Entries Tagged as 'cats'
Retreat to the Castle!
March 5th, 2009, Comments (10)
Emma in her castle
Hello, you creative geniuses!
I'm going to be out of town on a short retreat this weekend and I will not be able to check my email or post here as frequently as usual. Feel free to scroll through my archives for fun ways to play with your creativity, visit the Creative Every Day Challenge participants (listed in the sidebar) for loads of inspiration, and check out the interview with author, Robert Moss I posted this week!
Hope you enjoy this pic of my sweet, Emma, who every so often I find curled up within this cat castle. I totally wish I had one in my size! In lieu of my own castle, I'm making my own mini getaway to retreat and refresh (something I recommend to all creative souls!) I hope your weekend is creatively delicious!
The Cat Craziness Continues
February 10th, 2009, Comments (8)
I can't help myself. These cute kitty videos just kill me! The one above gave me a good laugh (don't you wish you knew what they were thinking sometimes?) And then the animated feature below is basically a snapshot of my husband's life. I saw it on Jamie's blog yesterday and sent it immediately to the hubster. We both got a good kick out of it. 
Works in Progress
January 18th, 2009, Comments (10)
I don't have anything finished to show, but I'm happy to be sharing some works in progress with you. This painting is developing slowly. First as a collaged canvas (above) and then painting the scene that I originally doodled in a sketchbook. Of course the image continues to change and develop as I paint it. It leads me and grows as I go.
I imagine this woman is listening to the earth, listening to the quiet growings that happen beneath the surface. I suppose it's a metaphor for listening to that still small voice within you. I hope to do some more work on it today.
I've also been playing a bit in an art journal I have. I don't do a lot of art journaling, but every so often, I'm inspired to work in this way. Here's a work in progress (below.) Recently, I surprised myself with being drawn to images of Africa (elephants have been on my joy list for quite a while, but now I'm being drawn to giraffes and African landscapes.) I clipped the giraffe image from a travel brochure that came in the mail. I was especially tickled by it because of the two other regular symbols of mine that show up in it:
A tree and loads of lanterns (check out my business name, Blue Tree Studios, for the trees and the banner of this blog for the lantern!) The rest of the journal spread was created with some paint and playfulness and a hand-carved stamp. The only words so far are, "It's possible," but I plan to do some writing on these pages as well.
We got whopped with another snowstorm today. It's been a very snowy winter in my estimation. Today, I am definitely staying indoors. In fact, it may be an all-day-pajama-fest here. The cats have all snored their agreement. Excellent.
I hope your day (pajamas or no) is a wonderfully creative one!
Cat Crazy
January 13th, 2009, Comments (8)
As the owner of four lovable cats, some might say I'm a bit cat crazy. O.k., plenty of people might say that! Well, either way, I can't help but share some of the great cat stories I see form time to time.
I saw this video on Belle's blog. It features The Cat House on the Kings, a simply amazing no-kill shelter for cats (and some dogs too) in California. What a sweet life these kitties have. I would totally love to hang out there every day. They do such fabulous work, so if you can, do donate a bit to this wonderful non-profit that helps so many kitties find good homes and is home to all those who don't get adopted for whatever reason.
These other bits are just for fun. This next video was discovered through the twittering of divabat. It features a kitty who wanders on to the set of a t.v. meteorologist and gets in on the action. Too cute.
And lastly, a game for your iphone called Mew Mew Tower. I may have to check this one out. I'm not usually a video game person (because I stink at them and get frustrated!), but this one has such a great name. Heh. Yep, I'm cat crazy.
Saturday Linkage
January 10th, 2009, Comments (19)
It's been a crazy couple days. I had to take the hubster into the ER yesterday because he was super dehydrated, couldn't lose his fever, and swallowing was extremely painful. He'd been sick all week, already been to the doctor. Anyways, to make a long story short, he got an IV, pain medication, and stronger antibiotics and he's feeling a little better today. This week I've been spending a lot of time taking care of the sick hubster and so I haven't had a ton of time for sharing what I've been up to creatively or visiting all you wonderful CED-ers. But I love what I have seen!!
As a reminder, I'm going to be on Ananda's radio show tomorrow evening at 7 p.m. EST talking about daily creativity. You can call in or listen online and the show will be recorded, so that you can listen to it at your own convenience too!
We're supposed to get another snow storm here tomorrow, so I hit the grocery store today (it was mad house!) While I was out, the hubster was resting on the couch and he sent me this video of our sweet kitty, Emma. Sooo cute.
Isn't she adorable?
I've got a few other goodies to share with you as well:
- Jamie's book group has begun and to kick it off she has posted a wonderful interview with my friend, Jennifer Lee. It's chock-full of inspiration, so be sure to check it out!!
- The Squam Workshops list of classes for June and September is up and it looks awesome!!
- My bff is co-leading a weekly scrapbooking challenge, Create in 09! This week's theme is "Nine in 09" and you can find out more about it here!
That's about it for now. Lots more to share, so I'll be back tomorrow!
The Lovely Internets
December 19th, 2008, Comments (9)
It can make you crazy, inspire you, and overwhelm you at times. It can connect you with wonderful people from all over the world. It can give you energy. And it can suck you in for hours. It can help you run your business. It can give you that spark you needed to keep going. It can help you find that perfect gift. It can teach you things. It can help you procrastinate. It can make you laugh out loud. It can make you cry. Every day it seems I'm inspired by some new story of wonder that the internet has helped create. Shayla sent me a link to this youtube video and I just had to share. It exemplifies just the sort of wild and wondrous ways that the online world can bring people together. You can find out more about the artist on her blog, here.
I'm looking forward to sharing a wonderful year of creating together online in 2009!
I've been totally absorbed by a painting the past few days, but I think it's finished and I'll be able to share this weekend. I enjoyed painting today while the snow came down. Even though I started this painting about a week ago, it has a snow/winter theme to it. So it felt so fun and timely to be finishing it up today in the midst of a New England snowstorm. The snow is rather pretty while I'm here inside. Not looking forward to driving in it, but for now, that's not a concern. The cozy kitties, hubster, and I are enjoying a quiet evening. I hope you are all safe and warm and that you have a wonderfully creative weekend!
Holi-daze
December 16th, 2008, Comments (30)
The time leading up to Christmas tends to put me a little on edge. There are things that I love (the lights, cocoa, cookies, giving special gifts, quality time with family, decorating the tree), but there's a bit of stress in there that wipes me out. I do my best to stay healthy and upbeat. We've all got to remember how important self-care is during all the craziness!
Fortunately, this image that the hubster put together for our holiday cards is just the sort of thing to brighten my mood. Hehe. I used double stick tape to put this picture on our holiday cards. Last night, the hubster and I put them together, wrote out the addresses on envelopes, and messages inside, while listening to cheesey holiday tunes, and then I sent them off today. I'd love to send one out to all you, so consider this your holiday card from me, the hubster, and our four kitties.
The hubster and I were both raised by parents of different religions, so we incorporated a Jewish yarmulke on one of the kitties, so our Jewish relatives wouldn't feel left out by the Rudolf theme. I think he did a phenomenal job. Hopefully all our relatives will find it funny. Heh. We sent out a few non-picture cards to family members who are a little more old-fashioned just in case. Ha! I'm laughing again, looking at it!
Ahem, anyways, I'm getting very excited for Creative Every Day 2009. I'll be letting you in on the theme for January very soon. In the meantime, happy holidays to you and yours!
Sniffles and Holiday Craftiness
December 4th, 2008, Comments (13)
I managed to get out to the grocery store which was not so fun, but I had a craving for butternut squash and I needed tissues, so I went out and it was quite nice out. I also got some beautiful new art postcards in the mail and I'll be sending one out to everyone who orders a calendar. They feature the Lady of the Lake painting and have lovely rounded corners which I'm just loving at the moment.
I'm wishing I felt better because I'm bursting with ideas, just low on energy. Re-thinking the Creative Every Day Challenge has me super excited and I know it will be a great year, full of creativity and great connections, inspiration and lots of fun. And PLAY! Yes, play. More on that later.
Perhaps this cold is my body's way of telling me to take a little rest after the rush of AEDM. It can be hard to relax this time of year. Despite the fact that I feel like the holidays are about family and not the gifts, it can be stressful thinking about how to handle gifts, especially in a large family. And all the travel and family time, while wonderful, can be draining for my introverted self. How do you make the holidays a fun and relaxing time? I totally love this fabric advent calendar that my bff created. She had family members create items to put in the little pockets by having them draw on shrinky dink plastic. What a cool idea!! I love to see crafts that families can work on together. Although this isn't a holiday piece, how amazing is this family-decorated IKEA chair from Our Artful Life?! Love it! And if you're looking for something eco-friendly, check out this diy re-cycled shopping bag turned into a bow on Creature Comforts! The Tar-jay bag makes for a great Christmas-y decoration too.
There are so many great holiday crafts out there. I'm particularly drawn to garlands made from paper or felt at the moment. How bout you?
Cat Stackers
November 25th, 2008, Comments (19)
It was so dark and gloomy all day, so I felt the need for my art to be fun and light. I ran a bunch of errands in the rain and it was pleasant to be in the cozy car, listening to an audiobook on cd, warming my bum on the butt-warmer seats, feeling cozy and dry while stuck in traffic. I didn't mind going slow or waiting. Running from car to store with packages and umbrella and purse was a little less fun and little more comical, especially when a big box I bought to ship art in, nearly flew away from me in the wind.
Today in Soul Coaching, the focus was partly on how you carry yourself. I know that making a decision to carry yourself a certain way can make a huge difference. There was also an exercise about taking some time to truly relax and even though I didn't do it multiple times during the day, I did take a nice long rest after a yoga session with a purring cat on my chest, just breathing and melting into the floor. And that felt fabulous.
Some of the AEDM-ers are eager to continue with the project. And although I can't commit to posting art every day beyond this month, I will still have the Creative Every Day 2008 project going. And I think I'll start using the linking widget for the weekly CED posts too. I'm loving that widget. Widget is also a fun word to say. Widget, widget, widget. O.k., I'm tuckered out. Sweet dreams, you creative geniuses!
Red Balloon
November 17th, 2008, Comments (23)
I've been busy, busy all day, putting together a 2009 calendar of my artwork (I'll let you know as soon as it's ready!) In the process, I've also prepped some more artwork for prints which I hope to have up on my art website soon. These things always take longer than I expect them to, but I feel good about the progress I've made nonetheless.
Taking a break from the computer this afternoon, I set to painting in a completely intuitive fashion, upon a 12"x16" piece of watercolor paper. I wet the paper, letting some paint flow into the water, creating shapes and lines in a fluid way. Things were flowing again, unlike yesterday, which was a relief. When I stepped back, I saw what was the woman's hair and started bringing that out, eventually seeing that she was wearing a grand red dress and holding a red balloon which is why I'm calling "Red Balloon." I used some ink in the end to draw in her face and give some highlights to the dress and the feather headpiece in her hair. It was fun to play with paint, with no particular end in mind.
This playful method fit right in with one of the focuses of Soul Coaching today, which was to find ways to experience more fun and joy. I plan on having a lovely, fun night to myself this evening while the hubster is out. Heck, it's fun just thinking about the variety of things I can do to make it a fun evening!
In need of a laugh? It's perhaps my love of all things cat, but I find this incredibly funny. It makes me laugh out loud every time. So, if you need a giggle, be sure to check out Guster's a cappella "Carol of the Meows."
Thanks to Wendy for pointing out that AEDM got mentioned on the Liz Massey's blog, Creative Liberty. Liz also mentioned the amazingly talented, Tammy Vitale in the same post. And I have to mention that Tammy created a drawing named after me, called Leah Dancing as part of AEDM, that I just totally love. I've never had a piece of art named for me before. What an honor! It made me all giddy.
