The Artistic Life

2011-12-21T15:10:00.001-06:00

these days are sweet
my little ones are preparing,
counting the seconds
until Christmas morning.
like the original children
naming the coarse sugar
that sparkles on the tongue
from the curve of a cookie

I am tempted to hide
from the loud goodness that is here
but I enter the kitchen of seasons
composed and ready
my tranquility measured out
in spoonfuls
by my God who knows how much I need

today, everyday

2011-12-17T10:30:00.001-06:00

And so life goes on
dogs fight and get hurt
unplanned vet visits are added
to an already busy week,
somehow school gets fitted in,
the toddler screams for a 'nu nu'
Mama tries to understand
as the laundry quietly grows
and lunchtime rolls round again

But later the lights are lit
on the living room tree
and the world becomes low and pretty
all woes forgotten, forgiven even,
the sounds are soothed in the dim space
and now appreciated for the life and soul they represent

the light always moves us like that
showing over and over a place of birth
a sudden energy, a new spirit
that makes everything brighter.

It's the season

2011-12-15T10:46:00.001-06:00

It's the season of sparkles

and lights, evergreens and globes,

smiles and counting down,

full days and forgotten diets.

It's the season of caroling,

red scarfs and hats,

plates of cookies, homemade and sugary

of silent nights,

stars that appear in the sky, magically.

It's the season of the nativity

being shepherds or angels,

Mary wearing blue, Joseph standing by

in awe of what his woman has done.

It's the season of a gift given

wrapped and unwrapped

so inspiring

the thank you note is a book

written day in, day out

until the season comes again

and we find the next chapter is only beginning.

Update

2011-10-05T01:26:00.007-05:00

Annie, 5 and Shona

I feel rusty. Blogging. We used to be such good friends!

I am just popping in with an update.

Writing - I am still plodding through editing my novel. Two wonderful friends read it and gave me excellent feedback, all of which I took to heart. But the best thing was they loved it! They wanted to keep reading to find out what happens next. That was what I wanted, no needed, to hear. So the story is in place and working. The sentences and grammar, well, I'm still hacking away at that.

I have started the process of writing another book. I have to say I prefer the creative production of the story to the editing process.

Photography - my iphone and I have become inseparable! And all those processing apps have cut down on the time it used to take to upload, import to photoshop, upload to the net etc. iphone - very busy artistic mom friendly indeed!

Mixed media - not so much. I have only so much time for creativity and until I get these stories out of my system I am loyal to the writing process. One day I will crawl out of this cave and return to my first love, visual art. She is letting me go for now.

The apartment - completed and beautiful. We use it almost everyday for college classes my husband leads and a kid's art class I am teaching with Shannon Mucha. (I plan to take some good photos of the finished place soon and post them).

Lily, 9

And my family. My people. The lights of my life. The reason I get up in the morning. The beauty of my day.

Nothing could tear me away from this life, this mothering, this homeschooling world. So here are a couple of photos of my beautiful kids. A time stamp.

Oh and anyone interested in seeing photos from our 2011 summer in Ireland I have made a set of photos here in Flickr or on Facebook.

Laura, 7 looking so like me when I was little

Matthew, 11 got a new dog, Athena the perfect little dog for our family

Maximus James, almost 2, all boy, obsessed with trains and movement

Lily at her first gymnastics competition

The utter joy of homeschooling with our friends the Muchas. Bringing paintings to life.

excuses

2011-06-23T23:04:00.004-05:00

Just a quick note to explain my absence - I have been writing a novel!

Yep, I always wanted to do it, but never had the confidence or the story to actually do it. I tried about two years ago and set that aside. Back in March I needed a new creative project and I found an old journal where I wrote to myself about my big dream to write a novel. I knew the time was right, I couldn't put it off anymore, so I just started. It took me about 3 months to write, writing a little every day. I finished my first draft at midnight on June 12.

Now I am in the editing process. I am reading my words through and seeing so many flaws. The story is good, but needs so much shaping and pushing and pulling. This process is not as fun as the initial writing, but without sever editing no one will ever read it.

So on I plod. Making time, showing up to do the work no matter what kind of day I had. I am applying all the processes that I talked about in my book, The Artistic Mother. I am fitting creativity into my busy mommy life.

I would be lost without a creative project. It just happens that this year it is writing.

Kitchen colors!!

Well... and house designing/decorating too. These past few months as I mentioned in previous posts I have been birthing a new apartment. We are converting our garage into a granny flat. It is almost finished (next stop wood floors, then plumbing fixtures, paint touch ups and viola). My head has turned the corner to decorating - today I went to Target to pick out bedding and dish towels. I won't be able to fully furnish the place before we leave for Ireland this summer, but it will be ready enough. I will post pictures next month when it is closer.

Lily, 9 T-shirt painting

And of course, life with children continues. We have been doing a little school, just reading and writing, drawing and crafts, always crafts!

I hope you, dear visitor, are well and I do apologize for disappearing from blog land. All of my creative energy has been tied up in non-internet related activities. And it feels good. I am where I need to be right now.

Blank slate update

2011-05-06T20:10:00.000-05:00

I have decided on the color scheme!!! It seemed that 'cool' was most popular, thank you to those who commented and emailed me, your input was helpful in my decision making process.

My husband Mark weighed in also and said we needed to pick a color that allowed us to put furniture from our house out there (he plans on buying some new things for our house), so that means we have to go somewhat warm (as most of our furniture is heavy and dark). I found a compromise. I have chosen colors inspired by the stonework on the outside of my house and a tray with a glass bead handle that my husband won at a silent auction this week.

On the walls I will do a light, yellowy beige, the trim will be white and in some of the rooms the walls will be a light sea green blue/gray. The accent colors will be burnt orange and turquoise. The fixtures stainless steel and the countertops black (with flecks of blue and yellow). I found a tile at Home Depot with all the colors in it for the backsplash in the kitchen. I am very pleased with how this is going!!!

If you are interested I did a video update and posted it to Facebook.

Blank slate

2011-05-03T11:43:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know I am a lucky girl right now. I get to choose the color scheme for the granny flat we are building. This week I need to choose do I go warm, like my current house...

or cool...

I think my mother would like cool, Lily & Matthew wants cool. Mark likes bold, warm and colorful but will go with whatever I choose. I am torn. When I am looking at house books I always like to look at the cool, sea colored, shabby chic houses, but when I am in a furniture store I always go with big and heavy and medieval.

torn, torn, torn

I have this blank slate to work with. I think I will be mood boarding this week.

View from door to French doors off living room

View from living room towards back bedroom (left) and study (right)

View from living room to kitchen, that window will have the sink below it

Taped, floated and ready for paint. Oh, I have to pick cabinet and counter top colors too!!

Do you have any suggestions for helping me make that choice?

Creative Spring

2011-04-20T09:19:00.005-05:00

First things first....

Homeschool Mom advice.
Beading - colorful. bold.
It is the thing to do when she is 5 and everyone else is doing school.

Second. This: I am taking my own advice (the words I laid down in my book). Living day by day my own creative dream. Fitting art time into my day, everyday.

This time not mixed media, not even photography. I am writing. Creative writing. I feel like I am flying.

I hate to be so oblique here and not tell you exactly what I am working on. It is so against my nature to not be straight forward. But I have to honor the Spring of my creative venture. At least for now.

And my kids are ever growing and pushing inwards and I have to meet that challenge. I have to help keep their world moving forward. I have to keep them challenged and encouraged. Everyday my husband and I wonder where each of their huge personalities come from. One day is more awesome and creative than the next.

I look back at this blog and I am amazed at how many people I have met. It is wonderful to have found so many people who 'get' what I am doing here with my art and book and homeschooling and all that. People that are committed to living the artistic life in their homes too. I don't want to loose that. So please, while I am not blogging regularly please don't forget me. I will have something awesome for you in a few months. Seriously. Trust me. I am using my time diligently. I am excited and hopeful.

Stamp from CRESCENDOh 'Everyday Me' by Christine Mason Miller.

A touch of nostalgia

2011-04-13T13:14:00.000-05:00

I made this using a supplies from Stampington & Co. For directions on how to make this card pocket folder please go here.

frozen in time

I see an old friend

from way back

he is looking in the window

of a store on Grafton street

his image tight

never older

I am looking from above

leaning from a small wooden chair

in Bewely’s mezzanine

and he doesn’t see me

he doesn’t even remember

those days, ‘Dublin

in a rainstorm in the summer

keeping warm’. But I remember it

I remember his thin shoulders

would pull up when he laughed

bending at the waist towards me

the smell of his leather jacket

I thought we would never make 19

‘we’ didn’t

but 'I' did

that was the year I met

the true love that

misses my shape when

when I am late for bed,

that knows my face

older now and loves me more.

‘Dublin in a rainstorm in the summer keeping warm’
- a line from my favorite Sinead O’Connor song ‘Troy’

Fresh

2011-04-09T01:58:00.002-05:00

Thank you to my sweet girls for doing the 'beauty shot'

These are so cute - ABC flashcards. The directions, with photos, are over at CRESCENDOh. I know they are not 'art' but they represent so much of my life - making stuff for and with my kids. I made the cards for Max, but my girls set up the shot, adding in bits and pieces to make it a little group shot.

It just makes me smile.

I am going to finish off the rest of the alphabet by the time Max need them. I think I will have to get them laminated as they won't last as they are!

Being creative is such a joy, really. Creativity is a big part of our home and life. It makes everything possible and exciting. Everyday something happens here that is new and fun and artistic, be that my kids painting, building fairy houses and pet shop worlds or me making decisions on the apartment we are building for my parents making a necklace. A couple of posts ago I mentioned that I needed a big project. Well, I found one! I am not ready to reveal it until I have waded in a little deeper. But I am excited. I have something fresh to work on. I love fresh. I love spring. Don't you?

Around my home

2011-03-29T13:51:00.001-05:00

I took a workshop called 'A Slice of Inspiration' with Darrah Parker over at the wishstudio. I didn't know it until I was doing it that I really, really needed that class. It was refreshing to walk around with her 'seeing' suggestions, capturing those details that I see but sometimes don't see.....

printer's drawers that house my bills and receipts

the almost tidy stairs where the light is lovely in the morning

lamp that was a glass jar at my entry

Max's trike in the fireplace???!!!

oh my speakers that make everything lovely

his patient waiting to get up

school in PJs

fridge love

I think that I like when my art time allows me 'see' my life, cause when I am just living it I know only the messy mundane.

Max is a typical 15 month old - climbing on tables and chairs, flushing the toilet, opening the fridge, rummaging in the pantry, spilling things just because he can. He is not bad, just curious. And messy. I can't watch him like I would a first child because I have to do school with the others. And so, he bounces around making messes that I have to tidy. I am so glad that God saw fit to give me an artistic vision. He knew I would not survive this crazy life without it!

Art has a life of it's own

2011-03-25T17:58:00.000-05:00

I was really moved by this quote on Chatting at the Sky this week. Emily has been writing about art this year on her blog, so I have become a regular reader. She is a lovely writer, and seems like a nice, gentle, kind soul herself.

I am looking ahead and laying out possible 'big' artistic projects I want to work on. I have things I am making and I am doing creative things everyday - recently I have made 3 necklaces, altered a small journal cover, made a couple of cards, did a home photoshoot for the wishBIG ecamp (which I posted on Flickr), played with photoshopping two images together, wrote a few poems, edited 2 super short kid's videos and have a couple of mixed media projects for the weekend. And this will continue, but I need something new and consuming. Something exciting.

Usually, I panic when I don't have a project right in front of me. I get insecure. I call Shannon. I bug my husband. I flap my hands at God, even though I know that this in between project stage is part of the creative process. I just have to learn to let it sit well with me. Be okay with the uncertainty.

I think there is a little fear in me that I may never do anything worth a lick again. I am afraid that is it, the well is closed. But when I look back, that is never the case. I am constantly finding new things that excite me to do.

But also, and why I like Emily's quote, "art has a life of it's own". So, art will find me as it always does.

Journal prompt download

2011-03-23T00:03:00.003-05:00

I created a pdf download to accompany my Good Coach series over at CRESCENDOh this month. Well, the download is available in this week's post and will be in the archives from now on!

There are 12 mixed media cards, some of which look like these photos (6 sheets, 2 up on a page) ready for you to print out at home and write on or cut up or whatever. Each card has a journal prompt that is related to the topic of artistic mothering. Just a little something to get you thinking.

If you want to download free some of my art head on over here.

I also created a little folder to hold the 12 journaling cards so I have included also the how to directions for making the journal. It is really a simple project, and if you like folders and papers and books it is a satisfying project too. I hope you will take a moment to go visit and let me know your thoughts.

Oh and this weeks post is '5 tips for making time for art'. I wrote some pretty common sense things, but you know I need to be reminded of even the simplest things. When I doubt that, my husband says 'everyone knows how to do sit ups and other basic exercises, but there are countless exercise programs and books on the market which present some very basic truths over and over. He is right, we need to continually review and be reminded and refreshed. Sometimes the simplest things are the hardest to keep doing!

These are the directions you get when you download the journal folder how to instructions!

I really appreciate Jenny Doh for creating this wonderful art space called CRESCENDOh and giving me the opportunity to be a part of it.

What happened at the front gate?

2011-03-21T00:25:00.004-05:00

1:30 pm, I am at the front gate
sitting on the iron two seater
listening to my son cry for 'out' -
out of the stroller
out the straps that contain his form
of the wheels that brought him here.
He wants to explore -
walk the road
pick up rocks
examine the mail.

He knows not that there
is danger on the road -
fast cars, fire ants piled on the edge.
But more, he knows not that I am tired
I want to, no need to, sit here
quietly on this solid bench
away from the house
from the familiar asking of his siblings
from the sound of Schoolhouse Rock
multiplication songs,
songs, I know now by heart

He persists
he is his own energy force
and I am weak to his red round lips
his blond layers, his little boy blue.

A simple click of the red button
and he is free!

I rise and follow,
capture.

My camera now full of life.

I am breaking all the poetry rules by doing something so literal, but you know poetry of the ordinary is worth the rebellion ;)

Me too! video

2011-03-16T03:16:00.000-05:00

Being the youngest of five Maximus has a lot of kids to watch and learn from. Fortunately, my big kids are wholesome and creative, fun and happy. Maximus likes to be with them and do what they do, go with their flow, join in the noise and be part of the ruckus.

The latest fad in the Cole home is scootering. Everyday my kids (minus Annie, who is just not the sporty type) go around and around the house, the garage, the driveway on their razor scooters. Their favorite place to scooter is outside on the road..... you can see what Max sees and how he wants to do it too:

Me Too! from Shona Cole on Vimeo.

And Laura, her sweet servant heart, is ready to help him in anyway he needs.

How is this boy only 10?

and me too! After that I raised the handle bars and man, those things can go fast!!!

If you are on Spring break, I hope you are having some fun family time. We are not as we had too much time off in January when my family were here! But it is hard to keep focused on grammar and math when the weather is so good in Texas. It is like an Irish summer, fresh and lovely. I love Spring.

**********

I have a post over on CRESCENDOh about working with kids, it is a part 2 from last week's. I am talking about being mentally and physically prepared for doing art with kids. There is some meat there, some things to think about. I hope you check it out and if you do please leave me a comment and tell me your thoughts.

Motherhood v the world

2011-03-12T11:04:00.000-06:00

I am not deaf to his call,

his smile, his neediness

I am not confused by the next step

he and I will take

His grip on my leg

so constant, so familiar

easing my days,

eclipsing the world outside.

By Shona Cole

I talk!

2011-03-09T09:33:00.000-06:00

Last week I was interviewed by Jamie Ridler for her podcast series. I packed a whole lot of words into about 15 minutes about creativity in my life.

a necklace I made yesterday, photo by Lily

The questions she posed were essentially these:

Tell us a bit about yourself and your creative life.
How do you invite your creativity out to play?
As a creative person, what do you find to be your biggest challenge and how do you overcome it?
What advice would you give to people who want to express more creativity in their lives?
What's next for you?
Where can people find you?

So follow this link to hear the full podcast.

(Super unprofessional disclaimer: I have a hard time listening to the sound of my voice. As I am posting this I have only listened to about 30 seconds of my part of the podcast. Jamie sounds great, but from me all I could hear was 'like' and 'um'. So I turned it off. But Shannon listened and said it sounds like me, and she should know we are on the phone every day.)

I really appreciate Jamie taking the time to include me in her very full line up of wonderful, creative women. For a full list go here.

At the end of the podcast I mention 2 places to find me in March:

1) Over at CRESCENDOh's 'The Good Coach' series, talking about motherhood and art with kids.

2) Leading one of ten online workshops at the Wishstudio's - wishBig eCamp. It is an amazing line up of teachers, including Jamie Ridler. It is on march 21 – march 27, 2011. For details and to sign up go here.

My workshop is on creating and decorating an Artistic Vision Statement, which is a vital tool in keeping your art fires burning, especially when you have little kids in your life.

My latest kid's crafts

2011-03-08T01:05:00.002-06:00

So moving on from my introspective post yesterday (thank you for all the supportive comments) - Annie got a very cool craft book from Shannon's little girl Nomi for her 5th birthday. It is called Make it by Jane Bull. We have slowly been working through the projects.

I love this book cause you get to use stuff you already own. I believe it is a matter of good character to not waste things and to use what we have to the fullest. I rarely have anything to donate as we use stuff until it is ruined or altered!

paper mache bowl by Annie, 5

I love how my girls approach crafts. Every day they make something out of whatever is around the house whether I initiate it or not. And when they do, they are so enthusiastic, they always run into their dad (who works from home) to show him what they made. They are addicted to his constantly over the top, positive reaction to every little morsel they make! And then they want me to photograph it! So sweet. Art is a family affair in the Cole home.

Bags made from old jeans - these were super simple to make and so cute!!

Annie wanted to set up her mat like the one in the book!

I know that doing art with kids can seem overwhelming. But I believe that it is worth the time, effort and inevitable mess! Really, art is an essential part of my kid's education. Over at CRESCENDOh this week I have a fun, practical post about introducing art to your kids. Next week I will be talking about mental and physical preparation. Good stuff.

I hope you will visit me there and add your thoughts and ideas.

Embracing my dillettante nature

2011-03-07T00:51:00.005-06:00

where I do a lot of thinking

dilettante
\ DIL-uh-tont; dil-uh-TONT; dil-uh-TON-tee; -TANT; -TAN-tee \
1. An amateur or dabbler; especially, one who follows an art or a branch of knowledge sporadically, superficially, or for amusement only.
2. An admirer or lover of the fine arts.

I am in an introspective mood right now, looking at where I have been, where I am going. Considering my long and short term goals, my vision of myself.

You may wonder why I am still working on my vision of me. Why I am still trying to find that elusive sense of 'Active Satisfaction'. Well, I think with having published a book I felt that my next step needed to be 'professional' - to do another book, to market my current book, develop a product line, be a teacher, move my blog to the next level of greatness. And somewhere along the way I thought that to be a professional meant I needed to focus on one thing, to develop one art further.

But that was stressing me out because in reality 1) I am a homeschool Mama of 5 kids under 10 and 2) I have never been an exclusive person, I like to artistically dabble. And I am tired of feeling like this is not good enough, that I am not doing enough. I am tired of not being satisfied with myself. Seriously folks, in 2011 I am going to get my head around this!!!

In my introspective mode I was looking at the blogs I have bookmarked. The blogs that I visit for inspiration, for comfort, to be close to those I identify with and like. And I noticed the diversity of blogs I like:

Mama/photographers like Shutter Sisters, Shannon Mucha
Christian/writer/photographers like Chatting at the sky, Amy Voskamp
Mama/organic/life like Soule Mama, Walk slowly, Live Wildly
Artist/poetic/life style like Kelly Rae Roberts, Liz Lamoreux
Journal artists like Alisa Burke, Donna Downey
Lifestyle/women/artsy like Wishstudio
Crafty/mama/homeschooling like Artful Parent, Acorn Pies
Crafty/mama/shabby chic like Ruffle and Stuff, One Pretty Thing
Crafty/indie/mama like Made, I am Momma - Hear Me Roar
Artist/indie/geeky/urban like Etsy's blog, or Keri Smith
Poetic/artistic/photographers like Susan Tuttle, Misty Mawn
Mixed media/crafty/shabby chic/lifestyle like CRESCENDOh, Cynthia Shaffer, Roben-Marie,
Mixed media like Create Mixed Media, Seth's The Altered Page
Product photography/house style like A Creative Mint, Decor8

All of these blogs have bits that resonate with me.

While I know my primary focus is, big picture, on motherhood and art - my style and process is really that of a dilettante. Yes, I dabble in different arts and in different styles.

I like shabby chic, artsy romantic, clean, white and urban, indie and geeky, layered, whimsical and happy, sad and decaying. I am all of these things. I love poetry - reading it and writing it. I love photography - looking and taking. I love pretty things in my hands - notebooks, altered tins filled with papers. I enjoy doing crafts. I like to write and inspire others.

I am ambitious for my creativity. But I don't want to be a professional anything right now. I don't want to be 'an artist', to market and sell my book/art. I don't want a shop or to be a leader. I just want to be here, raising my kids and doing something creative everyday. And isn't that the essence of my book?

So really I am full circle again. Just this time I won't get side tracked by the idea of being an advancing professional woman. While I admire women who are professional, think Jenny Doh or Kelly Rae Roberts, I need to be real with where I am right now. And if I am to be true to my vision as an artistic mother, fitting creativity into my life, then I can really only be a 'dilettante'. I need to actually embrace that and save the professional ambitions for later, when my kids are grown.

I feel like I am putting my flag firmly in the ground, here I am and this is what I am. That feels freeing!!!

History is fun!

2011-03-03T02:23:00.001-06:00

We are doing Roman history this year in school. Matthew is in 7th grade and studies under his dad's capable hand. I work with the girls on 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades.

Matthew is a reader, he reads something, it makes sense to him, he integrates it into his vast knowledge bank and that is that. When I did 3rd grade Roman history with Matthew he would glance at the craft offerings that accompanied the lesson and say 'Mom, we don't have to do that, do we?' I quit offering, relieved that I didn't have to get all the supplies out and end up doing it all myself!

My 2 older girls on the other hand are not really into words. They need visuals and hands on learning. They fidget when I read to them, they can hear my words over and over 'Republic.... Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon.... Empire... expansion.... Augustus.... blab blab blab.... but it is just not sinking in.

Fortunately, I have a book that saves history from doom - Classical Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in Ancient Greece and Rome.

The way I can get them to sit and listen to the historical facts is by the promise of a related craft. We have done many from this book. (I really should be photographing this stuff more. But my days are so FILLED with crafts and creativity it has almost become ho hum. Will do better.)

So here is my 1st/2nd grader Laura as the Roman girl in her stolla (p. 104) with her beaded bracelet (p. 110). I liked this craft because it involved more than just cardboard and paper!

Oh, last night at I was giving Lily her cuddle she actually said 'history is fun'! I am telling you that is big Cole news!!

(that is paint on her hand and arm!!! left over from some other, unsupervised creative activity)

Mum, you need to come to visit.... the girls have forgotten how to brush their hair ;) we need you!

The Good Coach on CRESCENDOh

2011-03-01T00:01:00.003-06:00

Each week in the month of March I will be offering a series on The Good Coach section of Jenny Doh's CRESCENDOh.

My topic is, as you can imagine, on Artistic Mothering.

Week one - Doing what you love (in a nutshell, doing art regardless of how tired you are)
Week two - Practical tips for introducing art to your children
Week three - Practical tips for doing art with your kids
Week four - 5 tips for finding the time for art - * Update * This post has the journal prompt download.

All this is free!

And I will be offering a free journal prompt download to compliment the series and free directions on making a folder to house your journal prompts. Each of the 12 prompts features mixed media/photos by me coupled with relevant journal prompts. I will let you know when the download is available.

I hope you will take a chance to visit me on CRESCENDOh today and for the next 3 weeks and let me know what you think.

Storyland

2011-02-28T02:16:00.004-06:00

I live with interesting people. These people, together with a very inventive neighbor boy, create stories every day. Out of fresh minds. Out leaves and sticks and near by forests. Out of a love for adventure.

Oh, the future is exciting! How beautiful that I get to see it unfold.

(no live trees were cut down to create this house, they gathered trees, branches already felled)

I wrote about ACTIVE SATISFACTION on the Wishstudio! It is one of my favorite articles, I am really trying to live in active satisfaction. It is hard, but doable. Let me know what you think.

The dawn of boys and girls

2011-02-25T02:51:00.003-06:00

This JB concert was set up by my 9 year old daughter

10 years ago when the technician said 'it's a girl' my first thought was 'one day that baby girl would love a boy'.

The thought gripped my heart with fear. How could I stop her from loving him too young? What experience could I draw from to advise her to forget him, focus on your art, your studies, anything but him?

I was that girl with a boy shaped hole inside. I was that girl who lived only to know him, see him, be with him. The girl I don't want my little girl to become. The power of it scares me.

So now it has begun to seep into my home how do I move? Do I deny it or hold her hand? Do I run and hide? Do I trust the foundation we have built beneath her? The ground I did not have. The ground with roots deep in the Word. Not blowing in the wind. Not unchained.

Yes, but I remember and tremble.

2 new Damien Rice songs

2011-02-22T14:36:00.000-06:00

I just wanted this musical poetry on my blog.....

like an Irish folk song

2011-02-16T03:10:00.000-06:00

These words sound sad, but my focus is on 'conviction'. I am utterly convicted that my path is here with my children. Nothing will tear me away from them and this deep seated desire to raise my kids here, at home with my husband.

I want my art to reflect my life here. Somehow. Even the purely decorative things I make, the things that look nice with little deeper meaning, the stamping, the crafts - they are for my girls, to inspire them to create too. To make the world a more beautiful place. To use their hands for good.

And boy do they create. Constantly. Completely. Larger than life. This pattern is working!

Poetry folder

2011-02-11T00:41:00.000-06:00

I spend most of my creative time balancing between poetry, photography and mixed media. I step into one world for a bit and then when that runs out of steam I am into another. I often feel when I am writing a lot that I will never take photos again, or when I am on a collage roll that I will never write again! It is kind of like mommy guilt!! I never am relaxed.

Sometimes I hit the perfect sweet spot, when all my loves come together. I think that is why the project in Week 12 in my book is my favorite. It is the 'Poetry Box' and combines all three together.

Well, here is an alternative to that project. This is a poetry folder. I printed out some poems (about 8), photos and created some mixed media pieces to mingle in with the poems, as visual relief. Then I made a folder (like this one) to house them and a bag (like these ones) to give them to the recipient.

I just love it! Enjoy:

The front of the poetry folder

I printed the poems onto cardstock and trimmed them all the same size

I sewed a little pocket to house the poems and artwork

A mixed media piece with a bird stamp that I carved from a photo

I layered mixed media and photos with the poems


The back of the folder

I made a gift bag for the folder

My valentine poem

2011-02-09T01:58:00.002-06:00

From the other room
I hear the pages turn

the coffee sputter into the mug,

the yellow one?

after 16 years of marriage

we have not eclipsed one another

are not frozen in action, daily and stale

no, we are still learning each other’s ways,

still finding treasure

I tread, welcome but trembling

you are the continent I choose

over and over, my feet never tired,

my journey never over

I wake and am aware of the singleness

when you are gone

the bare bed vast and cold

knowing you are next door

reading some impenetrable tome

or emailing a brother I have not seen

for years, laughing at his jokes

a continued conversation of your own

you are the master of

a world that defines you as not me

I travel on

I am not lost, just wondering

you are still the thrill I seek

still huge, stable, secure

this morning you came back to bed

your cold body needing mine,

you crossed the ocean to my side

finding that equalizing of heat

your chest on my back, arm heavy on my shoulder,

legs entwined, tight

like a picture that I sometimes see

of my eternal place beyond this land

a star formation

of lovers always together

Making something to prove I am still me

2011-02-05T08:21:00.002-06:00

In my own comments yesterday I said I would make something, just to do it.

So I did. A simple 10 minute collage on a tiny notebook I picked up at Target the other day. Nothing profound. But it reminds me I can, yes. This is me, I can pull something together.

I heard clearly yesterday from some readers, sweet commenters and from emails - we are many in the boat of mother, artist, balance, worry. It is so good to know I am not alone.

But how I wish we were all together in real life. The internet is great for bringing us together intellectually, but how nice it would be to meet in real life! Shannon Mucha and I have a bold idea to one day open an art center. It would be so cool to have workshops and classes and bring together like minds, if even for a weekend. I know there are tons of retreats around, but for me now with my 5 young kids it is not doable. I know that is probably the same for many of my blog friends. But it is nice to have that dream, that 'wild hope' for the future. It keeps me motivated to stay in the game all the while I am raising my beautiful ones.

A poem for today too...

Afternoon Homemaking

By Shona Cole

it is odd the way the gold

drifts across the tile

in the afternoon

I notice it when I pause

at the stove

spoon in hand

browning the meat.

I am at my station

I am where I need to be,

people come in and go out

but I stay here

stirring the pot

dusk is falling through

the door way

coming in with the dogs

the chattering children,

their father

all breathless with delight

pulling the day closed behind

** Often I forget to add 'by Shona Cole' on my poem posts.... but just in case you didn't realize most everything I post here I wrote.

what I need

2011-02-04T08:02:00.002-06:00

Taken at the baker of Bellville's castle.

A day with the kids, and about 100 other homeschoolers - running with swords, in costume, listening to Canterbury type Tales, playing with dogs, climbing, laughing, painting, getting wet in the mote.

With all the kids occupied and my mother there to push Maximus around in his stroller I got a little time to myself to think and plan. And see myself. What I need.

My life is not all about me, but sometimes I need a little of me. Sometimes I wish that I had two days for every one day. One where I could be the housewife and indulgent mother, soaking up the largeness of my kid's world. The other where I am me, sitting in a coffee shop reflecting, praying, writing and remembering.

In reality, these parts of me have to co-exist. My daily life is a process to make it so. I am so tired of not feeling like I am getting the balance right. I want to let myself see that I really am okay, I really am there, that this is it - this is what it looks like to be a functioning Christian artsy mother, but I cling to the self angst that has been so familiar for so long, looking always with a critical eye.

Can I even know how to live without it? The angst I mean. It is almost scary to let go of it and allow myself to appreciate where I am. To be satisfied with where I am, now, today. I think I fear that if I am satisfied then I won't progress. But really, I am still as ambitious today as I was, but now my ambitions for myself share time with my ambitions for my kids - for my kids to be wonderful, God fearing, happy human beings. Again, back to the me and my mothering. The balance. The co-existing of parts of myself. And round and round I go. It is hard being the daughter of a psychologist, analysis is in my blood and I think, my generation. Ladies, we are getting older, let's agree to call quits on the self war and finally be enough. Oh, I say that but I know I won't commit.

Journaling

spill here mother

a blank page

waiting whiteness

that frightens the fool

the unplanned,

mute

quench me with your color

lines and hopes

find in the curves

fellow thoughts

layered

nuanced

unspoken

true

sifted

laid bare

enclosed

closed

put on the shelf

forever telling

my story

Antidote to feeling down

2011-02-02T08:18:00.016-06:00

So I return to what makes me whole again. Pray. Talk. Create.

Excuse my absence.

Nothing profound is going on.

Just the ups and downs of life.

Not feeling confident in my voice.

I will post a few things I have been making/writing when I get my confidence back.

In the meantime I will live my real life with crumbs to clean off beautiful faces, finding time to create and think.

Thank you all for the kind words last week when something was actually wrong - a massive cold that seems to be going around Texas. That is all over now for the Coles. Thankfully. I hope your part of the world is well.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-26T15:32:00.000-06:00

my little girl's note to their ill and in bed for days Momma

Art Finds Friday - January 21, 2011

2011-01-21T10:03:00.002-06:00

There is a glass window to the forest

we see our last days here

winter is mild about us now

the low cool gone

the blankets stripped back

revealing what we should have

known before

we always forget the leaves

that came and went

the branches bare and struggling

to find their breath

I know spring will come

and breathe life into our days too

fact’s happy speech!

So I will enjoy this lingering winter

before the sun’s white gold

takes our sorrow.

by shona cole

1) PHOTOGRAPY

Check out these photos of a decaying Detroit!

2) JEWELRY

And this beautiful blog, Jean Jean Vintage.

3) WORKSHOP

I will be taking some classes at Art Unraveled in March. I am going to learn about using resin on paper and a few other classes too.

Partial stamping

2011-01-19T08:08:00.004-06:00

In an attempt to make a stamp my own often I use only part of the whole stamp. I altered paper bags to make embellished envelopes with this method:

Step one

Ink only a portion of the stamp that you are using. It can be a little difficult to get this right, the stamp pads are generally rectangles, which makes it hard to avoid inking the bits you don't want. An alternative to ink pads is to use paint or stamping markers. Stamp by PaperArtsy.

Step two

Once I trimmed the image I drew some pencil lines on the stamped and then painted it in with watercolor paint.

Step three

I added some more partial stamps to the edge pattern. Stamp by Jenny Doh. Then I tore off the bottom edge (I had stamped it with some more of the circles but it looked too much)

Step four

Rummage through your scraps left over from other projects and your scrapbook papers and play around with colors until you are happy with your layout.

Step five

Stamp a small paper bag with a large stamp. Let the stamp go over the edges, this is another type of partial stamping.

Step six

Glue the image panel onto the paper bag. I wrote the words 'Happy Birthday' on the left. There you have it - an envelope for a gift tag, card or small gift.

Alternative card layouts:

Some other pieces with partial stamps:

Here you can see the full and partial Jenny Doh stamp

Wishstudio post

2011-01-18T10:27:00.000-06:00

I am back for a second year at the Wishstudio.

So what are the 'requirements' to be a part of The Artistic Mother club? ... (it is not so hard)
Check out my article today!

Between me, my kids and the world

2011-01-17T08:03:00.005-06:00

Why do people on TV and online cuss so much? It makes my job as a mom harder and restricts my freedom.

There are good programs out there that I want to share with my kids but can’t. Take Project Runway for example. My girls love fashion and creativity, which is the focus of that show. But we can’t enjoy it together because of the cussing and sexuality references. Then there is YouTube. My son loves to watch top ten soccer goals on YouTube, but I have to do the searches and hold my hand over the comments area because there is invariably someone exclaiming in the worst terms why this collection of goals or that player sucks.

Now I can’t do anything about other folks’ freedom of speech and I am no prude. I can watch an R rated movie with the toughest of the rest. I just wish people could find a less lazy way of expressing themselves. Cussing is the quickest way to complain or show emotion. I know this to be true because I have been a cusser – have you every seen an Irish movie that wasn’t loaded down with profanity? It goes with the territory, but that does not mean I am not trying to raise the bar for myself and my kids.

Since I refuse to reject the world and become a separatist not allowing my kids be a part of the modern world, I will continue to oversee and limit what my kids do and see. I understand that my role as a parent includes being vigilant and ready to step in between my kids and the world. And who ever said being a parent would be easy?

But what makes me sad is that that cussing is only the tip of the iceberg. I think of all the darkness that is in the world that my kids are yet to see and my stomach clenches. I think of their happy, innocent minds being polluted by evil. Uhhh.

I can’t protect them forever. I can try to educate my five kids so that they will make wise choices in what they hear, see and do. And I can and do pray for them. I pray that the Lord will protect their bodies, minds and hearts from bad things.

And I can take time to expose them to the good things too, fill up their minds with art and color, stories and happy experiences. I can continue to light candles to push back the darkness. I just wish sometimes the darkness wasn’t so pervasive.

Art Find Friday - January 14, 2011

2011-01-14T10:28:00.005-06:00

1) PHOTOGRAPHY

For Christmas I got some photographic equipment - a tripod, 60mm lens and a light kit. Perfect for photographing 'things'. I am having fun setting up 'beauty shots' of things I am making. My girls, 8 & 6, totally are into it and have done most of the 'staging'. It is a fun thing to do together. I say 'Hey, I have another card to photograph' and they go in and pull out papers and bits and bobs and then I just have to push the button! So fun.

Here is my light kit set up. The lights came with canisters, but I prefer the light without them.

lights on!

My first beauty shot. Thanks to my girls for the decorations!

This is a card I made with Jenny Doh stamps and glimmer mist from Stampington & Co.

2) FOLLOWER LOVE

If you love before and after pictures, then check out Kristy's blog Life-n-Reflection. You can see the power and beauty of photoshop actions. I love the vintage look. Kristy sells her actions at her store on Etsy and on her blog.

3) CRAFT VIDEO

For all you quilters and crafters you have to see this video for Etsy's Handmade Portrait series. It is an amazing video by a quilter spoken as if from a future world. Very cool, and his quilt is good too!

In my bid to be positive this year and not check Drudge headlines I am spending my breakfast computer time only looking at art and craft related websites. One of the first I go to is the Etsy blog, there is always something interesting to read there on by folks living an artistic life. That is where I found this video.

4) INSPIRATION

Anthropologie, the catalog came in the mail this week.

They have an Anthro video site over at Vimeo which is so beautiful.

Forest Nymph

2011-01-12T08:30:00.001-06:00

Art Finds Friday - Jan 6, 2011

2011-01-07T08:03:00.005-06:00

1) MIXED MEDIA

I am delighted to announce that this year I have joined Jenny Doh's CRESCENDOh design team. It is so nice to have this deadline and inspiration to get me creating. Maximus has become such a challenge at 14 months, zooming here and there, pulling things out of cupboards and drawers, by the evening without a strong reason to create I find it hard to not give into the desire to veg. You know what I mean Momma?

My first card made using CRESCENDOh products has been posted here. It is a kind of Workshop - I describe in words and pictures how I went about making this card with these Alice in Wonderland stamps.

I am full of ideas for things to make with the CRESCENDOh stamp lines and looking forward to creating lots in 2011 despite my crazy toddler!

2) GIVEAWAY

Tara Sophia Mohr is hosting an online workshop: Living Your Brilliance: Quieting Your Inner Critic and Reclaiming the Driver's Seat in Your Work and Your Life. Doesn't that sound nice? I am really practicing quieting my inner critic this year. My word for 2011 is positive. Specifically, I am determined to be more positive about myself! I am often so positive about the world around me, my kids, other artist's work, other folks blogs and books and on and on, reserving all my negativity for myself. I am so tired of feeling down about myself. I want to feel that what I choose and do is okay. So Tara's course sounds right along those lines.

You can win a spot on this course over here at Shelley Kommers blog Oiseaux (I love Shelley's collages, so her blog is always worth a visit). This giveaway is open until January 9th, so hurry on over.

3) MUSIC

If you grew up in the 80's then you probably loved George Michael's Careless Whispers. Guilty. But oh, Seether has done an amazing re-make. I can't get enough. I am not really into that video.....

but... someone has put Seether's song to the best bits of the movie 'Twilight'. Check it out here on YouTube. Let me rant for a minute - I loved Twilight... yes it was cheesy but it captured perfectly the emotion, the awkwardness of new love, Edward's agony and desire, the first desirable male since Mr. Darcy. It inspired me to read all the Twilight series books (in like a week). I felt the coloring of the movie really complimented them... but then Summit stole the project from director Catherine Hardwick, who is first and foremost an artist, and gave it to directors who made the other movies into blah, blah big Hollywood movies. New Moon and Eclipse lack energy, the edgy coloring, the raw longing, the passion of the books and the first movie. They are simply wooden. Worse - pieces of plastic covered wood. Like toys you would see in Walmart rather than on Etsy. Sigh. Such a shame.

Another Seether song I love is 'Broken' with Amy Lee.....

The singer of Seether and Amy Lee were a couple when they wrote this song and I was thinking I wish I could create some art with my mate..... but then I remembered 1) my commitment to being positive towards myself... so I am not going to lament my lack of singing talent/creative opportunity. Check. Re-focus. 2) My husband and I have made some, no, the ultimate art - our beautiful children!

Re-focus. Positive. Create.

Where my time is spent

2011-01-04T08:03:00.001-06:00

family walk

All the same for you, for me

time moves away,
spilling sometimes
so fast I see my children grow
inches as I plow my feet into the earth

and so like you I go about my life
walking with my people
soothing the baby crying for his momma
chatting about the fairies on the pop up page

brushing my floors, wiping the sink
replacing toilet paper
finding the sippy cup, the naked doll, Nerf darts
folding the Christmas tree skirt

and meals, measured out and relentless
a constant reminder of our mortality
heat, cool, texture, color
the sacred rite of motherhood

and at last
journaling my mind
listing my goodness and plans
looking ever outwards
and ever inwards
reconciliation measured in
a thing actually completed and mailed
in a photo posted and acknowledged

and so it goes
and so it goes

to this year I bow, we all cheer
for what we will accomplish
with our tiny mouths.

Where I will be all week

2010-12-20T10:47:00.000-06:00

Where I will be all week -

Just like you I am sure....

Prepping for Christmas. Time with the kids. Time cleaning the house for family. Time cooking. Time crafting and thinking about art. Time reading poetry (I have a couple of new poetry books to read, yeah!)

Wishing you all well for the Holiday season and thank you for visiting my blog.

Where I will be today

2010-12-18T08:04:00.010-06:00

Huntsville State Park, which looks like the Fall has never passed, for the wedding of two of the loveliest people, I mentioned in my blog yesterday, Michelle and Anthony.

L for Lopez... and Love

Some handcrafted decorations made by Vickie and Molly, Michelle's sisters

I was there yesterday to help set up the wedding. But due to my little guy's constant need for movement and attention I couldn't help as much as I would have liked. Fortunately, Michelle has some very talented sisters and friends & devoted family who spent the day decorating the lodge where the ceremony will take place.

Today it is all about Michelle. And Anthony of course!

I snapped these at the rehearsal Friday night. I realized I need a tripod, so when we do it for real today my photos will have more clarity. Thankfully I am only the assistant photographer, I am doing the grooms pre-wedding shots and the guests, Shannon Mucha everything else (plus hair and make up!!). I don't think I could handle the burden of all the formals. It is a lot of work to remember all the shots, I have a new level of respect for wedding photographers!

Michelle and her father rehearsing their entrance

and it is a big day for Lily as the flower girl, Zeb, Shannon's son, as the ring bearer.... I can't wait to share photos of her dress and Zeb's suit!

Lily and Zeb rehearsing their departure from the wedding

This is what I am spending my art time on today. But Sunday I will start working on some pieces for CRESCENDOh as I received my CRESCENDOh stamps in the mail! Yeah! I had just cleaned up my craft table, but I guess I am going to get it all messy again.

Art Finds Friday

2010-12-17T08:05:00.011-06:00

1) PHOTOGRAPHY

Beautiful, feminine, story filled, layered photography. Vanessa Ho Fine Art Photography. Thanks for the link Shannon.

2) FOLLOWER LOVE

Necklace by Alyssabeth

Alyssabeth just recently signed up to be a part of this blog. I visited her blog and it is full of lovely feminine, shabby chic, mixed media treasures. She has listed lots of handmade Christmas things recently, being the season and all that. Worth a look.

While I was visiting her I saw a post about this necklace. She was selling it on her Etsy site. Now she is not, as I bought it! A Christmas gift for myself! How decadent.

3) MIXED MEDIA

I love watching Roben-Marie Smith's workshop videos. They are more than just a workshop, how to do this or that, they show her creative mind at work. Roben-Marie leaves little out, you see in fast motion the whole project from start to end, it is like you are watching her hands think, especially in this video! Her videos are generally over 10 minutes in length, so it is best to choose a time when you have a cup of tea and want to just enjoy watching someone else's creative process. My girls like to watch her videos with me. I find it soothing to watch her work. Her latest one, sewing a gift bag, is over on her Vimeo channel here.

She inspired me to sew on paper again! I needed to make some gift bags for the girls and this was perfect. I used an old skirt of theirs to make these bags:

Scrap fabric gift bags inspired by Roben-Marie Smith, beanie baby bear prop courtesy of my 6 year old daughter

Before I could get them filled and on the tree Laura & Lily took them outside to add to their fairy house that they were building, so I don't know if they will make it back inside the house to act as gift bags!

I am off today (Friday) to help set up for Michelle and Anthony Lopez's wedding, a young couple at our church (if you follow that link to the photo - my husband gave Anthony the hat as a man to man wedding gift!). Shannon Mucha did an awesome job on their engagement shots see here, here and here for some of my favorites.
It is a DIY wedding - everything is handmade and very 'them'. The colors are brown, green and yellow. I will take pics of everything and post them, it is going to be unusual and beautiful.
I am assisting Shannon as she photographs the wedding. I am in charge of photographing things and guests and then holding the clip board as Shannon photographs the family groups.
My Lily, 8, is the flower girl in the wedding which is on Saturday, she is going to be beautiful in her white satin dress, brown sash with yellow flower. Shannon made the flower girl basket - it is wicker with a plume of feathers and a wooden flower. I added green velvet flowers to lily's white shoes in keeping with the nature theme. What an honor for her to be a part of it.

4 inspirations

2010-12-16T10:38:00.001-06:00

1) Line and form

2) Perspective

3) Color

4) Flora and fauna

Thanks Shannon for the photo inspiration and the enjoyable walk to the park.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-15T08:05:00.001-06:00

Splinter

Necklace - very handmade

2010-12-14T08:08:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Shannon Mucha for the photograph.

Raising a daughter

2010-12-13T08:09:00.005-06:00

Being a parent is a whole lot of work. Beautiful work that pulls you in so many directions. I have been aware recently of how independent my kids are, how well their personalities are shaping and how one day I will no longer have the influence over them I have today. I want to do today what is best for each of them. Like every parent I worry is it enough? am I on the right path?

I have been thinking about

raising a daughter

Raising a daughter
By Shona Cole

she is young
her smile easy
her long hair crumbly, in need of a brush
she is in costume today
there are pools of clothes all over the house
her putting on different faces
looking for her space, her season of self

I have labored long beneath her form
she will not hear me one day
so today I whisper ‘you are OK’
the stage is something silver,
bright but mean, a frozen pond
a long winter that wants our time
that stamps it’s foot when we falter

I am powerless
shaken, poured out

I wake each morning with
her name on my lips
I am scared for her
I pray, I pray
to my Father
‘Lord, let her glide graceful
to the self you planned,
let me see, let her be’

    now the desert
    dust of who I once was and
    nothing besides remains. *

* This line is from the great poem Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Standing tall

2010-12-12T08:35:00.004-06:00

This day

2010-12-11T08:06:00.002-06:00

Before the birthday
of mine
was this day
this stepping out
in new shoes
dapper, handmade outfits
on the way to the modern
world, but not quite

the timeless hymn
the same trees
in infancy
today great towers
of knowledge
arching over time
with the slow joy
in the creation of new
reasons and patterns

this day, this flicker of life
that all ancestors bear
and give along
to the next and the next

this day that could have existed
for anybody else
but didn't, was theirs,
their moment,
but is now yours.

By Shona Cole

Art Finds Friday kind of sleepy and not quite organized enough

2010-12-10T14:39:00.001-06:00

You know I just didn't get around to posting my regular Art Finds Friday post today. I do my posts the night in advance and last night I was just plain tired. I did the dishes after dinner and went to bed leaving the kids to put themselves to bed. Mark and I watched an episode of 'Band of Brothers' and went to sleep. I slept for 12 hours (minus night nursings, say about 3)!!!

I did do some art yesterday - carved a stamp from a photo of a flower, collaged it with photo of Grandpa Kelly and my mother as a little girl. I am working on something else today. And everyday. I get down about not creating anything really new, but I remind myself 'it is better to do something artful than nothing at all'. I cling to that. It lifts me above the gravity pull of negativity and tiredness.

Oh and I did find out that I am going to be part of Jenny Doh's CRESCENDOh Design Team in 2011. Yeah! More projects to work on. I am so excited to be joining the team, and what a great team Jenny has assembled so far. I will let you know when I am added to the list.

Have a lovely, productive artful weekend.

My Inventory

2010-12-09T08:01:00.004-06:00

Save for her voice
from upstairs
drifting loose
I am in the quiet
alone with my thoughts
this notebook
taking stock
pulling strands

the walls around,
I feel them knowing,
understanding better than me
why I came here
it is as if they can see the future
and won’t tell me if it is good
or if it is bad.

The mended memories of home
cloudy today again
the open fields, closed
the empty rose beds
my grandfather dead this long time
his grave, my blood, unvisited
until now
in my memory that often
forgets it’s place

I put my pen down
I can no longer hear her voice

Workshop Wednesday - Mini calendar holder (with download!)

2010-12-08T10:06:00.001-06:00

I loved making this project. I love this mini calendar. I love that is it not digital, but tangible. I love mini anything.

So here are the steps to make your own:

PART A - CREATE THE CALENDAR HOLDER COVER

STEP 1
Scan in your vintage photos and collage to your computer. Save as jpegs.

This is photo is of my maternal grandparents sitting on a blanket with a friend. Granny and Grandpa Kelly are the ones on the left. They look so happy. Grandpa died when I was 11. Granny Kelly was always so happy and enthusiastic about our family. Once she told me if she had been younger she would have liked my Mark. And man, she would have LOVED my kids. I can hear her saying 'Oh Shona, they are so lovely'. I know she would have been proud of me. One day in heaven we are going to have a time catching up!!!
Before she died she bought us the fridge we still have. I was meant to get a new one this Christmas as part of my kitchen re-do, because it is white and my kitchen black. But I just can't get rid of it! I asked for computer speakers instead.

Anyhow, on with the tutorial....

STEP 2

In Photoshop Elements (PSE), or other photo program that can combine photos, open all the images that you want to combine.

STEP 3

I use PSE 8, so here is what I did, it is the same procedure for other versions of PSE: In PSE open a new file. I always set the dimensions pretty big, like 4000x4000, 72dpi so I have room to play. (My regular image files are much larger than scanned images, but I prefer to use the dimensions I always use.)

STEP 4

Drag each file over into the new image. (You may notice, that after I added in my collage file I then rotated the original 180 and picked a portion of it to drag over)

STEP 5

Line them up side by side, you want to make a long narrow image combo.

STEP 6

Crop the image, flatten all the layers and save as a new jpeg.

STEP 7

Open this image in Word. Re-size the image so that it is and print onto heavy cardstock. My calendar holder image was 7 1/4 x 3 3/4. Cut this card out and fold in half.

STEP 8

Inside of folder

Add a pocket to the inside of your holder. Add some collage elements to this pocket, and possibly some rubber stamps and a paper clip. This will be where you store your mini calendar.

PART B - CREATE YOUR MINI CALENDAR

**You can download my Mini Calendar and skip to Step 7!**

STEP 1
I am sure there is an easier way of making a calendar, but I am most familiar with Microsoft Word, so that is what these steps cover:
Open a new blank document.

STEP 2
Insert a Text box.

STEP 3
In the text box create a table. Format it to 7 columns and 8 rows.

STEP 4
Open a copy of the 2011 calendar and type in January's dates on the appropriate days. Choose a font you like. I used Kingthings Trypewriter (not a typo) from Dafont.com. I love this font and it is free!

STEP 5

This is the scan of a rubber stamp that I carved from a photo I took!

Add an image you may like.

STEP 6

Download a PDF of this calendar here!

Copy and paste January and adjust to create February and so on.

STEP 7

Print this onto cardstock. Trim.

STEP 8 (finally)

Insert the mini calendars into your pocket, minus the one you are using - one of the months will clip onto the front of the pocket inside the folder!

It took me a long time to create this calendar, so to save you that time, why not use my mini calendar?

Download my Mini Calendar!

It's a free PDF for you to use for your personal projects.

I added a paper circle around my people after I printed the folder.

back view of my Mini Calendar Folder

Memory

2010-12-06T10:18:00.000-06:00

I am becoming
gentle dust
thrown
ancient
changing forms
over and over
until I no longer
recognize even me
my face shallow
in the dark light
the wind down
then up
the decade of
gentle decline
coming fast
and I still
can’t read the writing

by Shona Cole

Before and After Children - a visual description

2010-12-06T08:06:00.007-06:00

He is my world's eclipse.

The world before children

The world with children

****************

And one more reason I homeschool my children - read this short poem by W.D. Ehrhart 'Sins of the father'.

Sigh. My heart breaks.

All my love

2010-12-05T08:13:00.001-06:00

The beginning of a story

2010-12-04T08:12:00.003-06:00

Once it began, it began for good

an irrevocable story

of friendships, of a marriage that lasted

and lasts still to this day

peering from the eyes of my children.

There has been an excuse made!

an attempt at an excuse,

to not move continually onward and upward,

to not apply myself, happily

within my wealth

but today I feel the cost of their decades

lived as well as could be

the sensation is open to interpretation

but the white wall around the family home

in my memory shoos me on and on

I lift my head high

their tombstone is black and faces the sky

and now that frozen moment of youth,

the beginnings of Truth,

their smiles, a maternal reminder –

‘live well, child

you have only this one, quick life’.

By Shona Cole

Art Finds Friday - December 3, 2010

2010-12-03T08:07:00.004-06:00

1) PHOTOGRAPHY

Shannon sent me a link to this lovely article on the JPG magazine website - it is a photo story by Liberty Kifer called 'What child is this?' I love how this mama loves her little girl and is not shy in sharing it with the photography world, that is often, in my opinion, urban and edgy and unsentimental. You can vote on the story, the more votes she gets the more likely her chance of being published in the magazine.

2) ART FOR KIDS

Here is another thing to vote for - Courtney of Vintage Ginger Peaches, a talented photographer, sent me this link to the Pepsi Refresh Project. Pepsi are giving away money to people, businesses, and non-profits with ideas that will have a positive impact on other people's lives. MaryAnn Kohl, artistic mother, author of kid's craft books and art teacher has an idea to bring art to kids who don't have art programs in schools. It seems like a really good use of the funds. You can vote for her idea over on the Pepsi site. All you have to do is sign in and vote. I signed in with my Facebook account, it took all of 5 seconds to vote!

3) ARTFUL HOME ORGANIZATION

I love this paper organizational idea by Corey Moortgat. Some of you may know her as one of the contributors to my book, The Artistic Mother. I love her artistic scrapbooks, if you scroll down below the organizational tip you can see one she did for her one year old daughter (oh and check out the cute birthday photos). Corey has moved from that blog space to Flickr, so for any of her current art, go there.

4) ART EVERYDAY (December, 2010)

"Tortoise walked step by step until he reached the finish line. To become good at something we must work at it day in, day out, bit by bit.... With even an hour a day, if we are consistent, we can improve our skills and make the art we desire." Shona Cole, The Artistic Mother! I can't believe I am quoting myself!!

5) BLOGGER MEET UP

If you are in the Houston area I hope you will join me for a gathering of local bloggers. Dec 8th at La Madeleine's in Market Street in the Woodlands at 7pm. It will be an informal get together to celebrate what it is we do love about blogging!

So far everyone that is coming is someone I have already met in real life, which is awesome, I love a decent girl's night out, but I really would like to meet at least one new person. So if you live anywhere near Houston please do plan on coming :)

More details here.

and finally today.....

I just love my little boy. Maximus James you are my treasure, my daily joy.

Finding

2010-12-02T08:22:00.009-06:00

Part of life that was forgotten
in envelopes, mailed a distance
or boxes wrapped with plastic
taped and quietly waiting

found on an empty day
spent looking for art,
scratching the surface
for some meaning
for these grey clouds to part

and in a final triumph
December's loom weaves
and my family's yesterday
comes bearing forward
to my waiting arms

eager but yet poised

Shona Cole

Workshop Wednesday - Inchie Gift Tags

2010-12-01T08:16:00.030-06:00

As part of my December commitment to making art every day I am working with some old photos and documents from my dad's side of the family. I have a few ideas in the works, but out of that effort came something functional - inchie gift tags.

I was so lifted up by the comments left for me on my last post that I feel better about things (thank you folks), and so thought I would go ahead a stick with my blog schedule and share my process of making these quick and simple gift tags.

I have a whole section on working with inchies in my book, The Artistic Mother, starting on p115.

Supplies:
Cardstock - various shades of while, cream and beige
Scanner, printer (printer ink of course)
One inch hole punch
Glue stick
Scissors or paper trimmer
Hole punch
Twine
Personal vintage photos

A) CREATE YOUR OWN BACKGROUNDS (optional)

STEP 1

Gesso the middle of a piece of old book paper. Dry really well with a craft heat tool.

STEP 2 (optional)

Write a poem on the gesso with ink.

STEP 3.

Choose some vintage photos and documents to compliment your poem.

STEP 4.

Scan your images in to your computer. Crop and re-size as needed.

STEP 5.

Lay your images out in Word together.

STEP 6.

Print your images onto cardstock.

B) CREATE YOUR INCHIES

STEP 1. (the only step in this section!)

Use an inch square punch to punch out 'inchies' from the images you printed. I like to use my own photos and poems so that the art work is really mine. TIP: I turn my hole punch upside down so I can see what I am punching.

NOTE. If you don't want to create your own backgrounds specifically for this project, you can join in at this point and use whatever you have on your craft table to make the inchies:
~ Your kid's art
~ Scrapbook paper
~ Catalogs, newspapers, old books
~ Your own printed photos
~ Pages from your journal
~ Some of your 'failed' paintings
~ Doodles
~ Wrapping paper
~ Old Christmas cards

C) CREATE YOUR GIFT TAGS

STEP 1-4.

1) Cut cardstock to your desired tag size. Mine are aprox 2 1/4 by 4 1/2.
2) Draw slanted lines on the top of this panel. I used a block turned like a diamond to draw my lines (does that make sense?).
3) Trim the card along the lines to create the tag shape.
4) Make a hole with a round hole punch, I can never get my holes dead center!!!

STEP 5-7.

5) Stamp your tag. I used 'Ledger Flourish' by Stampington & Co. and black Staz On ink.
6) Glue on 2 inchies at the base of the tag, over the stamp. I added inchies randomly to each tag, not thinking too much about what 'should' go together.
7) Add twine. I used orange 'Divine Twine' also by Stampington & Co.

Experiment with different colored papers and make a bunch all at once, it should only take an hour and it is a nice way to add a personal arty touch to Christmas gifts.

I will be posting photos of my December create everyday journey tomorrow & everyday after that for the month of December. I will also try to stick to my normal blog schedule, as the mood takes me. So on Friday I will do my regular Art Finds Friday Post.

Here's to a creative December. If I can do it, so can you.

Holidays & thoughts on blogging

2010-11-29T08:01:00.001-06:00

I thought I would give you a peek inside my Holiday weekend.

We had 21 folks for Thanksgiving dinner, and 15 over later in the evening for seconds. Mark cooks a really good turkey and I think this year was the best. We order the turkey from a local farm each year in the summer, they grow and prepare it and we pick it up on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. This year's turkey was 28 pounds. Nothing but the carcass remains, which I laid out in the forest to become part of the natural circle of life.

We always do Tex-Mex stuffing, mashed potatoes (this year we did cauliflower mashed potatoes as it seems many of our friends are South Beaching it), my favorite vegetable ~ peas, a huge cheese platter and other decadent appetizers. Everyone else brings multiple dishes and together we make a feast. Thanksgiving ~ good food, company, music and conversation.

For most Thanksgivings we have friends over, but this year Mark's dad and step mom were here from Tulsa. It was the first time that we had actual family here for Thanksgiving dinner! That was nice for the kids to have family here and good for us to catch up on family news.

As soon as Thanksgiving was over we turned our attention to Christmas. The women's group at our church is having their Christmas tea in my house, so I needed to go ahead and get the place decorated. So, while I missed out on the whole Black Friday shopping thing (seriously, what kind of name is that?) on Saturday we went ornament shopping at World Market. The kids went to town picking the most lovely (expensive/breakable!) ornaments until I calmly directed them to the cheaper/non-breakable ones.

It is funny watching myself do this ~ prepare for holidays just like everyone else ~ because I am so not a holiday person. I have never really like tradition or the silliness of shopping and all that. I don't like being artificially told to think about Christ's birth, I prefer to mediate on that in my own time, when it seems organic. But I have children so I do it for them. I do it for the memories we are creating in their minds. I grew up with Christmas carols and hymns and dinner and presents and all that, so I don't want to deny that for my kids (and my husband who LOVES holidays and abundant gift giving!).

Anyhow, after shopping we then came home and decorated the tree in the living room. And Laura decided to decorate herself:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have been thinking about blogging a lot lately ~ thinking about it's purpose, my place in it all, my voice, the hugeness of marketing via blogging. I have visited so many successful blogs and love to see how committed folks are to their vision and the process of art and blogging. I know, unfortunately, that I can't compete. I am just not that fired up as I feel I need to be to be truly successful. I have made some changes around here and some folks kindly told me that my blog looks more professional now. But 1) my traffic has not increased for the effort and 2) my very closest friend told me that my blog no longer sounds like 'Shona'. So what is the point of it? For the discipline of coming up with ideas? To market my book? To please others & get kudos? To record my life? To cast a vision of the Artistic Mother? To be really me?

If I want to do posts that are interesting to others then I feel that I need to come up with something new. I don't like to do things that everyone else is doing. I am a starter and when I find that what I am doing is being done over and over I loose my motivation and want to go on to something new, this has always been an issue for me. Also to create good posts I think that they need to be interesting! And you know, a lot of my life is just not that interesting/exciting/artful.

So to come up with new/interesting ideas for blog posts it takes time and effort. And with a young toddler, who has taken to opening and emptying every kitchen cupboard, that is just plain hard to do. I am pretty good at ordering my day so I can see exactly what I am spending my time on. And I have been wondering ~ is this really how I want to spend my limited free time? What about my art and writing? I know that every minute I am blogging I am not spending time creating. And when I am not creating then, as my husband pointed out, I get in a funk. I need to have a project. I need to have something new going on, something to create.

So this December I am going to challenge myself to make a piece of art everyday. It is going to be some combo of photography, poetry and mixed media collage (my big three). I will post my findings here, everyday for the month of December and then see how I am doing. But I won't be doing a whole lot of talking here. I will be posting without words. Focusing on the art and not the blogging.

I hope to have more blogging focused discussions with fellow bloggers on Dec 8 at La Madeleine's in The Woodlands, Texas at 7pm. There is a good group coming. It is going to be fun to be around people who like to talk about a topic that is interesting to all of us. If you live anywhere near Houston, you are invited to come. Let me know if I can expect you.

Art Finds Friday - November 19, 2010

2010-11-18T08:00:00.012-06:00

1) BOOKS

Last night I left the comfort of my home, my kids in care of daddy and went to Houston to a book signing - Chris Guillebeau's book 'The Art of Non-Conformity'. I have been enjoying his blog for a while, he talks about leading a life that is outside the norm, doing what makes us really happy all in the context of service to others. I think that as a homeschooler it is inevitable that I would be a part of his audience. I like to listen to what he says and then apply it to my life as an artistic mother. Chris spoke for a while last night and then opened it up for Q&A, which was good, but to be honest I would have preferred to hear more from Chris, he has some interesting thoughts and ideas.

It was fun being there. I got to meet Chris, have my book signed and I met a few other bloggers. It was fun to be around folks who talk the same blog speak and know about things like Seth Godin and NaNoWriMo, stats and traffic and all that. I briefly spoke to author and blogger Karen Walrond, who was the host of the meeting.

I enjoyed watching this video Crystal Street put together of one of his meetings in North Carolina, it made me not so nervous about attending the one in Houston.

The Unconventional Book Tour stops in Durham, NC. from crystal street on Vimeo.

Videos are a powerful medium. I am in the process of creating one to talk about my book. It is a lot harder than I thought. I have given myself a Christmas deadline.

2) INTERVIEW

Please visit me at Stephanie Levy's blog. She interview me about being an artistic mother and has posted it on her blog yesterday. I am sure she would love to hear from you. If I remember correctly I actually got the interview because I left a comment on her blog one time I had wandered over, so you never know what can come of saying hello!

3) FOLLOWER LOVE and POETRY

I about fell over when I saw a man's name in my 'follower' list! Joel of Wildberries signed up and I am so glad he did. He has a downloadable journal fantasy, poetry and art called 'Wildberries Journal of Mythic Fantasy'. You may not be as into poetry as I am, but the art on p6s 6 and 17 by Christina Cairns is worth a look.

I am just over 800 followers now! Thank you, where did you all come from? It amazes me when I step back and think about it. I appreciate you visiting and letting me know you hear me. Nothing better than that for the writer soul in me.

4) MUSIC

The man can sing. When you first listen to Jack L, you have no idea the amazing voice that is to come. I got to see him in concert in a pub in Ireland the summer before last, he was an amazing performer.

Here he is singing 'Rooftops' live with Dublin behind him:

And here is another lovely Irish singer, Lisa Hannigan. She used to be with Damien Rice, but has since become a singer in her own right.

5) ON MY TO DO LIST

1) Hang out with this cool, happy baby & his siblings.

2) I am going to focus on writing poetry for the remainder of this month. I will write everyday. This is my accountability. This, me announcing it. Here. Even on Thanksgiving day. Especially on Thanksgiving day!

3) Take next week off from blogging for Thanksgiving. So see you 11/29.

Please leave me a comment to tell me how I am doing with my new blog schedule, I am, again, rethinking it! My blog is like a tinker toy I just can't leave alone. I am seeking a balance between speaking in my own voice/way/content and giving my readers what they want. It is not an exact science!

Workshop Wednesday - Tin & book

2010-11-17T08:07:00.008-06:00

A few weeks ago I asked you, my readers, if there was anything that you wanted to see by way of workshops. Donna wondered if I have done videos of work that is in my book, The Artistic Mother. That is a great idea Donna. Thanks. While I didn't get around to doing a video, here is a photo workshop based on an altered tin and handmade mini collage journal that does appear in my book.

Through out my book there are what is called in the publishing business 'beauty shots'. Marissa Bowers, the book's designer, staged art work with props to best show off and illustrate the type of artwork you, the reader, the Artistic Mother, could do. On p 18 is an altered collage tin that houses a little handmade book. Today I am going to show you the steps for making one.

But first, here is a peek inside the one that appears in the beauty shot in my book:

STEP 1

Set up your photos on your computer. I use PhotoShop Elements 8.0. I opened 4 different photos and then choose a new blank document. I moved the 4 photos over into the new document.

Line the photos up, then crop the image in a long strip and save the file as a jpeg.

STEP 2

Open your word processing program. I use Microsoft Word for Mac. Insert your photo onto a new blank document. Re-size your image. Copy and paste it and re-size the 2nd image (smaller), so you have 2 sizes of the image (one will be for the cover of your little book, the other will be art to collage the tin with).

STEP 3

Trim your images. And set the smaller image aside. You will use the larger strip image as the cover of your book.

STEP 4

Fold your strip image loosely in half, this will be your book cover. Find scraps of paper that will fit as pages in the book.

Layer the papers together. The top piece of paper should face the rest of the paper.

STEP 5

Poke a line of holes in the papers. Use an awl to make the holes by holding the point of the awl in place and tapping the back of the awl with a hammer to ensure that the holes go the whole way through the stack of papers. Hold the papers very tightly together before sewing. TIP: Thread your needle before poking the holes, so you are ready to go once the holes are made. Now, sew the papers together. I sewed forward and then back again to make sure the papers were very secure.

STEP 6

Put the book pages (signature) into the cover, fold the front and back signature pages and align them with the cover. Glue the outside of the signature into the book cover. Use your fingers to smooth the signature in place.

To cover up where the fold is, add a little loop of coordinating twine and tie it. Set the book aside.

STEP 7

Next you will want to alter your tin. I used a gift card tin that I got at Michaels, but an Altoid tin will work too. First thing to do is sand the tin. Any grit sandpaper will do, but I used a medium fine grit. Sand everywhere that you want to be painted. You don't have to erase the whole design, but to rough it up enough to receive paint.

STEP 8

Paint your tin with a layer of gesso. Dry it with a craft gun or simply wait 10 minutes for the paint to dry and then paint with acrylic paint. I used Moss Eco-Friendly paint.

STEP 9

Stamp the tin with Staz On ink. I always use Staz On ink because I end up painting over the stamp. This stamp is called 'Plume' from Linda Schnieder's collection by Stampington & Co.

STEP 10

Over paint the stamps with another color (here I used a little bit of turquoise) and then gesso to soften the color. Rub the paint with a rag to give it that blendy, airy feeling.

STEP 11

Pick out some scraps to collage on the top of the tin, including the smaller printed out version of the book cover photo. Glue them in place.

Put your little book inside your tin and that is it!

I hope you have a go at making one of these. They are quick and simple. Even my kids altered their own tins (of course!!):

If you are a collage artist, why not consider adding your name the collage making directory? As of today there are 95 collage blogs listed! It is a great place to jump from when you need some collage inspiration. Scroll all the way down and leave a comment and you will be added to the list.

Making the most of it

2010-11-15T08:07:00.014-06:00

We all have to do things as Moms that are seemingly 100% for our kids. Like attend soccer practice, kids birthday parties, make kid lunches, go to kid friendly restaurants, correct homework and on and on. On the surface there is nothing in it for Mom. We are sacrificing our time for them. But is that not just a state of mind? Isn't the possibility of art in everything, in every place, in every situation?

As an Artistic Mother I have to believe that to be true.

So when I am doing seemingly kid only things I take my camera, my notebook, my eyes and look and often find the art in the everyday, the mundane, the awful blaring kid places - like the dreaded Chuck E Cheese.

We mamas have to make the most of what we have.

If you have done a blog post about finding art in your life as a mom will you leave me a link in the comments?

***************

Talking about making the most of it.... Maximus is, as I told you last week, learning to walk. I just had to share this little video of him being so proud, so proud of his own little self.

Maximus James learing to walk from Shona Cole on Vimeo.

Art Finds Friday - November 12, 2010

2010-11-12T08:03:00.020-06:00

1) BLOGGER MEET UP

I met Mindy from the Wishstudio last week in San Antonio and it was so fun to put a face and live personality to all of our online interaction. I thought 'you know I could meet more fellow bloggers and like minds', so I am going to get the ball rolling!

I would like to invite bloggers who live in the Houston and North Houston area to come to a Blogger Meet Up.

Why not join me?

Visit this blog post for the details and to leave a comment specifically about this meet up.

2) MUSIC

We had a music concert at our house the other week. Marcus Mucha, Shannon's husband sang a number of his latest original songs. He performed five that day, this one, 'Nails' was my favorite. I filmed it with my new camera, without a tripod, so forgive me for the terrible camera work. Just enjoy the music.

Nails from Shona Cole on Vimeo.

3) FOLLOWER LOVE
This week I have enjoyed visiting the blog of Sloane, Sunny's Smile. Her blog has few words, but many snapshots of her life as a creative mama. I love the straightforward simplicity of her vision. Her blog nails her purpose "This is the blog of a creative mama who seeks to capture beauty and inspiration in everyday moments." Sloane also shares her mixed media designs on her new art blog Sunny's Smile Design. I love her blog banner!

4) GIVEAWAY - winner
The results are in: For visitors to this blog space mixed media is overwhelmingly the favorite art form:
Mixed Media 29
Photography 17
Poetry 4

Interestingly many noted that mixed media is so great because it can include both photography and poetic words. I second that. I like how Shelley of Single Stone Studio put it "For me everything is rooted in mixed media - it might contain photos or poetry but the roots are always mixed media. I love paints and papers and fabrics. I love building layers and talking to God while I create. It's always a time when I get quiet and he speaks. It's why I create."

Well, there can only be one winner of Liz Lamorex's book 'Inner Excavations' and that is....

Elizabeth C of A Creative Beginning.

Congrats. Let's talk via email, I will get your physical address and get your book in the mail.

5) WHAT I MADE THIS WEEK

An Etsy Store! Yep, I opened 'The Artistic Mother' Etsy store.

I thought about Christmas coming and gift giving and thought that the perfect gift for The Artistic Mother would be my book and some supplies to get her going. So I put together some craft kits:

1) Kits for making the paper bag card, which is the project on p117 in my book.
2) Kits for making the balsa wood 'Butterfly Reminder', which is the project on p87.
3) Basic supply kits
You can buy the kits alone (not the basic kit, yet) or the kit plus a signed copy of my book.

So if you are looking for an inspiring crafty gift for your sister, new mother or best friend please consider visiting my brand new store!

Alternatively, buy a copy of my book (cheaper) on Amazon, go to your local craft supply store and purchase some of the 'Essential Tool Kit' listed on p67 of the book. If you want I can send you a signed sticker to place inside the cover of the book, it is the next best thing to having a truly signed copy of a book! Email me and I will mail you one, no charge to you at all.

I am telling you, having the right supplies on hand makes creating so much easier. That is especially true for the busy mother.

6) PHOTOGRAPHY

I was a 'character' model for Shannon Mucha's narrative art three times these past few weeks. You may remember I blogged about it here. Well, Shannon has posted some of the photos on her Flickr. Here is her finished narrative, you can scroll up and down for other images in this brilliant series. Thanks Shannon for letting me be a part of your art, me and my kids are looking forward to the next shoot!

Blogger Meet up - Houston, Texas

2010-11-12T06:38:00.003-06:00

I would like to invite bloggers who live in the Houston and North Houston area to come to a Blogger Meet Up.

When: December 8, 2010

Time: 7-9pm

Where: La Madeleine in The Woodlands,
9595 Six Pines Drive, Suite 100, The Woodlands TX, 77380

Who: bloggers who would like to put a face and voice to a blog/name

What: a relaxed evening to chat and eat some yummy food with wine or coffee

RSVP: You can leave a comment on this post and/or send me an email at theartisticmother@gmail.com.

Space is limited to the first 20 bloggers who give me a firm commitment that they will be there, so let me know soon if you can make it. I will post a list of who is coming as the RSVP's roll in.

You can spread the word using this badge image. Email me if you want a jpeg copy of it.

Take a walk with the Cole girls

2010-11-10T08:10:00.008-06:00

Take a walk with the Cole girls from Shona Cole on Vimeo.

Learning to walk

2010-11-08T08:09:00.013-06:00

My life as I knew it is over, at least for a little while. Max turned one last week and is moving about more and more and even beginning to walk. I can no longer put him down and know I can do a quick blog post or eat my lunch. No, he is all boy, opening the back door, longing to go outside, batting away books, preferring to crawl quickly to cupboards or drawers to empty the contents. I am this close to giving up putting everything back in place at least until he is older!

This may sound like a complaint, but really what a privilege to help launch this child into the world, to give him stronger legs, to be there as the world comes rushing towards him! Lord, help me be a good Momma.

and so where does it come from,
this drive to rise up?

he came to my arms lying down
he has been carried
he has been worn

I did not tell him to walk
I only cheer
when he pulls to a stand
I lean in
lending my hand
a finger hold
the last thread of security

this is his world to discover
these are his legs to strengthen
his pine cones to navigate
to pick up and be pricked by.

how he faces it, wobbling today,
running tomorrow, is his business

I can blow breath in the direction
I think is right
but he will learn the hard way
like every other boy before him

Shona Cole

Art Finds Friday - November 5, 2010 & giveaway

2010-11-05T07:38:00.003-05:00

1) POETRY

I am reading B.H. Fairchild's latest book and so far it is excellent. He is a master at long sentences that somehow don't lose the reader's attention and narratives of strange characters' momentary events, steeped in unusual histories. I love how he sees the deeper character in those people he comes in brief contact with or imagines. His poetic voice is very American, independent and confident. Good stuff, interesting. (Not for kids).

There is a very powerful poem 'Madonna and Child, Perryton, Texas 1967 about a screaming baby who calms down only when the momma nurses her baby, his description is so spot on. It is such a poignant moment that 'forty years later this scene still hangs in my mind'.

2) WHAT I MADE THIS WEEK

A junk mail journal with painted junk mail for the paper and cover, my own photography, and rubber stamps - these Fanciful Outline Lowercase Alphabet. I received these stamps in my capacity as an Artist On Call for Stampington. Every few months I get some new stamps to work with, some of this work then appears in Stampers' Sampler magazine.

3) THE ARTISTIC MOTHER

I spotted my book in my local Hobby Lobby. This photo is of my dad looking at his daughter's book and his grandkids' photos!

4) FOLLOWER LOVE

This week I would love you to go check out the blog of Kelly Thiel. She is a very talented sculpture artist, art journaler and mother. She gives her readers a very interesting look at the process involved in creating her bronze sculptures. She also blogs about being a mom and posts some recipes. Worth a look.

5) GIVEAWAY

I came across this book 'Inner Excavation' on Liz Lamoreux's blog about 6 months ago. The subtitle is 'Explore your self through Photography, Poetry, and Mixed Media'!!!!!!! As those are the same arts that I am involved in I immediately went to Amazon and hit 'pre-order'. About 2 months ago I was again on Liz's blog and I read more about her book and, completely forgetting that I had already done so, I pre-ordered it again! Imagine my surprise one day, when the book was released, that 2 copies of the book arrived to me! I guess I really was meant to have this book.

Well, as I have 2 copies I am going to give one of them away. To you, or one of you!

So leave me a comment and tell me which is your favorite of these 3 arts: Photography, poetry and mixed media. I will announce the winner next Friday (11-12-10).

Workshop Wednesday 11-3-10

2010-11-03T08:14:00.001-05:00

I have a question for you:

What video tutorials would you like to see in the future? It can be anything within the mixed media/collage/photography world, even something in my book. I would appreciate your input, I am open to all ideas.

You see I got this new point and shoot camera. It takes video in HD. Great, I videoed my latest tutorial. But I have a Mac and the Panasonic software doesn't work with Mac!!! I called Panasonic and they said I can upload direct to iMovie... but I need to buy the latest iLife software. Okay, but to upload that I have to have Snow Leopard, which I don't have. So, I have a number of steps before I can access my videos. So, no video this week. Instead....

here are a few of the tutorials (mostly photo steps) I have done so far:
Ornaments (video)
Background papers (video)
Homemade gallery
ATC cards
Frayed Flowers (to decorate a bag)
Little book to make with kids
Bind it All notebook
Sticky 2 Foil (photos by me and video of Christine Adolph)
Altered board book
Altered board game
Coffee cup holder book
Collage card
Altered photo wall hanging
Re-purposed onsie

Let me know if you have anything you would particularly like to watch.

And, check in on Friday as I am doing a giveaway for Liz Lamoreux's new book 'Inner Excavations'.

How one Mom does it all (& gets me to play dress up)

2010-11-01T08:11:00.005-05:00

Shannon Mucha is a testimony to everything that is wonderful about the Artistic Mother life. For those of you that have my book you can see an introduction to her life on p16-17.

She is such an inspiration to me.

She homeschools her kids in a stylishly decorated (always clean) home, she does arts and crafts with her kids, she is married to an artist/musician, Marcus Mucha, she free lances as a graphic designer/illustrator and she photographs everything about her lovely life, posting daily on her blog regardless of how busy she is.

And she is my confidant, accountability partner, professional listener! She makes time for my long-winded phone calls almost everyday and she always has something smart and helpful to say.

To top this all off Shannon is driven as an artist to seek ideas and skills and projects. I have never seen someone work so hard on any given project. And, if you didn’t thing that was enough, she is humble (and is probably horrified right now at me going on and on about her), and wants to learn more. So last month Shannon started a degree in digital photography online with The Academy of Art in San Francisco (online classes). I can just imagine how awesome her photos will be at the end of her schooling!

So how does she do it all? Well I asked her and was not at all surprised at her answer, what she says is pretty much an affirmation of the central thesis of my book.

Her focus is on vision & priorities, deadlines and schedule. All bathed in a love for family.

Vision & priorities: Mom duties first. As a Christian, she believes in the high calling of motherhood. Family time and kid’s school come first. Shannon keep firm to the idea that each hour of the day counts and will never come again. This vision keeps her productive and constantly appreciating the importance of doing her best every day.

Even her downtime is productive – at 5:00pm everyday, when the kids are occupied with after school activities, she does a workout and watches a movie (usually some kind of Indie flick). She finds the exercise gives her energy for the evening and the movie relaxes her mind.

Deadlines: Shannon has quarterly deadlines – for iStock photo, stock illustration, PACES and some ongoing deadlines with Mortal Muses and our photo collaborations. Now, as I mentioned, she also has her own art college classes! These deadlines dictate what she needs to get done and by when. They are short term goals that keep her motivated to keep on working.

Schedule: Shannon’s whole day follows a tight schedule, for herself and her kids. Every hour of her day is accounted for. So, yes it seems rigorous indeed, but it works. Art gets done in the Mucha home. School gets done – and I am telling you those are smart, well adjusted kids she is raising.

One side note worth sharing is that in light of her commitment to her family, she even involves her kids in choosing their schedule - each of her 3 children has a hand in designing when they do the subjects & chores that they have to do in any given week. It is so cute that Nomi, who is 5 this week, added trampoline time to her schedule – and Shannon finds that she does better at her K work after a few minutes of jumping. Zeb, 8, added bacon and egg breakfast Monday, Wednesday and Friday to his schedule! Such a boy! And as a testimony to her commitment to family - each of the kids made sure there was family time built into their day besides their subjects and chores. By involving the kids Shannon finds that they are more committed and productive, this in turn helps her get through the day without resistance thereby freeing her to do art in the evenings.

---------------

I love seeing Shannon in action. She has to do many photoshoots for her digital photography classes. On Friday she came over to my house as she needed some models to bring to life a narrative she wanted to shoot. She had come up with the theme of a child growing through literature. So we did a photo shoot loosely based on Alice In Wonderland.

Shannon brought the wig, a ladder and a boat load of ideas. I took some photos with my new point and shoot as we went along. It was SO fun. Here are some of my out takes. Matthew, 10 took some of the photos.

Me and my girls are looking forward to doing more photoshoots with Shannon.

Shan has posted a couple of photos from this shoot here and here.

Art Finds Friday - October 29, 2010

2010-10-29T08:02:00.001-05:00

1) PHOTOGRAPHY:

I have been lugging around my rather large 50D camera and 28-135mm lens for sometime now. I can get fab shots with it. But you know with a wriggling almost toddler it has become too cumbersome. I recently found myself leaving my camera at home so as not to handle both Max and a large camera. Then I get upset at all the shots I am missing. Not so much the arty shots, but more so the recording shots, the life shots, ones that generally don't make it onto this blog. More the type of photos I would post to Facebook, if I had time to do Facebook!

Finally, when I was exploring old photos on my external hard drive I found many old everyday shots I have of my kids when they were younger. I can't get enough of them. So I broke down and bought a point and shoot camera!

me & my new point and shoot at Academy sports shop

It has a wide angle lens, which I don't know if I like, so while I may exchange this model I am enjoying having this option to capture shots like this:

2) MUSIC:

Cowboy Junkies 'I Cannot Sit Sadly by Your Side'

I have always loved slow sad music. Full of mood.

3) FOLLOWER LINK:
Lisa of She's Sew Dottie has a lovely new blog that shows off her sewing projects worn by her beautiful children. I like this site because she seems to be all about Artistic Mother things - creating and children. She has a good refresher post on taking photos with kids, we can never be reminded too many times.

4) ART SUPPLIES

Do as I say, not as I do! I do not take good care of my brushes. I often abuse them by leaving them in paint filled water, bristles down. I use them for glue and then the bristles stick together and they end up in the trash. Oh, so bad. Fortunately my brushes are not $10 a piece. No, I buy the value packs at Hobby Lobby or Walmart. There you can get a packet of 25 various size brushes for $4.99. For mixed media and craft paints that is the way to go.

Wordless Wednesday - October 27, 2010

2010-10-27T08:08:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday Mark

One thing I love about being a mom

2010-10-25T08:08:00.000-05:00

One thing I love about being a mom is that I can make a human being happy and comfortable.

When Maximus is upset he looks for me. I can cuddle him and make it all better. When he is tired he looks for me. I can scoop him up and put him for a nap. When he is hungry he cries for me. I can nurse him. And then he smiles. He smiles and is comforted and happy. And I did that!

Revolution

The lyrics of his life

were written in silence

before the first sand fell

before the dream began

Born with his mouth wide

the scream releasing his need

I am his mother, so I hear

I hear it first

I orient my face

follow the sound

take the right steps

knowing always the formula,

fine and frayed

We are frozen in this time

dancing every day

just to feel the shift of the earth,

of the world beyond ours.

Art Finds Friday - October 22, 2010

2010-10-22T08:06:00.002-05:00

1) PHOTOGRAPHY

Annie Rose in my hallway

I had some of my photos onto large stretched canvas by ePingo. Here is one of them. I just love having a huge Annie Rose in my hallway! It is not cheap, this photo at 27x18 inches was about $80, but ePingo do a really good job, their customer service is excellent and I have this memory of Annie forever.

2) ART SUPPLIES

This week I used some new paints - Eco-Friendly paints by Eco Green Crafts. I got these paints from Stampington & Co. I can't see them listed on the Shoppe, but I am sure they will soon.

I have only 2 colors Sand and Moss.
Pros - very liquidy paint, goes one lovely and thick, nice rich colors, mixes well, for those into eco friendly supplies well they can be assured their money is well spent.
Cons - none so far!


A Christmas guest book I am working on. I painted this cover with the Sand Eco-Friendly paint.

3) MUSIC

Pomplamoose. Oh her voice, so light, so sweet. The texture of the sounds. That tune, the words. "The Greatest thing is to love and be loved in return".
Thanks Shannon for the rec!

4) FOLLOWER LOVE

This week I would like you to go visit Juliette Crane. She does the most adorable, almost fairytale-ish, owl mixed media paintings. And check out her home tour post, I love to look inside other folks houses, don't you? Thanks Juliette for letting us stop by for a visit. All the best with your art.

5) POETRY

Balsa Wood Ornament Video Tutorial

2010-10-20T08:05:00.007-05:00

These ornaments are quick and easy to make. Especially if you have your background papers ready to go!

Enjoy!

Balsa Wood Ornament Tutorial from Shona Cole on Vimeo.

Supplies needed:
- Background paper. Click here for my tutorial on making background papers.
- Balsa wood, which is a super light weight wood that is typically used in the crafting of model airplanes and so on. I did a quick search to see where you can get it online and I found it here at JoAnn's fabric store.
- Craft knife (and cutting board) and or scissors
- awl or bead reamer to punch a small hole
- Rubber stamp. I used a stamp that I got from Stampington & Co. in my capacity as an Artist On Call for them.
- Glue, I used a regular glue stick
- 26 gauge jewelry wire and wire cutter
- Craft paint and brush
- 7 inches of thin ribbon
- some beads for decoration

In my book, The Artistic Mother, the 5th project the "butterfly reminder" is made using balsa wood. If you own my book and are thinking about having a go making a 'butterfly reminder' then I hope this gives you a feel for working with balsa wood.

I thinks these ornaments will end up on Lily's pink Christmas tree this year! Did I just say Christmas???

The Perception of Mess

2010-10-18T08:03:00.010-05:00

I can tolerate a fair amount of mess, for instants on my craft room table, in my school room, at least for a while. But after a few days I feel the discomfort well up, I miss the clean lines of the floor and tabletops and then it bursts and I make the kids help me in a flurry of clean up. Usually when this happens I am a little blustery with them, huffing and puffing about how they don’t respect their things or my wishes to keep the house tidy.

The other day I was sitting at my computer which sits on the bar and I looked over into the dining room/kitchen, which is an area I like to be consistently tidy, and I caught myself sighing over the disorder:

Playing Clue on the dining room table after school

But then I stopped myself and thought ‘you know my kids moved the table centerpiece to play a board game!’ I have these awesome kids and they are happily playing, together, in the middle of the day! This is a good thing.

At that moment I reminded myself that mess is going to happen with kids about, there will be a bulky high chair and an abundance of dishes in the sink. Reality. And instead of seeing my house as something lovely that gets messy I can choose to see that this house is a lovely backdrop for my kid's life and activities.

These chair are their thrones at meal time.
These walls are the color of their daily life.
These ornaments are the texture of their story.
Matthew, Lily, Laura, Annie, Maximus - they are the main characters, the reason for the theatre!

My home is not meant to look like a house in a magazine article. My home is meant to be for living. For the living of my babies, my little people. That is so freeing!

After choosing to change the way I look at things, later in the evening I even sat on the chaise lounge with Mark before the dishes were cleaned away! Wow, that was a big deal for me because usually I like to relax after the kitchen is clean. And it was a nice time, the kids were playing and we got to chat about the day. And then I cleaned the kitchen.

I won’t become a slob any time soon, it is not in my character, but I am practicing being a little cooler and keep my focus on the people rather than the things.

Annie Rose, 4 1/2

My house is the backdrop to the story of my kid’s life. I like that.

Art Finds Friday - October 15, 2010

2010-10-15T08:04:00.003-05:00

1) PHOTOGRAPHY:

I have joined an online group called Mortal Muses. There are 9 leaders or muses and they post challenges each week in their main site and then group members can upload themed photos to the Mortal Muses Flickr group. There is also an ongoing theme of 'Everyday Beauty' which has it's own Flickr group. I am still getting a feel for it, but it resembles Shutter Sisters. There are a lot of productive, creative women out there taking some fine shots!

Everyday Beauty

2) ART SUPPLIES

ATCs I made with the Claudine Hellmuth Studio paints

Product: Claudine Hellmuth Studio paints
- Altered orange
- Purple palette
- Modern red
- Blank Canvas

Pros: Lovely creamy paints, covers well, vibrant colors. I love dipping the brush into the open jar rather than having to squeeze the paint out onto a palette. I am so glad I bought these, I think I will get some more colors.
Cons: more expensive than cheap-o craft paint (but you pay for what you get, ie this paint is better quality), the paint seems to dry even faster than craft paints (and I live in a super humid climate where nothing dries!)

Where to buy them? Stampington & Co. and Micheals art and hobby store in the US.

3) FOLLOWER LOVE:

I discovered the blog Mama Without Borders when visiting some of the folks who are listed on my sidebar as 'followers'. Minerva used to be a journalist and is now a stay at home mom to 2 lovely kids and she blogs about "about creating a beautiful home with finds from around the world that reflect a love for the arts, crafts and crafting, handmade goods, and vintage treasures". Her blog is full of lovely rooms and inspiration. My favorite is the 'children's nook' section. Take a look!

4) WHAT I MADE THIS WEEK:

Balsa wood ornaments!

I made these balsa wood ornaments using the background papers I made on my first video tutorial.

Next week on Workshop Wednesday come back to watch a 5 minute video of me making this ornament!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-13T08:05:00.002-05:00

getting away

I'm not the only one: Wordless Wednesday

The flawed mother

2010-10-11T08:03:00.005-05:00

I am particularly hard on my kids if they ever dare utter the words ‘I’m bored’ or ‘what should I do now?’. I won’t tolerate that mainly because in my life I have struggled with being bored and aimless.

Before the age of about 28 I didn’t have any dreams or goals. I lived in a vacuum of the present tense. I lived life affected by the moment, affected by those around me and the goings on of the day. I never considered developing any skills to any accomplished level. I have journals full of angst, desperate words wanting to believe in and be excited about something, anything! I tried many activities – dance, poetry, fine art, academics - but nothing ever stuck with me.

I think that now I do have what I was missing - purpose, drive and passion (how I finally got that is a story in itself, for another day) - I hold that up as a yardstick in my parenting. This can be a good thing, but it can also be potentially harmful.

Left image by Shannon Mucha, right by me

In the case of combating pointlessness - I give my kids lots of options, of things to do and believe in. I talk to them about the importance of finding something to love to do. If my kids show any interest in any topic we talk endlessly about it, buy a book about it, sign them up for a class, take them to a show, order a documentary on it from Netflix, generally generate excitement about the topic. We cover every base!

It could be argued that it is unfair to do that to my kids - to fill up their minds and schedules because I am particularly sensitive to what I lacked by way of passion. I swore not to try to live out my life through my kids, like the stage parent who pushes their kid to be an actor cause they missed the boat themselves. But it is hard not to, isn’t it?

But as it also stems from a desire for them to be happy and productive (I could never wish the emptiness of pointlessness & boredom on them), I can cut myself some slack here, but I think it is good practice to keep in context my personal failings.

So while I don't let my kids say they are bored. Ever. I do realize that sometimes having nothing to do as a kid can be freeing and helpful. So sometimes I purposefully don't give them stuff to do and tell them to go play. And you know, they always find something fun to do or create. My goodness the amount of stuff my kids create in a week is astounding!

And in regards to their interests - if it sticks, great we keep going. If not, we let the interest fall by the wayside. I really don’t mind what they are interested in, as long as they are interested in something! Life is so full of good stuff to do and believe in, I want them to help them find their path.

So my principle is - when I feel myself getting overly upset at how they are acting I look at myself to see if it is something that has been my own issue. I try to step back and be cool. Then I pray that they are protected from my shortcomings and that good things will come from them instead!

Art Finds Friday - October 8, 2010

2010-10-08T08:05:00.009-05:00

1) ART SUPPLIES

I got some Glimmer Mist from Stampington & Co. last week.
colors:
sea glass - a very light blue, so light it is only good for spraying on white
olive vine - a lovely strong green
sunflower - end of summer kind of yellow
red velvet - soulful red

Pros - I like using paint spray effect, fun to use and cheerful.
Cons - these bottle leak and drip like mad. I have to remember to put the cap on before I shake them as they splatter all over!

2) MUSIC

I have recently discovered Kate Earl while listening to my Fiona Apple station on Pandora. I enjoy the sound of her voice and this kind of sad music.

3) ART WE MADE THIS WEEK

A picture Lily, 8 drew last week of Mr. Duck, something that caught Laura's eye when 'antique' shopping!

4) FOLLOWER LOVE:

Each week I will be linking to one of the artists who have chosen to 'follow' this blog. I believe that by checking in here they are probably somewhat of a like mind, a person that I would be friends with in 'real life' and so I wanted to recognize our community a little.

Becky Caldwell of The Gritty Bird
I love her eclectic jewelry designs. And the sound of her life:
"My days are generally spent running the house, home-schooling and working on my art. My work includes mixed-media paintings and jewelry. I truly love making things and honestly I get a bit down if a day goes by that I don't get to. Creating has now become my therapy, my release. There is nothing more wonderful and freeing then watching your art slowly come together and then joy of seeing the finished results." Becky Caldwell
A kindred soul!

* note I have changed this column to Art Finds Friday rather than just five things, that way I can focus on arty things - art in the larger sense of the word: 2D and 3D art, photography, mixed media, poetry, links to artist's sites, supplies, ideas relating to and so on.

See you next week,

Workshop Wednesday

2010-10-06T08:06:00.010-05:00

I am still only learning how to do video. It made sense to start at the very beginning and do a quick video for you on how I make painted and stamped background papers. Back in March I did a photo tutorial on the same subject, so while this is pretty much the same information it is fun to see it in video form. I would like to get quicker at making these. The whole process was 4 hours from making the video to editing it, not including stoppage time to take care of the kids!

I use my painted backgrounds for so many things. It is a good prep step for mixed media work.

Making painted and stamped background papers from Shona Cole on Vimeo.

Note on the video: In case it is not clear I worked on 2 sheets at the same time and show me painting both of them. The colors I used were: Purple Cow by Americana, Metallic Gold by Ceramcoat (I refer to it as bronze in the video at one point!) and Baby Pink by Anita's - all cheap craft paints from my local craft store, Hobby Lobby.

I hope you enjoyed that! Let me know what you thought - is the video too long? hard to see/grainy? Did I leave out any details? I plan to do some more videos, so any feedback would be helpful.

I did another tutorial video over on CRESCENDOh, this one is about 2 minutes long and is on 'making rubber stamps your own'.

It isn't apparent, but I did that whole video with my 11 month old on my back, thanks to my Ergo. He was lulled to sleep by my movement and talking!

Mother Muses Monday - starts today!

2010-10-04T08:08:00.004-05:00

So today I begin my musings about motherhood. I have brainstormed lots of topics that hopefully are interesting to you - from abstract parental vision to concrete issue involving schooling and behavior, to making time for art while raising kids.

To kick off my Mother Muses column I wanted to share a little about my parenting philosophy. It is not very concrete but that way you can see where I am coming from.

3 of my 5 kids

You know, I can't really talk of my parenting without including my husband, Mark. He and I are a team...... Well we see our kids as individuals. Due respect and assistance. We see that they need to learn to navigate this world ‘cause one day they will be fully functioning members of society. And that it is our job to get them there, as parents, teachers, guides and later friends.

We believe it is our job to discern what it is they need to learn about and are exposed to as they grow. We see it as our special privilege to do this, something that takes time and effort, but that is worth every morsel. Our parenting comes before everything else we do with our time ~ art and jobs included. So we constantly seek out ways to help develop their character and educate their minds.

But also we see that they are not ours to boss around and make them into people they were not designed to be. Neither do we see them as appendages meant to make us look good. So we tread carefully as we parent. God has a plan for each of our kids and we will do everything in our power to not mess that up, but to help bring that plan to fruition!

In our search for the right parenting path we look for wisdom in the Bible, through talking with friends and through our constant analysis of our kid’s personalities and actions, gifts and interests. Really, Mark and I go on weekly dates and spend a whole lot of time talking about the kids!

We really do enjoy our kids. They are all so different, so interesting to us, so beautiful, so awesome. We feel deeply lucky, blessed and all other good things to have each of our five children. We know them, we have fun with them. We strive to show them the best things in the world - art, culture, academics, books, media, friends, church, travel, family, Biblical truth. We strive to make them feel loved, secure, free and utterly accepted.

Bottom line is that we try to actively love our kids, each independently, but also as part of the Cole family. Everything we do is steeped in love, love, love. Love covering our scheduling decisions, our tone of voice, our soothing when we get tired or mad. Love covering our plans, our fun activities, our discipline of poor behaviors and habits. Love in our prayers for them.

Yes, prayers. I pray for my kids daily. I thank God for their lives, I pray for their health and safety (body, mind and spirit) and that they will be sheltered from my bad qualities and that I will be a good Mommy.

So that is the outline, the heavy stuff. Next week I hope to be a little more light hearted. But then again, I am not a particularly light hearted person, especially when it comes to my kids! So we’ll see!

If you have any questions or comments on what I say here, please leave them. I may not be able to respond to every comment, but I read them and if you ask a question I will get back to you. I also would love to hear from you. I would love to know your parenting philosophy. Perhaps consider sharing it on your blog too? Let me know.

(Oh, I am so excited I have a 5 minute video lined up for you on Workshop Wednesday!)

New blog schedule

2010-09-29T00:56:00.006-05:00

One of the major things I heard from my blog survey was that it is best to have a regular blog schedule, and that every other day is optimal. Before the summer I used to do Tue, Thur and Sat, but I think for a change I am going to do Mon, Wed, Fri.

The second thing was I discovered most folks come here for 3 main reasons: mixed media tutorials, the topic of motherhood and photography. So I am going to continue to focus on those topics. I have 'named' my themes.... to rhyme with the day. Yes, I know many do it and it is kind of cutesy (which I really am not), but honestly I think it is going to help me keep focused and allow you, my readers to know what to expect here.

So here they are:

Mother Muses Monday

- topics: thoughts about being a mom in general, motherhood poetry, life as a mom, how awesome my kids are :), how to survive motherhood, the joys of being a mom, homeschooling, time management, links to good resources, etc

Wednesday Workshop

- Workshop topics: demos of mixed media/collage projects and supplies, re/upcycling projects, possibly some kids crafts. I would love to have some guest posts here too - all focused on the 'how to', those beloved tutorials.

or Wordless Wednesday (Alternative weeks)

- Wordless topics: I know many folks already are doing this, so it needs little introduction - basically whatever photo feels right for the day. Workshops and tutorials take a while to prepare so this will give me time to do it without burning out and anyhow I have a plethora of photos to share!

Art Finds Friday

- topics: 5 independent things all related to art (art in the broadest sense - mixed media, photography, poetry, music and so on) – inspiring blog links, intro to cool supplies, an art challenge for the weekend, art giveaway, random thoughts about being an artist, music links - basically whatever I feel like talking about with the only restriction that I only include one topic per point. So no rambling thoughts or paragraphs.

So I hope this will help you to come visit me when a topic that interests you is posted! The schedule will begin Monday October 4. So join me please.

Thank you again for helping me with the survey. It has been invaluable.

Creative friends

2010-09-27T09:56:00.010-05:00

You may notice that I have changed my blog from 'An Artful Life' to 'The Artistic Life'. I have been meaning to do this for a while but just haven't had the time. Then, yesterday Shannon Mucha, Becky McBee and myself did a phootshoot together & when I processed the photo of the tag with the buttons I loved it and knew it was perfect. So there you go!

I talk about Shannon a whole lot on this blog. That is cause we do so much together. I can't tell you how much she inspires me to work (and do school, be a good Mom and wife and so on)! I would be half the 'artistic' person I am without her. We are just meant to be friends.

How we became friends is kind of a cool story. It was 10 years ago and had just had a baby and was in that new Mom process of re-examining my life, who I am, what kind of mom I want to be, who I want to be friends with, you know? I was sitting outside our old church nursing Matthew and I saw this lovely artsy looking woman with a baby in her arms walking past. I said to myself 'I should be friends with her'. Little did I know I really should and would be!

A few weeks later she and her husband visited our Bible study class and I made a bee line for her. I found out she made handmade cards, which I also did at the time. I was so delighted! But almost immediately I heard they moved north of Houston and would not be coming back to our church. So we didn't become friends at that time. She was just someone I briefly met.

Fast forward 6 years, we had moved out north to Magnolia and were settled in a new church and then one day Shannon was there! I remembered her and made a second bee line. And we have been friends every since.

Yesterday Shannon and another friend were over. Becky McBee, she has no website, but is another artistic soul. I couldn't have been happier to have my 2 friends here together! So, the 3 of us worked on this photoshoot, arranging things to make 'frames' for poetic words, inspired by this book called Etcetera, while our kids (all about the same ages) played freeze tag, hide and seek and danced to pop music.

My perfect day.

Isn't it so great when you have friends that make the possibilities seem endless? Where the conversation never runs out and time is never enough to do all you want to do? Creative community. I like to think I am building that here, online too. I get inspired by the lovely souls who leave me a comment - it makes me want to do more, to keep on going even when I am tired from the day with the kids. I get inspired by visiting your blogs and seeing what you are doing, what projects you are working on. Creative friends, you can never have enough of them! Agree?

And on that note, thank you so much for all the help on my blog via that survey. I am processing all the data and comments this week, but really it has been very, very helpful! Thank you.

Your opinion please

2010-09-23T13:46:00.005-05:00

I am in the process of reviewing my blog content. I really would like to hear your opinion. The survey is anonymous, so feel free to let loose! It should be appearing as a pop up, if that gets annoying then I will embed it in a blog post (if I can work out how to do that!!!). You may need to enable pop ups in order to be directed to the survey. Once you have completed the survey the pop up will no longer appear.

I appreciate your time, so I have made it as short as I could, but still valuable to me. It should take less that 2 minutes to complete, if even that much!

This is my first survey, so I may be tweaking it a little over the next few days.

Thanks

For any (wannabe) dog lovers

2010-09-21T18:59:00.002-05:00

I had the opportunity to do a guest post on the fab Chrysti Hydeck's blog today. It is for any folks who need to be reminded, despite the busyness of motherhood to remember to love our pets! I so need to remember this one. Oh my!

I hope you go an visit me over there.

Thanks

Inspiration boards

2010-09-18T12:33:00.006-05:00

I so enjoyed reading the comments about how you are mixing your media here. I am glad that we are all in this mixed media world together.

Thank you for weighing in and for entering my journal giveaway. There is a winner - it is Peggy of Pig Logs and 'tater berries'. Let's talk via e-mail and when I have your address I will mail you your little notebook.

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I have only a small window a day to myself to think and create. This month I added something else into that time slot. It is an online class all about blogging. I signed up for it on a whim, hoping to gain a little perspective to help me plan my blog, but it has turned out to be so much more. It is 'Blogging Your Way' hosted by Holly of Decor8 and co-taught by Leslie of A Creative Mint. It is an amazingly professional course with many articles and podcasts and homework that makes you think and do some real soul searching. It is leading to me thing about so much more than blogging. Good stuff.

And well attended. There is probably over 500 folks in the class and it seems that many folks are doing the homework and posting it to the forums. Reading about other's blogs and blog ideas has also been food for thought.

On Friday's Leslie showed us all about styling photographs and making inspiration boards. I showed the post to Lily, so as you can imagine she wanted to do one too. So she did:

Inspiration Board by Lily, age 8

I love having artistic children!!! (see those little stamps mid left? they are some stamps I have been carving from photos this week for a Stampington project).

Another aspect of the class was to make an inspiration board specifically for my blog. I can't believe I have not done this before. It is not like I have not read about it, but taking this class gave me the opportunity to do it. Here is mine:

Blogging inspiration board

When 'Blogging Your Way ' course comes around again I highly recommend it.

I started to talk about this by way of telling you that I am using up my time on something other than, albeit related to, blogging. I have some major deadlines coming up too, so I will not be blogging for a while. I will be back, fresh and with a new lease on blog life soon.

Take care,

Shona

On Turning Ten (Billy Collins)

2010-09-14T10:43:00.001-05:00

Matthew, you made me a mother. You set my feet on this wonderful path 10 years ago. I am in awe at what a fine young man you are becoming. You are loyal, kind, loving to your sisters and little brother, passionate about your world and your friends. You have been gifted with a brilliant mind, and you know "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." Luke 12:48

Today, we won't do school. We will eat out where you desire. We will give gifts in your honor and sing to you. And we will read this poem, On Turning Ten by Billy Collins and after all these year of reading it, it is finally yours! Double digits!

On Turning Ten
by Billy Collins

The whole idea of it makes me feel
like I'm coming down with something,
something worse than any stomach ache
or the headaches I get from reading in bad light--
a kind of measles of the spirit,
a mumps of the psyche,
a disfiguring chicken pox of the soul.

You tell me it is too early to be looking back,
but that is because you have forgotten
the perfect simplicity of being one
and the beautiful complexity introduced by two.
But I can lie on my bed and remember every digit.
At four I was an Arabian wizard.
I could make myself invisible
by drinking a glass of milk a certain way.
At seven I was a soldier, at nine a prince.

But now I am mostly at the window
watching the late afternoon light.
Back then it never fell so solemnly
against the side of my tree house,
and my bicycle never leaned against the garage
as it does today,
all the dark blue speed drained out of it.

This is the beginning of sadness, I say to myself,
as I walk through the universe in my sneakers.
It is time to say good-bye to my imaginary friends,
time to turn the first big number.

It seems only yesterday I used to believe
there was nothing under my skin but light.
If you cut me I could shine.
But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life,
I skin my knees. I bleed.