Holiday Greetings!

I hope this season is being kind to you and yours. It's hard to imagine that another year is almost over...let's hope that 2010 will be a year of healing and good fortune for all!

I've been trying to get a photo of Max in his Xmas attire, but he's not cooperating at all--he's turned into something of a grinch I'm afraid. No ho-ho spirit at all. All I asked was that he let me put on some little elf ears and shoes so that I could take a photo. But no, he would only agree to this jingly collar, and only one photo. And look at that scowl--hmph, I'm thinking he's going to get some coal in his stocking. No catnip this time around.

On another note, have you seen what the uber-talented DJ Pettitt is up to now?! She's offering an amazing online Photoshop class--YES! I've known DJ for a few years now and I've always said that she's the hardest working artist I know. Her development of this workshop is no exception, and I know for sure that it's worth well over the price of admission! Class registration closes on January 4, so hurry on over and check it out here.

sample from DJ's online class

And how lucky are we that she's teaching at An Artful Journey in February AND in July of next year? Her class is filled for the February retreat, but there's still space next July. It's not too early to be dreaming of summer...

In addition to DJ, there's Richard Salley, Stephanie Lee, Katie Kendrick and Judy Wise--all amazingly talented instructors and kind, warmhearted souls. Just the kind of people I want to surround myself with in the new year. How about you? In these challenging times, I'm finding it more important than ever to spend time with those who lift my spirits, and to make time for activities that bring me joy. I feel enormously blessed that I'm able to offer these classes--I hope you'll consider coming and spending some time with us. You can check it all out here.

Enjoy this special time with family and friends--hope to see you in the New Year!

Journalfest Memories...

This post is long overdue but the fond memories of attending Journalfest in Port Townsend are still fresh in my mind. It was a great retreat, as are all events that Teesha and Tracy host. I flew into Seattle where I met up with Robin for the drive over to Fort Worden. I haven't been up there for a few years and I've missed it so much.

We had great weather, as you can see. It was brisk but absolutely gorgeous!

We spent three days taking classes, shooting photos, hanging out with friends, walking around town, and doing some good eating. Oh yeh, and we did some journaling too!

I had a great class with Orly Avinieri--if you ever get a chance to take a workshop with her, do it! Such an interesting woman, and a wonderful spirit--she's a sheer joy.

Karen Michel and Traci Bautista, and me and Vivian Young-McDonald hamming it up for the camera.

Here's Karen goofing off while she sets up for the Artist's sale.

The fabulous mother and daughter-in-law duo, Traci and Marylinn Huskamp.

And Stephanie Lee and hubby, Vince, collaborating during the Journal Jam.

The sunrise greeting us as we packed up to leave...

A 'drive-by shooting' out the car window as we headed to Seattle for an overnight stay...

It was pouring when we woke up the next morning, so we took advantage of our time there and did some journaling in the hotel room.

Once the rain subsided, we wandered down to the Public Market where I got these shots--fresh produce and weathered wall posters.
This fish decor was in the Dahlia Lounge, one of chef Tom Douglas' fabulous restaurants. We had an amazing lunch, then went next door to the Dahlia Bakery. The only thing I remember was the Coconut Pie Bite. I'm not particularly fond of coconut pie, but this was to die for. Seriously. We walked down the streets of Seattle, just licking our fingers and groaning--must've raised some eyebrows! We had eaten at the Palace Kitchen the night before, one of his other restaurants. The food there was impressive as well, so if you're in town, you might want to check out one of his haunts. Good stuff!

Till next year...

An Artful Journey Registration

An Artful Journey July 18-22, 2010--registration opens tomorrow at noon!

I've got a great group of instructors, each of whom is teaching a 3-day class in order to provide you with the luxury of really exploring a project in-depth. Stephanie Lee has developed a brand-new workshop, Foundology, brimming with jewelry-making techniques that will unearth the latent archeologist in you.

Judy Wise is taking her dollmaking/journaling talents to a whole new level in her Storybook Dolls class (can you imagine the cast of characters that will come out of that class??)

The fabulous artist/jeweler Richard Salley is offering a full three days of metalsmithing in his Cold Connection Extravaganza class--a great opportunity to really learn the craft.

In DJ Pettitt's class, Synergy of Forms, she'll share newly developed techniques as well as familiar ones, as you create collage pages that will then be bound into a true work of art.

And Katie Kendrick will help you work from your intuition in her new workshop, Dream Narratives, using fabric, painting, drawing, stitching, and other techniques.
We're going to have a seriously fabulous time at the Presentation Center in the Santa Cruz mountains, hanging out, making art, sharing, talking--maybe doing a little swimming, a little hiking. You know, all that cool California stuff. You should join us!

Check out all the retreat details here...

First up, Houston...

I took a little journey to Houston, checking out the International Quilt Show there. DJ and I went and helped out a bit in Lesley Riley's booth, wandered the aisles, took some photos, and had some adventures in our short time there, including: getting stuck in an elevator (and not even realizing it had stopped); riding a bikecab for the first time; being evacuated from the hotel; taking photos at midnight on the downtown streets; leaving purses and suitcases in various places; having my return flight canceled, etc.




And we ran into familiar (and not so familiar) faces! It was a nice surprise...

Up next...Journalfest

Give-Away Winner

Quick post as I'm running from one adventure to yet another. Houston was an interesting trip--more on that later. Right now I"m trying to get packed to leave for Journalfest in Port Townsend, WA. I'm SO looking forward to going back to PT again; it's been way too long. Maybe I'll see some of you there?

On another note, congratulations to Elke for winning the packet of vintage papers! Elke, please email me with your mailing address and I'll get that off to you after I return next week.

Now back to my packing dilemma--Max isn't making things easy on me. Think he's trying to tell me something?

Sharing the bounty...

Lest you think my 'hunting and gathering' interests lie exclusively with fabrics, think again. I love vintage ledgers, old script, diaries, bookkeeping records, all of them. They conjure up memories of summers spent at my grandparent's in Walnut Grove--a much simpler, slower time.

It's impossible to convey in a photo just how HUGE these books are--they are so heavy that I can't even lift the three of them (and I carry around both grandkids all the time!). They date from the late 1800's to the early 1900's and were filled with layer upon layer of old invoices at one time. Some of them are missing now, but there are still plenty to share! (I can only claim 1/2 ownership of the largest book, due to an unintentional Ebay 'bidding war' with a friend, but that's a story for another time!)

And this gorgeous book from a horse stable has page after page of meticulous handwritten records of "horses bought and sold" from 1901-1905. It was not inexpensive, but worth every penny.




So here's my offer. Leave a comment on my blog and I'll randomly choose someone next Sunday to receive a Provisions packet with an emphasis on vintage papers.

Here's a sampling of what you might receive...

I'll get back to fabrics on my next give-away, as that definitely seems to be Max's preference....

Self-Portrait Wednesday

Sunday Flea Market

We left at 7am for the Flea Market yesterday, expecting fog, cold and wind. Instead we got this--a perfectly beautiful fall day with the San Francisco skyline greeting us. No wonder all these people are heading that way...we just followed the crowds.

I didn't purchase much on this trip (well, except for the 7' tiered, rusted iron garden thingie that now sits in my living room with fabric spilling out of it) but I managed to take a few photos.


Seems like most folks were in a contemplative mood, except for this fellow, who just looked a bit stunned by all the activity.

Stephanie pretty much summed up our mood for the day!