Tuesday, August 31, 2010

books aside

My free, gently-used art books didn't fly off the shelves like I thought they might but that's ok. I'm sure I'll find loving homes for them at some point. For now, I'm putting them aside to begin a creative collaboration with my online pal Phyll. She's worked with countless mediums and is always experimenting with new things. I'm anxious to see what she does. Heck, I'm anxious to see what I do, since it's been quite awhile since I've played on that side of the studio! LOL! I'll share the photos/scans of the pieces when they're done. For now, I'll leave you with a quote:

"The root meaning of the word art is "to fit together" and we all do this every day. Not all of us are painters, but we are all artists. Each time we fit things together we are creating -- whether it is to make a loaf of bread, a child, a day." ~ Corita Kent

Monday, August 23, 2010

recipients & a few more books to give away

I'm tickled to be able to pass along these books/publications to three lovely ladies:
  • The Princess ~ The Art of Cartooning by Walter Foster
  • Tami ~ Art Escapes ~ Daily Exercises & Inspirations for Discovering Greater Creativity & Artistic Confidence, by Dory Kanter
  • Jodi ~ Artful Blogging, Aug/Sep/Oct '09 & Somerset Studio Sep/Oct '07, Nov/Dec '07, Mar/Apr '08 & Jul/Aug '09
Tami, would you please send an email to me with your mailing address? My email is shown on my profile ("about me") page.

Since I still have a few books/publications available, and have now added three more, I'll make another offer.
  • Cloth Paper Scissors, July/August 2009
  • Cloth Paper Scissors, September/October 2009
  • Creative Cardmaking a Complete Guide, published by North Light Books
  • Herbal Pleasures Cooking & Crafts by Katherine Richmond
  • Old Age Is Always 15 Years Older Than I Am ~ a book of quotes that are great for making birthday cards
  • Paper Crafting with Carol Duval
  • Sew Crafty ~ Craft Projects That Are Sew Much Fun They'll Have You In Stitches by Heather Lancaster & Desiree Tanner
  • The Stamper's Sampler June/July 2007
  • The Ultimate Crafts Compendium, published by Hermes House

If you're interested, email me or leave a comment by 8/30/10 and let me know which one(s) you'd like. If more than one person asks for a particular item, I'll ask my dh to draw names from a hat. The items & shipping are free. I just ask that you only request what you'll actually read/use.

I'll announce winners 8/31/10 or shortly thereafter, and ask that mailing addresses be privately emailed to me at that time (if not already provided).

Enjoy every moment

Di


Sunday, August 15, 2010

gently used art book give-away

Today is National Relaxation Day, and what better way to relax than with a good book? I've been doing a wee bit of downsizing and have some art books & publications to pass along (seems appropriate since August is National Artist Appreciation Month). I have the following items available:

  • The Art of Cartooning by Walter Foster
  • Art Escapes ~ Daily Exercises & Inspirations for Discovering Greater Creativity & Artistic Confidence, by Dory Kanter
  • Artful Blogging, Aug/Sep/Oct 2009
  • Cloth Paper Scissors, July/August 2009
  • Cloth Paper Scissors, September/October 2009
  • Creative Cardmaking a Complete Guide, published by North Light Books
  • Paper Crafting with Carol Duval
  • Somerset Studio, September/October 2007
  • Somerset Studio, November/December 2007
  • Somerset Studio, March/April 2008
  • Somerset Studio, July/August 2009
  • The Stamper's Sampler June/July 2007
  • The Ultimate Crafts Compendium, published by Hermes House

If you're interested, email me or leave a comment by 8/22/10 and let me know which one(s) you'd like. If more than one person asks for a particular item, I'll ask my dh to draw names from a hat. The items & shipping (gulp, I may regret the shipping part) are free. I just ask that you only request what you'll actually read/use.

I'll announce winners 8/23/10 or shortly thereafter, and ask that mailing addresses be privately emailed to me at that time (if not already provided).

Choose Love,
Di



Sunday, August 8, 2010

my 1st solo shop project since jr high


Well, it's not art, but I did create something this weekend...

I've used essential & carrier oils to blend my own body oils the past few years. It was a logical choice when the producer of my favorite body oil discontinued the product. I did a little research, purchased the supplies at a local store & just started experimenting. I found that while I loved the results, the oils were pricey locally & the choices somewhat limited. My supplies were dwindling. What to do?

Internet research indicated Young Living is a leader in essential oils so when my friend/massage therapist invited me to a YL seminar last month, I went to learn more. While their essential oils might indeed be some of the purest on the market, they are simply out of my price range. With more research, I found others that will meet my needs as well as my pocketbook

My reference guide & "ultimate aromatherapy set" arrived late last week. I was like a kid on their birthday! Where to start? What do to first? That was simple for someone who can't resist organizing things. Storage was the first order of business! The oils needed to be someplace they could be easily & quickly retrieved. The solution? Ask hubby to donate scrap wood and allow me to use his shop tools (being stubbornly independent, I'm tickled to say the only help I asked for & received from him was attaching the pneumatic staple gun to the air compressor).

Next step? Learn more about the oils themselves. Having found no classes locally, and not willing to pay the prices for what I've found for online classes (is it obvious I'm, shall we say, budget conscious? :), I'll set aside a little time here & there to read through the 300+ page book I ordered.

So what have you all been up to lately? I intend to blog hop later today/tonight to find out. First I'm driving about an hour north to mow my mother's yard & visit her & my aunt. I'm looking forward to the road time as I have a new audio CD that I'm thoroughly enjoying ~ "I Can Do It" by Louise L. Hay. Anyhoo... c'ya soon in blogland!

Love your life,
Di