The Gypsy on Adventure

My DLP

So I love how FAT my daily journal got in 2015...but I think I am going to just do straight journal and collage and not add a lot of the art and stuff in it this year....You can see the Pink 2016 journal...and can tell just how much I expanded...still not as fat as 2014 was! 

New Start for a New Year

It was time to get motivated for the New Documented Life Planner Art Journal with my Mountain Bitches! We get together in January to inspire and set up our jouranals!!! So much fun! Another year is starting!  This year I am keeping my planner in the Moleskine again and then Marilyn had made a junk journal and the person didn't want to buy it. So I bought it and I am going to use it for my Art Challenges!

Marilyn hosts us and we get spoiled! I missed Friday because a friends Retirement Party, but we eat, drink and are merry for 2 days...this time I had 1 day but I STILL feel refreshed and ready for journaling!

       


Here is the junk journal that Marilyn let me buy off her!

      

Re-setting my life

One thing I have figured out this time, is that the twice a year art retreat I go on with my art sisters, has the power to transform my crankiness from life kicking my butt into joy and happiness again. MARS Mountain Artist Retreat Sleepover...occurs in Spring and Fall...6 months apart. There is usually 20 of us and ALL personalities! 

The most important part of being a part of this extradinary group of women artists is that our unique voices in our art, are shared, appreciated, and taught. We are handing eachother our talents, our love, our acceptance, our willingness to be vulnerable and real. To talk about our lives with eyes that are not judgemental or seeringly uncomfortable. Even if all of us don't always get along and there are bumps and mini bruises of ego...it is a true experience of love and acceptance.

This time many of us had heavy things happening in our lives...but the time together was that of laughter and love. A coming together over meals...laughs...stories...sharing...and being ourselves.

We ARE a tribe. We are all different but ALL alike. We are strong women, with voices in our art. Various political views. Various life experiences. Various places in life. ALL healing time for wounded souls beat up out there in the real world where some times we are all misunderstood.

Ah...there IS change coming! And some day I might embrace my body too! But I will be channeling my inner Marilyn!

   

Headache free!

I started working on a new hat for a friends Christmas gift, and worked in my journal...WGB and I went to breakfast at that little place in Cupertino we like...and the day just sped by!

It has been a good day...no headache...just a tinge...and I am a little sad that Fall is going away and signs of Winter is here...my tree's are getting bare.

Breathe...embrace...love

Well, today I took HALF a day off and met up with my girlfriend Sue who is retired...I haven't really been able to talk to her since her mom passed away, and I miss her SO much at work! I miss her telling me "Your and IDIOT!" when I do some thing silly...or singing...or just talking about things we grew up with. I miss her giggle... 

I couldn't talk about work...I teared up...so we didn't! LOL We met up at Country Gourmet, where I swear each meal is made for 3 people!

So today we got to have lunch together, of course I think it went by WAY too fast! But I was so happy to talk about her mom...and the process. I had just been talking to some one about how we don't even take care of our loved ones bodies anymore...that our culture doesn't understand death, and so we fear it...her sisters and her took care of her mom, cleaned her up, and dressed her and even put beautiful earrings on her before she left them...I think that ritual is so hard, but so important!

I am so lucky she shared those moments with me...it really warmed my heart that she was brave enough to do that. Her and her mom were so close, and I always longed for a realtionship like that, but not all of us can have good parents.  But I am grateful for those that do!

The rest of the day I have spent in my studio making beautiful art in my 50th journal!

Catching up

Today I had to finish the Members book for my UGRA group, the ones that didn't go to MARS have to gotten theirs yet, and I had to fix the boo-boo's. Glue in new pages to cover up the problem children! It was an all day event! I sat at my art desk...enjoying the garden and the heavy rain storm! It was a blissful day!

 

Notes from the Universe...

I needed to read this today...It's often from a sense of discontent, feelings of incompleteness, or even a twinge of true unhappiness, Gypsy, that the seeds of great accomplishment are sown.

Can I have a "Whoohooo!"?
The Universe

Also, my Rosary from France came today! It opens to reveal a small rosary! SWEET!

 
My Travel Purse Journals came today too! SO exciting!!!! Corinne made them! I love them!  I love that Corinne made mine so personal!!! :) Smooches woman!

  

AND when I got home I had a TWO hour conversation with my baby brother! He is doing good and I was happy to finally talk to him. I have finally talked to ALL of my family in Joplin! Whew! ♥ AND I found out he now has custody of his teen age son, that makes me happy!

New art desk

A co-worker left her personal desk and didn't want to take it, we used it for some time as our work space near the copy machine, but then they wanted to get rid of it! I took it! YEAH me! A new clean great space to create my altered books and collage work! One I won't pile crap on!

I cleaned all day yesterday (not that it helped) but enough to fit it in, and where it is I can look out into my garden...I like the space a lot...And I am already creating on it! Its been fun to work again! I just am squeeze a little by my cats cage and the desk but it works for me...until the rest of the room is finished! For now, I am not cleaning any more! Small changes...large benefits! I got rid of a lot of stuff yesterday! I feel better...not GREAT but when its all done I will feel good again!

First thing WGB said...don't put a lot on top of it so you can USE it! LOL I have to agree! No piling! NO dumping! Just working!

   

 

Inner cover of my Extreme Journal Book...this class is going to ROCK!

You can tell right off the bat WHERE this book is going! LOL