from you means the world to me.

List it Tuesday Again!

Catching up with List it Tuesday - Here's this week's list - things you can do in 15 minutes to boost your creativity:

• sit quietly and reflect on the blessings in my life;
• go outside and take a walk in nature;
• create a background wash in my journal;
• make a zentangle or doodle;
• watch a "how to" video on You Tube -- so many wonderful artists great tutorials... check out Julie Balzer's tutorial using the cloud stencil I used above; and this great canvas tutorial by Ronda Palazzari;
• Carve a stamp - if you don't know how, check out this video;
• throw some veggies and broth into my crock pot so there's dinner later!;
• use some of Jane Davies' scribble paint techniques to make my own collage paper;
• go through magazines and clip images for collage and inspiration;
• write someone a thank you card or note to say hello or sorry or something loving;
• turn on music and dance around or sing really loud;
• shift my perspective by standing on my head, doing a handstand, or just hanging off a chair or the bed!;
• jump on the trampoline;
• do a sun salutation or two;
• take a cat nap! 

There are so many more, but these were the first ones that came to mind.  How about you - what are some quick and easy creative things you do, or things that nurture your creativity?

Here's a great TED talk video on building your creative confidence.  You can watch it in under 15 minutes!

Thank you for visiting! If you are so moved, please leave a comment. Hearing from you means the world to me.  Linking up to Paint Party Friday,   Show and Tell Saturday, and Art Journal Everyday.

List It Tuesday

Artsyville has a fun challenge called "List it Tuesday."  Last Tuesday's prompt was to list things that make you nostalgic.  Here's mine.  

 

The first things that came to mind are:

Basketball sneakers (once upon a time I lived to play basketball!);
American Girl Dolls -- just this weekend we packed them all up -- so many memories of my daughter Mariel and her friend Sarah playing with them;
Airdale Terriers - memories of my childhood dog, Penny
Brooklyn -- where I grew up
Puzzles -- fond memories of doing them as a family
Pancakes -- my dad can do a quadruple flip!
Clogs -- brings back memories of middle school
The Pink Panther -- loved those Peter Sellers movies
Black hooded sweaters -- my mom had one she wore a lot -- and I remember her wearing it the day JFK was shot.

That's all I could fit on this page, but there are more -- buttercups, overalls, tie dye, finger painting ... what makes you nostalgic?

Yesterday's list is creative things you can do in 15 minutes.  Does blogging count?

Thank you for visiting! If you are so moved, please leave a comment. Hearing from you means the world to me.