* creative lenna *

* Paper and Fabric beads *

2012-01-31T09:46:00.001-05:00

There is plenty of room in this art swap I'm hosting on creative swaps, if you would like to join us! Please visit this post: New Swap - Paper & Fabric Beads for all the swap details. A slideshow of some of the beads I've made for the swap is below. You can view this very full screen by clicking on the arrows in the lower right corner after you hit 'play'.

These are so fun to make, I will definitely be trying some more.
Swap beads are due march 24 - Hope you can join us!

'Vintage' for Tag Tuesday

2012-01-30T18:05:00.000-05:00

The theme for the past week on Tag Tuesday has been Vintage! I am getting mine in at the very end of the last possible day, but that is okay! Let me walk you through how I did it. Click on any photo for a larger one.

I had a vintage looking postcard Tag I got from Lisa at Collage stuff -
I thought that would work well for this theme.

I glued the old dictionary page down and
inked the edges with distress ink - pumice stone

I sprayed it with water to distress it some more!

This is what it looked like when dry.

I added the image of a woman, originally from ARTchix Studio
but is now printed onto watercolor paper.

To finish my tag, I added the lace and a small shell I found yesterday
while visiting a wonderful beach with my husband.

Go visit Tag Tuesday -there is tons of inspiration there! Plus anyone can join in after emailing our hostess Carolyn. See how to join us in the sidebar once you get there : )

New swap I'm hosting on Creative Swaps!

2012-01-26T11:04:00.000-05:00

It took a bit of playing, learning and organizing behind the scenes . . . but now I'm finally ready. I've just announced a new swap you can join on my creative swaps blog -which is dedicated to the art exchanges I orchestrate between participants from around the world! It's so much fun. This time we are making and swapping Paper and Fabric Beads - just click on the link to read all the details! Included in the registration fee is a 14 page lesson I wrote on making rolled fabric and paper beads. Below are some of the beads I made and used in the step-by-step lesson. Hope you'll be joining us, the swap registration remains open until all spots are filled!

It will be great fun and easy to do with the lesson I have put together.

Visit creative swaps for all the info!

sketchbook project fun!

2012-01-23T22:40:00.003-05:00

It was really so fun to actually see a photograph showing my sketchbook had landed at the Art House Co-op! When I went to visit their blog today, I saw my very own sketchbook in 2 photos that they had posted! View the post here . . . You'll see mine in the first photo, in the middle of the basket and also in the last photo, third row down, all the way to the right. My sketchbook 2012 looks like this:

That was really a nice feeling to 'see' it had landed there!

They also sent this to me via email, "Thanks for sending inyour project for The Sketchbook Project: 2012! We just wanted to let you knowthat your project has now been cataloged into the Brooklyn Art Library! It canbe found on the shelves with a call number of 141.3-2."

The website is: http://www.arthousecoop.com/ and the Limited Edition Sketchbook project (the next project) still has about 1,000 spots left to be filled.That project is being limited to 5,000 participants. A book of artwork is being produced from the project and you would need to have all sketchbooks in to the Art House Co-op by April 30th.

Good stuff.

a walk at desoto memorial

2012-01-17T23:42:00.004-05:00

The puppies and I went for a brisk walk at the prettiest place around here I think . . .

It is hard to get a good photo of the moss on the trees here,

but I like this one very much. The light often filters through like that.

So magical! (click for more detail)

where to next, mama? That way??

The sea grape leaves are turning, soon to drop off . . .

because it is January in Florida - it gets (relatively) cold,

and I am still in love with taking photographs.

who couldn't resist these two sweeties?!

Asia and Chloe, sporting 'peace' bandannas I sewed for them,

just because it was fun and creative to do (and easy!).

yes, the leaves do turn colors -- even in Florida : )

I wore a light coat today, it's about 55.

* I'm not complaining!!!!!! *

Stay warm, make art, sing, dance and by all means, don't forget to laugh!

paper bead earrings!

2012-01-16T22:45:00.001-05:00

I bought these beautiful earrings from my friend Sharon Borsavage of Livewire Jewelry. In fact, I have purchased many pieces of her jewelry! I adore her jewelry, it really speaks to me. I love what Sharon does with wire, beads and cloth. This pair of earrings particularly called to me because of the color and my interest in paper & fabric beads. I'm planning a creative swap around the idea of making & trading some! My earrings were actually a collaborative effort. Carolyn Saxby made the beads out of Tyvek and Sharon purchased these beads and made them into the earrings with wire & beads, so fab. I promised I would have Steven take some photos of me wearing them . . .

And of course we could not take just one photo!

Click on any photo for a closer look.

These earrings make me feel wonderful!

They are the longest pair of earrings I own, but so lightweight . . .

and oh so interesting and beautiful!

They make me smile.

(my dad gave me the necklace I am wearing)

with love from Steven & Lenna

happily taking photos and making stuff in Florida.

Remember to support your artist friends!

Sketchbook Project 2012 is complete

2012-01-15T16:00:00.000-05:00

Wow! It took me some time to do this sketchbook, but I enjoyed the process very much. I've been slowly working on my 2012 Sketchbook since late last year and finished it today. I even took a video myself, of the completed project! This came about because I really wanted to show you how the pages folded better than just plain photographs could. So, I'll include the video here, but if you cannot view it within my post, please go here to watch the video on YouTube.

Below are a few photos of me finishing up this project. Click on any of them for more details.

front cover detail
thanks to Sharon Borsavage for the cool ticket!

back cover detail

looking down at completed sketchbook

last spread

last section

cork stamping!

Art House Co-Op really rocks! Next up: Limited Edition Sketchbook Project - due April 30, 2012. There is still room for you, hope to see you join in! One piece of everyone's art from their Sketchbook will be included in a book the Art House Co-op will be producing.

: ) lenna

art, nia, paper beads

2012-01-10T07:23:00.000-05:00

It has been busy for me as of late, which is good, especially as I've been busy with creative things. I took some Nia classes over the weekend with 2 wonderful Black Belt Trainers, Winalee Zeeb and Caroline Kohles. On Saturday there was a 2 hour Elegant Elements (earth, air, fire, water) playshop, and on Sunday I took a regular Nia class with both trainers teaching. Winalee and Caroline are awesome and in Sarasota to run a Blue Belt Nia training with classes this whole week hosted by Nia Instructor Kelly Atkins at Sara Dance!

Saturday 01-07-12

Sunday 01-08-12 with Winalee on the far left

It was a great experience and fun to dance with my new friends I have found locally through Nia. This morning I will be back to my Nia classes on the beach with Kathy Oravec. Last week was too windy and cold for me to attend, can you imagine? It was in the 40's!

My husband Steven is making a paddle for stand-up paddle boarding for my friend Cheryl. He's made some lightweight kayak paddles and was inspired to try a stand-up paddle after talking to Cheryl about it. On Saturday after Nia, Cheryl and I stopped at Lucas Boatworks on the way home.

Chreyl LOvEs her lightweight custom made paddle!

We went out in Starfish with the electric motor

Cheryl & Chloe - too cute!

Steven with the electric motor - it's rechargable!

Yesterday was my art class at the Longboat Key center for the Arts. I had been taking photos with my instructors approval . . . and yesterday he asked me if I was filming?? I said, no -just taking pictures so far, but I certainly could!! So, I filmed one of his demos, then shared it with him and he said yes -posting it would be great! I will embed it here, but if you cannot see it below, use this link view it here on You Tube. It is fun and only 3 mins long.

The new header on my blog came from a creative exercise I did in class with Bill last week, I wrote about it here on this post. Besides taking this class, I am preparing to teach a collage class, Collage for the Soul - locally here on Anna Maria Island! This will be mostly Nia students who found out what I do and requested a class . . . I had forgotten how fun and exciting it can be to prepare for a class like this! It has been a little over 2 years since I've taught class in person (the last time was when we lived in Connecticut!) and I am so looking forward to it on February 1st!

I have been working on creating paper beads and learning more about them . . . I am not ready to announce the swap yet but soon! Some of my beads so far . . . .

This swap will be fun! Stay tuned . . .

Hope you are making time for something creative, yes??

tagxedo - just for fun!

2012-01-07T23:15:00.000-05:00

My friend Joanna in the UK mentioned a site called Tagxedo on her blog and showed us what she made there, a heart shaped image based on words plucked from her blog. I had to check it out . . . and try it! Here are 3 tagxedos (word clouds with style) I created from words on my blog -so fun!

thank you Joanna, of Fiddlesnips!

Go give it a whirl - you can do more involved things (these were done quite fast) like adding your own text, or even your own fonts and somehow adding a photo of your own for the Shape - I would have to read more on that option, but it looks very cool. Enjoy.

Art Journal every day with Julie Balzer

2012-01-06T10:23:00.000-05:00

Why I art Journal by Julie Balzer

- Last year, when I was really just starting out with Art Journaling, I found Julie Fei-Fan Balzer. She gave me lots of inspiration, ideas, and she really got me committed to working in a journal just for myself, which I did almost every day for four months! Wow. I love those 2 journals -see them here - that I packed full of art techniques, exploration, discoveries, and photographs I took. I put my raw feelings and emotions into those journals through words or art . . . it became a diary of sorts. My only trouble was after 4 months, I had a hard time trying to continue on a daily basis -even if it was just to prepare a background on a page - and felt guilty when I didn't! So I decided to continue art journaling, but not on a daily basis, along with all the other creative things i like to do.

But you know what? I missed it! And I did not journal as regularly without that commitment.

Today I came across Julie's first Friday post for Art Journal Everyday (on her blog) called: Why I Art Journal. I highly recommend you go read it!! Besides being a great article in itself, I discovered that Julie has decided to tweak the Art Journal every day project a bit and I think it's a fantastic idea! She writes:

I'm doing the "sign-ups" a little bit differently in 2012. Instead of committing ahead of time (and then feeling guilty if you don't do it), every week I'll ask you to link us up to an art journal page you made that week. You can post it on your blog, on flickr, in a scrapbooking gallery, wherever you want. This is a no guilt game. If you get a little art journaling done, great! If you don't, c'est la vie.

I love it! I'm in, Julie. Below are some of my favorite pages I made via ART Journal every day in 2011 -

* * *

traveling hearts

2012-01-05T23:32:00.003-05:00

For Lindsay

Back in November, Lindsay of Dryada Journals in Belgium visited my blog and commented. Then I went and visited her blog and read about how she was creating mail art and even offering to send some. I took her up on that but promised to send her something too. Below is what Lindsay sent me in December; you may have already seen it via a recent post I did on mail art. The heart with the message is something I believe Lindsay calls Travel Hearts. : ) thanks so much, Lindsay!

Today I took a piece of leftover vellum I printed yesterday for tags and put it together with a piece of cast-off jeans and a little heart I cut out of felt. See my process below.

Alphabet Rubber stamps and writing with a Sharpie marker

The vellum side - I glued a large snowflake in-between the jeans & the vellum

All sewn up! Click for details.

I placed the postcard in a glassine envelope . . .

Now it is on the way to Belgium!

mail some art today and feel better!

Tag Tuesday: Snow

2012-01-04T17:10:00.001-05:00

No, it is not snowing here in Florida-yet, but it was only 34 degrees this morning, yikes! (cold spell) . . . I suppose we could have seen snow. But instead the idea of snow comes because I have registered for Tag Tuesday hosted by Carolyn Saxby and this week's theme is SNOW. I started with photos from the past since I now live in the land of palm trees, sand & sun . . . click for details if you wish!

2007 - Avon CT

bird footy prints in the snow

2007 - Avon, CT

First I printed my photos on cardstock but I then tried inkjet vellum and liked that better.

I sewed the printed vellum to a fabric handkercheif

Then cut the tag down and added a section of a second photo printed in vellum on top

of the first one -- using my xyron adhesive.

Then I decided to make a second tag, leaving the first to finish later.

I layered fabrics underneath the vellum print of the photo . . .

Then sewed them together, adding decorative stitches.

More fabrics and trims added . . . .

Fun stuff! Now I will share photos of the finished tags on Tag Tuesday and I'll get to use these myself however I wish! There is a new theme every Tuesday -come check it out, click here!

more mail art

2012-01-04T09:08:00.001-05:00

More mail art received, this time in the form of cards! Usually I classify a decorated art envelope or postcard that is moving though the mail stream as mail art. Art for all the world to enjoy on its journey between friends, like the mail art I shared in an earlier post. But I also found on my art table a number of cards I received, lovingly hand-made, that I wanted to share.

I adore handmade cards and Joanna and Linda are beautiful creators of them!

thank you both, for all the art you have shared with me.

click on any scan for details!

From Cat Dodt-Ellis, Sabine Schneider and Cynthia Zdankus -lucky me!

All of these women play in my creative swaps with me.

Handmade holiday and thank you cards using 2 wonderful wedding photos, by my son Dallas and my new daughter-in-law Liz, especially cherished as their wedding day will always be a bittersweet one. My dad passed away after a long illness on the very same day. I did not attend the festivities in Boston. i love seeing these photos of the happy young couple. It was good they did not find out about my dad until the next day, and so wonderful they used these particular photos (not formal) to create holiday wishes and wedding thank you cards.

That's it for now, unless I find something else (more beloved cards & envelopes) hiding elsewhere in my studio! Perhaps we should start thinking of creating valentine cards? : ^ )

Mail Art received

2012-01-03T23:02:00.003-05:00

I received lots of lovely mail and mail art this past month that I wanted to acknowledge. Thanks to everyone who sent wishes this Holiday season -so lovely! I really appreciated your kindness. The pieces below have been out on my desk for my enjoyment and have even been distracting me. I finally scanned them so I can share with you and now they have been hung up for display.

You may already know that I love Mail Art. To view all of my posts tagged with mail art and enjoy quite a bit of eye candy, click here (this post will appear at the top, scroll down). And of course for a larger version of the scans below, click once to open and then another time for even larger.

Thanks so much Beth. I love, love, love the ATC you enclosed!

Beth's blog is here for more yummyness.

This card and envelope from Dave Dube - Old Paper Art - is so special.

You can read more about this particular envelope here.

I adore these Palmer Cox Brownies and Dave knows that . . .

especially after I sent him the envelope below, earlier this year:

From Donna Parker in Mexico . . .

A beautiful heartfelt card -thank you!

And lastly, the mail below is from Lindsay in Belgium - visit her online here.

I still need to return mail a postcard to her and I will do so this month. I love the layers of papers, the colors she used and especially the message on her heart - beautiful!

Why not mail some art today and enjoy!

Creative Breakout class with Bill Buchman

2012-01-03T13:02:00.000-05:00

Over a bridge out on the barrier islands but not very far from me, is the Longboat Key Center for the Arts - a division of the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota. When I discovered that exhibitions and classes were held there, I jumped at the chance to view and participate. I attended an exhibit of paintings and collage in October that I enjoyed very much and yesterday I went to my first class with Bill Buchman. I was very attracted to the title of his workshop ...Creative Breakout: Release the Power of Your Creative Imagination and the description: This course is a journey of self discovery through art – a complete hands-on exploration of what creativity is and how it works. Sounds good, does it not? Below are sections of one of the exercises I did yesterday in class using a new tool for me, Cretacolor AquaBriques. These are artist quality water soluble bricks of color that you can purchase in a set, or I found the single blocks at Jerry's Artarama. Like watercolor crayons, but better! Bill said this quality of artist grade tools would serve me, or any artist well. Bill wanted us to make a simple composition with rectangles and circles, thinking about color: opposites, similar colors and warm/cool colors.

The whole piece when it was dry this morning - click twice for detail.

After a brief lecture, Bill had us start working in class doing a warm up exercise with paint. He mixed tube watercolor with water in a small plastic shot glass and showed us how to get the right consistency for what we were doing. He lay down a drop cloth on the new studio floor so we would not get paint on the new floor and then he demonstrated pouring & splashing on a piece of watercolor paper followed by making a gesture in the air with your paint brush filled with paint. We are going to add to these paintings each week with a new exercise each time over the next 3 weeks. The idea is that besides the techniques we'll learn, there will be time to think and rediscover our pieces when we work on them again, looking at them with fresh eyes. Here is Bill in action:

He's picking up excess paint with a brush for faster drying

Another student Elmer, is trying out the exercise

his result

One of my favorites is below - by Barbara, I believe.

Bill's example for us for our second exercise using shapes and color . . .

students working during class -so much fun to see the variations.

Bill's second piece he worked on while we worked on our shapes and colors - I love it!

I am very happy I registered for this workshop! Visit Bill's website where there is lots to see in the Galleries, plus instructional Art DVDs and even a book!

Need inspiration? A challenge?

2012-01-02T20:14:00.000-05:00

Looking for inspiration/ A place to start? Here are some creative things you can do for yourself in the new year. I am either partaking in these myself or I have in the past. They are all FREE!

Strathmore 2012 Online Workshop Series: 3 free workshops. Doodles Unleashed (mixed media technique) Watercolor Sketching, and Force Drawing Technique, with 3 different instructors.
Book of Days with Effy Wild: art journaling with videos on how to create your own art journal and inspiration to fill it. This is a year long project with a Flickr group and a facebook group.
Green Pepper Press Street Team Challenges: Michelle Ward leads wonderful monthly art challenges for you to do in your own art journal and share as you wish by posting on your blog or flickr or wherever, linking via comments on the GPP blog.
Creative Jump Start Summit 2012: Hosted by Nathalie Kalbach and featuring I believe, 22 awesome artists and their "jump starts". I just watched the Jump Start #1 video with Dina Wakely and it was really so good! I look forward to more from the other artists.
Creative Every Day: with Leah Piken Kolidas. Inspiration and a place to share your creative activities, based on a theme if you wish. This is a "low pressure challenge with the idea of bringing more creativity into our lives." There is a flickr group for sharing as well.
Tag Tuesday: Hosted by Carolyn Saxby. Create a Tag on a seasonal theme that will be posted every Tuesday. Keep and use the tag yourself, but simply post a photo to Tag Tuesday.
Art Journal Every Day: with Julie Fei-Fan Baltzer. I can't say enough good things about this project/challenge where the idea is to try to do a little (10 mins) art journaling every day. Lots of inspiration from Julie and fellow art-journalers on the accompanying flickr group.
Green Paper: with Mary Green. Every month Mary provides both images and a challenge to use them in any way you like, then share a link on her blog. The January challenge is here, and you have up until January 8th to upload yours. I often do these challenges and always enjoy. Mary has a wonderful bank of Vintage images which she so freely shares with us for this monthly challenge.
Penny from the Linen Shelf is soon to start an ATC challenge. Her idea is that we will make an ATC based on the calendar month and we will keep the ATC but add a link to her site, by the end of the month so we can all enjoy. My friend Joanna in the UK told me about this and it looks promising!
Creative Swaps: hosted by me -but usually not free! (the only one in the bunch) There are no art exchanges running currently, but you will find creative swaps up and running again in the near future. You may sign up for the Swap Participants Newsletter - this will alert you to any NEW art swaps hosted by me.

Of course, this is not a complete list. Just things I am interested in or involved in. I hope you find something intriguing here . . . . and go do something creative!!

Welcome in the New Year well! : ^ ) lenna

collage on canvas

2012-01-01T21:49:00.003-05:00

Earlier this month I created two collages. Both of them were done on canvas. One of them was for my mom, and one was made for my husband Steven -for Christmas, which is why you have not seen them yet! This year we did not do much for the holidays, but when I asked Steven what he might like -he suggested more artwork, and specifically, something like the "What If" collage I made for him when we first re-connected. He told me he loves to receive pieces like this from me because they always show a slice of time - where we were (or are) right at that moment in time. Here is the "What If" collage I gave him in 2004:

I was going to see Steven in person after a few years of being out of touch, followed by a phone call and a few days of emailing back and forth. I was separated at the time; my first husband whom Steven knew, had left me, and I recently discovered that Steven was divorced. I knew Steven was an artist and wanting to impress him, I thought I would bring him a gift of art. I had a background already done on a small 3x5 canvas, created with masking tape and acrylic paint. I quickly found an interesting image from ARTchix Studio and stamped a script background over everything with permanent ink. I searched for words to go with my image of the man blowing bubbles (with a woman inside!) and found one of my own LennaLines stamps, what if? That was exactly how I felt. What if Steven and I were to spend more time together? I never thought about this when I first called him, but after we sent about 15 or 20 emails back and forth in two days . . . well, you can imagine I was considering it! I did not tell him this yet, but later he marveled at how the collage I created was really expressing what was going on at the time.

This is the collage I made for him this Christmas. There are words written around the sides to describe how our love is like water, which you can see in the slideshow below. He has this collage in a stand now on his computer desk.

And the collage I made for my mom with a photo I took of her flowers.

Gardening has been a saving grace for her after the loss of my dad.

I based what I did on the instructions in the online class I teach called Collage on Canvas. As I created these two collages I took photos, like a diary of my process. If you are interested in seeing that, you can view the slideshow below. If you can't see the video below or want to view it full-screen, then follow this link and enjoy!

Wishing you a creative and joyous New Year ; ^ ) lenna

Day 7 Theme & Giveaway: Alice in Wonderland

2012-01-01T15:24:00.000-05:00

Day 7 Theme & Giveaway: Alice in Wonderland

It's the final day of the Alpha Stamps Giveaway -just visit their blog and add a comment for your chance to win! Today's theme is Alice in Wonderland - wonderful! You have until midnight PST 1/1/12 to enter! Check it out HERE and happy New Year!

GPP Street Team Series: Evidence

2011-12-31T14:26:00.005-05:00

click twice for larger photos

I have been following Michelle Ward's challenges and sometimes participating . . . not as much as I wanted to, but I have made some challenges! I saw her announce this challenge and then almost forgot about it this month. With the deadline looming I pulled through today! She wanted us to make a deliberate effort to get ourselves into photos and eventually, those photos in to our journals.

I take a lot of photos. Blipfoto, a photo journal site I joined one year ago (thank you Frieda!!) is the main culprit behind the amount of photos I take. Using that site as a photo journal and viewing other photos, talking to other members there, really got me into carrying my camera most everywhere and recording life and interesting things by taking lots of photos. The mosaic above concentrating on photos of me for the challenge was photos gleaned from the month of December only! And I will hesitantly admit to you that I counted roughly over 1200 photos in my files that I took in December alone! I delete many photos I take if they just aren't right ... but my husband takes photos too. Most of the ones above Steven took, even if he himself is in the photo - he loves to hold the camera out and do just that!

Michelle: I definitely will start a new journal with one or more of these photos and then update you!

Thank you for your tremendous efforts and really great challenges. Yours, lenna

Tour of Lucas Boatworks

2011-12-27T23:59:00.000-05:00

While my sister and her family are visiting from Connecticut, we wanted them to visit Lucas Boatworks so they could see it first hand. We originally thought we'd put kayaks in the water, but the weather was not that great . .. it was okay, but not really "let's get out in the water" type of weather. But, I took Kathy and her husband Dan and their two boys - ages 17 and 20, out to meet up with Steven there yesterday and they still enjoyed, even without the actual boating!

Kathy, Dan & Ian with Steven down on the dock- Asia too!

(love the Spanish moss -love that dock!)

Steven with Howard's melonseed sailboat, almost done.

There is always to much to see in the pole barn!

my nephew Ian, Dan and Steven walking by Wally's melonseed

Kathy checking out the weight of one of Steven's handmade kayak paddles -it's very light!

The new paddle he is working on for a Stand-up paddle board

Steven showing us some of the cedar he cut to create the paddle

My friend Cheryl stopped by, yay!! She brought her stand-up paddle and 2 other ones

for Steven to check out. This is his first stand-up paddle design, so sweet of her!

(Dave Lucas watches Steven's antics and says, "crazy steve")

3 different paddles for stand-up boarding - all different

I will share with you the prototype Steven is making for Cheryl when he's finished!

My nephew Dale talking to dave Lucas about the boat he is building

Then dale, kathy and I went in for a tour of Helen's quilt room!!

Look at the view she has of the Braden River.... mmmmm!

Helen explaining about a collaborative quilt she made, The Fisherman.

She even took it out and showed it to us -beautiful and award winning!!

I could not resist taking this photo - batiks are my favorite fabrics.

This is the most beautiful quilt that Helen made with batiks

Helen says this quilt is Dave's favorite -so cool!

Steve and Dave take Starfish out of the water since we decided not to go out . . . .

Dave helps, driving my dad's old tractor.

Everyone, Kathy, Dan & both nephews were so pleased

to see dad's tractor still in use.

Later we came home and I opened the present Cheryl gave us:

a Christmas Cracker!

complete with crown!!

: ) a happy boxing day for us in Florida,

I hope all is well with you and yours, lenna

If you are new to this blog or just want to explore - try this!

Click on any picture to read and see more.

Day 2 Theme & Giveaway: Printery

2011-12-27T12:24:00.000-05:00

Day 2 Theme & Giveaway: Printery -This giveaway looks simply wonderful! Just visit Alpha stamps before midnight tonight and comment on day 2's post for your chance to win! have fun, lenna

daily giveaway - Alpha Stamps

2011-12-26T10:04:00.000-05:00

visit the Alpha Stamps blog for a wonderful daily giveaway that you can enter by leaving a comment with your email address - it does not have to be public - on each day's post through 1/1/12. Simply comment each day by 11:59 PST. Alpha Stamps has a great variety of mixed media supplies and the first giveaway with a "beach" theme is incredible! Check out what's offered and enter today's giveaway by commenting here before midnight, 12/26/11. If you are visiting me on a different day, use the top link to reach the main blog and see what's offered that day - good luck!

greetings!

2011-12-23T23:42:00.001-05:00

happy holidays and a peaceful new year

our little tree

my dad made the star with the sailboat

I hung it up high where I could see it (click for detail)

the red star is by Helga Strauss, owner of ARTchix Studio

the star directly above is by Claudia Rose and further up by Marla Rosenlieb

by my cousin, and with the beads by Chris Peden ; )

All of these stars were made for Steven and I, for our wedding in 2005. I love getting them out every year, reading them again and hanging them up. Blessings to you & yours! xo lenna

4x4 (inch!) collage for Connie

2011-12-16T23:33:00.000-05:00

As part of a year long exchange I'm in, I created a 4x4 collage for Connie Senyitko. We do these on a monthly basis and work on the theme chosen by who we are creating for. Connie requested soft shades of white or neutral with a spot of color. She likes: vintage children images, clocks, birds, nests, eggs, french, vintage, laces, numbers, vintage ladies hats or crowns and flowers, fabrics, stitching, vintage sheet music paper, poetry, and black & white vintage images. Well! It was great to have so many 'likes' to choose from and in that small space I managed quite a few....

For the front I used fabric - an old cloth napkin of my Nonie's stitched all around. I added a fabric stamped image of a Robin that my friend Sharon Borsavage made and gave to me - perfect! Next I layered a vintage text page on top of a 4x4 watercolor card before gluing the fabric down. I also added a bit of vintage music paper, some pretty ribbon, a small bit of a map, a small velvet leaf and gold micro beads. click for detail.

For the back of the card I wanted to include Connie's love of poetry. I had recently picked up a small book of poems by Oscar Wilde and chose this one at random, ripping the edges to fit the card. Then I added a tag to identify the piece and I was done! I believe I have only 4 more 4x4's to create -wow! To see more, go to the flickr photo set I created just for these collages.

I hope you are doing well and not to crazy with the holiday season. My sister and her family are coming to visit for a whole week, but other than that we are not really doing much . . . not even exchanging presents! Sounds Grinch-like, but it really is what works for us this year. Stay well and happy, I will be here adding things as I can!

every single moment you are . . . .

2011-12-14T00:00:00.002-05:00

. . . . writing the story of your life.

I just realized, watching this animoto video I made, that it was actually about healing. The art you see, the Nia/dance, the beach, the sun, water and shells, taking these photographs, my dogs and my family, especially my husband, have been my way to heal after the loss of my father. I am so grateful for all I have and I hope you enjoy the sand & sea.

*I suggest watching this in full screen by clicking in the bottom right corner!
If you cannot see the video here, use this link.

p.s. this is the first time I have ever tried using video clips and I think it worked well!
To view more of my videos, visit my YouTube channel.

: ) lenna

purple section: sketchbook project 2012

2011-12-13T18:49:00.001-05:00

I've been working away on my 2012 sketchbook project, finishing up the 3rd section of folded pages (out of 4). This section was painted with purple Lumiere. I cut circles earlier in it while working on the second section and I know some of you wondered what I would do with them? Here is my diary of sorts to show you: in process photos and some notes.

I cut out a vintage postcard image in the same circle size

I glued it in place and also stitched around it and on the page

I added more rubber stamping to peek out through the circles I cut

Now you see the postcard image with the page unfolded

The page is tucked back in again and more stamping is added

This is the back of where I sewed my images.
I've added a painting of Lenna Glackens, by my great uncle, William Glackens.

This shows the next section coming up, brown . . . I have added the cut out
purple circle to this section of pages!

The purple section folded up, next to the brown section

journaling in my sketchbook

more journaling

the cover, with my theme spelled out

Just a couple of more views of the way the pages fold & spread out . . .

That's it for now! I have one section, the brown & gold section left to complete before sending this sketchbook in to become part of the Sketchbook Project 2012 hosted by the Art House Co-op. The 2012 project is closed for sign-ups, but the Special Edition project is OPEN! I would highly recommend signing up. This is my 2nd Sketchbook project and I am already registered for the Special Edition. If you are just joining me or want to look back at what I have done in the 2012 project, use this link to view all of the posts tagged with: Sketchbook Project 2012. This post will be first and then the rest will follow. If you are interested in what I did last year for the 2011 project, just visit my portfolio on the Art House Co-op!

Go make something - anything!! : ^ ) lenna

flashmobdancefunholidays*

2011-12-13T15:26:00.000-05:00

I am not doing much for the holidays this year except hanging with my family, but I must say this video Terrie Lightfoot shared on Facebook was oh, so much fun and had me singing along. I hope you enjoy. if you don't see the video below, click here to view.

happy holidays - dance, sing & have fun with the ones you love.
xo lenna

Butterfly Project update

2011-12-12T10:04:00.001-05:00

I was delighted this morning to find an update on Trudi Sissons' blog that showcased a beautiful photo of my contribution to the Butterfly Project (below) as well as a photo of what my friend Joanna Urbani in the UK contributed; click here to read her post. Trudi has received over 400 butterflies from 18 countries! She will send them in to the Holocaust Museum in Houston, Texas at the end of this year for the upcoming exhibit at the museum, Spring of 2014. Trudi is winding down her part in the project, but you still have a full year to participate through the Holocaust Museum. They are accepting submissions through December 31, 2012. The museum has already collected over 900,000 hand made butterflies. Read more about this project/exhibit here on their site. I hope it is something you can do too.

Butterfly by Lenna Andrews make of feathers & shell
Photo by Trudi Sissons
2011 - The butterfly project

butterfly garden

2011-12-10T11:01:00.001-05:00

A scan of a 4" x 4" collage, made as part of an exchange I am in.

I took a copy of an old french postcard and glued it to a square watercolor card. Then I took a transparency sheet of butterflies I had made, ran them through my xyron adhesive machine and placed them all around the woman in the garden. Something like the time I visited the Butterfly Garden at The Selby Gardens and estate this past June . . . . Ignore the noise of the traffic as I am not that good at editing videos yet, and be amazed at the butterflies!

I added color with watercolor crayons as well as a silver metallic marker and drips of perfect pearls mist to make it more dreamy. I used a printing kit with rubber stamp alphabet letters to spell out Brenda's theme on the front; a photo of the piece is below.

Happy Saturday to you!

I am going to meet my Nia teacher at an indie craft fair in downtown Sarasota, florida where I am venturing to by myself more and more these days. It should be fun, one of the women we dance with has a booth there. Then tonight, Steven and I are taking my mom out to dinner for her birthday, Happy Birthday Mom.

flickr photos = a milestone for me

2011-12-09T00:01:00.001-05:00

Tonight I crossed the 10,000 mark on my flickr photo account, which means in 5 years time I have uploaded over 10,000 photos to this account on my art, life, love, moving, family, animals and more. Wow, I'm not sure if I should be embarrassed or proud! Anyway, I wanted to announce this, so here I am. I obviously love to share my photos!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/creativelenna/

: ) lenna

p.s. Thank you for your comments!!! Dave, aka Mr. Cachet asked me: How many posts to go with the 10,000 photos? Funny, I started this blog at the same time I started using flickr and I've written 855 posts here since Dec 2006. Thanks for your support!

sketchbook project 2012: blue to purple

2011-12-08T19:05:00.001-05:00

More progress. I am just going to share the photos I took while working along, if you have any questions please leave a comment and let me know. I'd be happy to answer.

If you are just joining me with this project you can read this post and ALL the others tagged with Sketchbook Project 2012 by clicking here. If you reach the bottom of the page and want to read more, click on Older Posts! Ok, here goes . . . . the photos start with the other side of the painted blue pages I last ended with. I rubber stamped and I wrote - on the fly. Click to enlarge.

I really am talking to myself, but it goes with my theme -

the encyclopedia of how and why!

moving from the blue section to the purple section . . .

This is a single page that flips over revealing another folded section. The photo is me at 20 years old and one of my favorites. I realize now I also included it in my Sketchbook 2011 project. Hmm, perhaps I should include it in every sketchbook project??

The purple pages are not done yet, but started. For me, that is KEY. Just START! I will be back with more, of course.... after I finish the purple section, there is only the brown section left. I think I will be sending this off a month early -whoo hoo! To find out more about the Sketchbook Project, I will direct you to the Special Edition project which is still open for registration at this time. Visit the Art House Co-op - I encourage you to join! And, I will leave you with one of the songs I was listening to while creating this, I hope you enjoy.

yours creatively, lenna young

Green Paper December challenge

2011-12-08T11:36:00.001-05:00

My response to Mary Green's December 2011 challenge:

Where shall I go next? Europe or Kansas?

(see below)

Each month Mary provides a collage sheet with 3 images and challenges us to create something, anything! All that is required is to use at least a part of all 3 images. For December's challenge she uploaded this lovely grouping for us to work with:

I printed this sheet out 3 times, once on brochure paper for a nice crisp print, once on vellum paper (translucent) and once on plain paper at 50% of the normal size so I would have some images smaller. I layered the vellum print of the lady with the hat directly over the paper copy of the same to soften it. Then I slipped the vellum copy of the map in between the two as I liked how it looked layered over her face, like she was thinking about traveling. I attached the smaller size calling card on top of the paper copy of the woman's hat, but underneath the vellum one and then stitched my papers together. I am thinking it would make a lovely postcard. Thank you Mary, once again!

To see all of the entries for this month's challenge, please view this post on Mary's blog - Green Paper. All entries are due posted there by December 8th and you could win an awesome package of vintage book illustrations. Mary Green also teaches wonderful online classes. I learned so much and had so much fun taking her Your Vintage GlueBook class.

Thank you for your challenges, Mary.

They are a wonderful exercise in creativity and you know I'm all for that!

sketchbook project 2012: next section

2011-12-07T18:36:00.001-05:00

The sketchbook Project 2012

I have started into the next section that I created in my 2012 Sketchbook, which is due January 31st. The special edition sketchbook (due April 30th) has already arrived so I am deinitely interested in working along in the 2012 project!! Plus it is fun. While you can still join the Sketchbook Project Special Edition, the 2012 deadline has passed. Below you'll see my photo diary of moving from the first folded section of pages (green) to the next folded section (blue). If you are just joining me, I removed the pages of my sketchbook, taped then together into longer sections and re-bound my book before starting.

I worked on the painted surface I had prepared and used rubber stamps with white ink -fabrico or versacraft. I also used a white sakura glaze pen, stickles glitter and sand from the beach.

I added a photo from my Nia movement class, held on the beach.

The entire spread of pages, first side.

A view of my sketchbook from above . . .

close up . . . i love the blue painted bankground

what are you doing?? whatever it is, dive in! : ^ ) lenna

photo collage and dance

2011-12-05T09:18:00.001-05:00

On Sunday morning I attended a conscious movement event in Sarasota, FL hosted by Dance SRQ. While there, I took just a few photos of this hour and a half free-form movement class without flash, not wanting to disturb the environment. Later at home, I brought the photos into Photoshop and layered two or more of them together to create more depth. I played with the filters and opacity of the layers until I came up with a number photo collages I liked.

The collage above was created by tweaking the 2 photos below after they were layered together.

Click on each photo for a larger view.

Here are some more I created with those photos...

I like the shadows created in the top section, below. They come from yet another photo.

The photo below was added to create the collage above

more variations . . . yes, I am obsessive!

My favorite I think . . . click on it for a larger view.

The dancing was . . . . "authentic" in the words of my Nia dance teacher Kathy, and I would agree. It is wonderful for me to combine my love of dance and movement with my new love of photography and being creative with it. I just wanted to share this! Have a creative and happy day. : ^ ) lenna

where does the time go?

2011-12-03T15:57:00.001-05:00

I returned home Monday night from my travels to Connecticut to see my sister and visit with our families -her boys, my boys, extended family and friends. Now it's Saturday already! Geeze. Tuesday morning I was up bright and early to drive to Siesta Key for one of my Nia classes. It was very windy that day and the surf was loud but we still had a great class none-the-less. I dressed in layers and peeled them off.

A windy day on Siesta Key in Florida

I could not resist snapping a photo during class; what wonderful movement.

Below, I love these pen shells, I think they're called. I pick them up

all the time (to use in my art) and feel like a regular magpie!

I joined Facebook this week, or was that late last week before traveling? Doing that has kept me really busy - learning how to use it. My account is here and I have started a creative lenna page which is somehow connected. I have not really figured it all out yet. I resisted joining Facebook for many years until I started doing Nia and going to Conscious Movement and Gratitude dancing -all here in Florida. If I wanted to receive announcements for upcoming events for these things, Facebook was how the word was spread. So I caved, and so far, it does not seem as bad as I thought it might be, so it's all good!

On Wednesday, I took the dogs to De Soto Memorial for a walk and we spied a beautiful white egret.

Whoops!! That's our dog Asia, of course!

Although, Steven often tells people she's part white egret as a joke : )

On Thursday, I captured some beautiful butterflies that love the flowers in my

front yard . . . click for a closer look.

Steven and I visited my mom on Thursday and took some photos of mom's pup, Loki.

He's a white standard poodle and really large for his age. He's only 6 months and teething!

wow!

Friday, Nia on Longboat Key beach was on my schedule and it was a beautiful day. There is really something to be said for moving barefoot on the beach, watching the birds as you stretch up towards the clouds, moving all your muscles in the wind, feeling strong and powerful . . . and we even saw two dolphins jumping out of the water as we were dancing yesterday.

The temps are still warm enough to swim if you are brave!

Yes, there are seasons in Florida. Right now the temps are in the 50's - 80's.

My instructor on the beach, Kathy Oravec.

I can't say enough good things about this program, Nia.

Friday afternoon Steven wanted to bring me over to Lucas Boatworks and show me what they have been working on . . . look at this tiny Kayak being made from a kit!

It is for Kayak Kathy's 4 year old granddaughter, Izzy.

Steven volunteered to make Izzy a wee kayak paddle.

my stamped coffee table is being refinished; I stamped this in 1998.

Steven is giving it a fresh coat of epoxy to make it shine again.

I just loved how this wood shaving on his work table looked!

Steven showing me how he is shaping the kayak paddles he's making with my dad's tools.

I have a sketchbook to work in (two actually) and some colorful ATCs and luscious 4x4's are waiting to be made. I will be getting to all of this soon I know. In the meantime, I keep taking photographs and dancing!

My very best to you, lenna

a wonderful day in Connecticut

2011-11-26T22:32:00.001-05:00

I arrived back in my home state of CT late yesterday afternoon; my sister happily picked me up at the airport. It is funny how someplace that was once so familiar looked very different to me. I have not been here -have not left Florida for 2 years. But we had a wonderful day today. We visited with family and reminisced about my dad. My sons were in town visiting their dad for Thanksgiving and I got to spend many hours with them and their significant others today. You can see below, how it made me smile.

with my oldest son, Decklin. Amazingly, he is 30 years old.

Ian and Dale -my nephews (L), Decklin and my other son Dallas -he's 27!

It was really fun for my sister and I to see our boys together again.

The lovely women that are with my sons: Decklin's legal partner, Tina

and Dallas' wife Liz; newly married!

my sister Kathy and her husband Dan

It was quite the crowd and a lovely day!

The weather even cooperated. It was very mild for the Northern state of CT at this time of year, which suited me just fine considering I am more used to 70-degrees. It's good to be here . . . although someone named Steven called me on the phone tonight and said the house was just not the same without me and even Asia was acting a little down. I guess they miss me! I have another full day to spend with my sister and her family and will head back to Florida on Monday. The good news is Kathy, Dan and their boys will be coming down to stay with my mom for a week around Christmas. My boys & their significant others hope to come to FL and stay with Steven and I for a few days in February. My fingers are crossed! I hope you were able to enjoy time recently with your family, thanks for the opportunity to share mine with you! yours creatively, lenna

kathy's favorite photo I took on our walk this afternoon

gratitude

2011-11-25T07:54:00.001-05:00

yesterday i celebrated my gratitude for all i have and will recieve . . .

first, by joining my new friends in Sarasota I've met through Nia to dance on the beach.

It seems that many people who live in Florida celebrate their Thanksgiving by going to the beach with family and friends. One woman who stopped by and danced with us told us it was their tradition to get up early and cook, then come to the beach for the day and have dinner later. Some people even cooked their Thanksgiving dinner in the pavilions right there next to the beach!

football on the beach was big . . .

but I enjoyed dancing barefoot in the sun best of all.

we received both looks of curiosity and big smiles . . .

what a wonderful way to start my day.

I traveled back home, 45 minutes but a quiet drive and prepared for my second Thanksgiving, a feast at Lucas Boatworks, where my husband is one of the 5 full-time builders. It was amazing!

Steven made mashed potatoes

This is held in the open pole barn where they build boats -all cleaned up!

happy thanksgiving to Chloe and Asia too!

Dave Lucas, Steven and Austin

Austin is working in Steve's shop making a guitar with some of my dad's wood!

Austin has a nickname, "wood" and a tattoo of the same!

Always something fun going on at Lucas boatworks : )

we are grateful.

I am off to fly to Connecticut and visit my sister and family. Both of my sons and their wives/partners will come down to my sister's house from Boston - I can't wait! wishing you the best, lenna

shells of love

2011-11-23T22:57:00.001-05:00

I made this for my son Dallas and his new wife Liz. They married on October 1, the same day my dad died. Bittersweet day for me as I was with my mom and dad where I wanted and needed to be, but not with my son as the wedding was in Massachusetts. I will bring this wedding present to them this weekend when I return to the North-lands (not Florida) for a family visit -my first time away from Florida in 2 years!

Steven made the wooden heart shaped base for me at Lucas Boatworks where he has been doing tons of beautiful work, a lot of it with my dad's stash of wood, dad's tools and the skills dad taught him. How cool is that?? Dad is still here with us in a way. The shells that adorn the wood are very special (I think). Last January, Dallas and Liz had a break from their jobs in Italy and made time to visit Steven and I for 4 days or so while they were back in the States. They borrowed my car (and my camera) one day and went to the beach, 2 different beaches I think!

They jumped for joy because they were in love and they were getting married this October.

They gathered shells . . .

They brought the shells back to our home, saved in a clear plastic bag. When Steven and I got home from bringing them to the airport at the end of their visit, I marveled at the changed sheets in the guest bedroom. Then I found the bag of shells on the bureau. Dallas and Liz obviously decided not to bring them with them as they were heading all the way back to Italy to finish the school year. Ah ha! (my little brain thought). I will save these shells they collected and make something for them someday. And so I did. This is just the type of creating I love to do.

Dallas Chandler Foster and Elizabeth Kee Porter Hood
October 1, 2011

with love, lenna

Limited Edition Sketchbook registration - a treat!

2011-11-23T13:55:00.001-05:00

The Sketchbook Project Limited Edition Vol. 1 is a collaborative series of art books created by 5,000 artists (the project is limited to 5,000) from around the world. I am one of them! My theme will be create and capture. It will be the next sketchbook I work in after completing my current sketchbook project: Sketchbook project 2012 ~ all organized by Art House Co-op.

I received a newsletter today that had a Thanksgiving treat in it from Art House Co-op:
Use the coupon code: GOBBLEGOBBLE for 15% off any order — from now through Sunday, Nov. 27!
Go here to read more about this project and register.

Anyone — from anywhere in the world — can participate in the project. Sign up to receive a blank sketchbook in the mail, then fill it up and send it back. Your work will be cataloged in the Brooklyn Art Library and published in the Limited Edition art book series. As of this moment I know for sure that my friends Elizabeth Duke, Frieda Oxenham and Joanna Urbani have registered for the Art House Limited edition Sketchbook project -and we did not even tell each other. We just did it on our own and found out afterwards! Frieda's theme is Surface and Threads, Elizabeth's is Stitch and Fold and Joanna's is Words & Pictures. The themes change (you may not find the same ones) and you don't have to decide on one straight away. Even though we all have different themes the coolest thing is this: Every contributor to the Sketchbook Project Limited Edition Vol. 1 will be included in a series of art books documenting the project. Together, the series will provide insight into the imagination and process of each artist participating in the project. Bound by the Brooklyn Art Library Press and hand-finished in our Brooklyn workshop, the book series will be published in the fall of 2012.

won't you join us?? I'd love to have my sketchbook artwork in a bound printed book along with yours!

yours creatively & thankfully, lenna

life's what you make it

2011-11-22T14:40:00.001-05:00

I heard this on pandora radio today and started dancing in my studio . . . then I wanted to share it. When I looked up the song I was surprised to see the single was from 1986 - could that be true?! 25 years ago? wow. One of my favorites, then and now . . .

Baby, life's what you make it
Can't escape it
Baby, yesterday's favourite
Don't you hate it

Baby, life's what you make it
Don't backdate it
Baby, Don't try to shade it
Beauty is naked
Baby, life's what you make it
Celebrate it
Anticipate it
Yesterday's faded
Nothing can change it

Life's what you make it
Celebrate it
Anticipate it
Yesterday's faded
Nothing can change it
Life's what you make it

-singer/songwriter Mark Hollis of the band Talk Talk, 1986

more info and songs by Talk Talk on You Tube.

Another big time favorite of mine is It's my Life by the same band. I guess you could say I still like that 80's music! I hope you enjoy . . . lenna

moving along: sketchbook project 2012

2011-11-21T17:34:00.001-05:00

I have made some progress in my 2012 Sketchbook Project and that is a very good thing because the Sketchbook Project Special Edition arrived in my mailbox the other day! The 2012 sketchbook project is due at the Art House Co-op January 31st, 2012 and the Special edition sketchbook project is due April 30th, 2012. Which ones are you doing??

I have reconstructed my sketchbook for the 2012 project. I removed the journal pages and taped them together to create a larger surface to work on, then returned them to the cover. I painted the pages and began working on them. While sometimes it feels slow going to me, I know I am getting back into the groove of working in art journals/the sketchbook project and other mixed media fun. I must say that my father's passing had (and still has) an effect on me, but we are all finding our way.

After bringing my sketchbook to my Nia class on the beach the other day I had an inspiration. A comment was written recently about using sand like glitter and it gave me an idea. I found tiny shells with sand I had collected and used fluid matte medium to create a beach inspired page.

You'll see later in this post what the page looks like when dry.

Next up, I continued on the other side of the green pages . . .

I used many of my rubber stamps, a variety of inks and another NASA image!

The quote is a "tape transfer" - originally from a magazine:

I added more stars to the first side of the pages I worked on . . . .

I wrote a haiku and then added it to the page with a white jelly roll pen:

i see moon + stars

a shimmering paper sky

swirling energy . . .

~ the beach page!

There is still a little sand sticking to the pages -

of course, it's from me doing this!

I have taken yet even more photographs and a lovely way to view them is via flickriver.

Click on the Sketchbook Project 2012 photo set once there and you'll be ready to easily view! Thanks for joining me here.

Yours creatively, lenna

a peaceful place

2011-11-18T23:14:00.001-05:00

to take photos

watch the waves

take a Nia movement class on the beach

I took my Sketchbook project with me and it collected a little sand : ^ )

* My favorite photo of the day *

I hope you had an enjoyable day too and did something creative! sending love, lenna

intro and first page: sketchbook project 2012

2011-11-16T21:15:00.001-05:00

okay, more diving in. I typed up what I wanted to say and used my xyron to adhere the paper to the painted pages of my sketchbook/journal. Click to enlarge & read.

The text typed on the second page:

How? When I go to create it is usually because of a deadline I have given myself or that someone has given me. I may have a loose idea or a starting point, but no set plan. I like to start and see what connections I make as I am creating. I’ll evaluate as I go and see what the piece needs. For me, the most important tool for my creating is simply to START.

Why create? This is a funny question I think because there are so many reasons, but since the theme I have given myself is encyclopedia of how and why, here are a few that resonate with me – To feel good * to exercise your brain * to build self confidence * express yourself * add beauty to the world * to fine tune your creative side * to share * to let go * to learn * to find like minded friends *

I hope you enjoy my 2012 sketchbook project!

Practicing my rubber stamping!
It is always a good idea to practice first - gets you and the stamp
warmed up! This is a quote of my own design, from my own
company LennaLines (2000-2003).

The shiny particles are pigment powders,
sprinkled on when the paint was wet.
Repeated rubber stamping with StazOn Ink.

Photo of NGC 7822 in Cepheus from NASA: Astronomy Picture of the Day.
Thank you, Donna did it! (click for a better view)

Separating a paper napkin:
3 layers, take the top one!

Testing the napkin out for size.

Done for now . . . there is another side to work on and 3 more sections.

It feels good to do this. Steven was teasing me about "diving right in" -whoosh! I must say that after my father passed away (10/1) I just did not feel like working on any mixed media art. It was not that I did not have inspiration, I just did not feel like doing it. Taking photos was okay and much to Steven's delight I started taking over more of the cooking and doing creative things with that. But recently I started thinking about the Sketchbook project I had signed up for and I started wanting to do it. Then I truthfully made myself start. It is a pretty familiar pattern with me and we'll see where it takes me . . . . I appreciate you stopping by - please say hi, comments & questions welcome. yours creatively, lenna

painting and preparing

2011-11-15T21:37:00.001-05:00

Sketchbook Project 2012: I decided to paint the pages of my sketchbook . . . and paint them I did!

There are 4 sections that fold out now, since I transformed the pages by taking them out of the moleskine journal and taping them together. See here if you missed.

Too boring, don't you think?

That's better!

That looks even better!

I tried to do a different color for each section and used pigment powders liberally!

Ahhhh . . . I felt like i was diving into COLOR!

*There are more photos if you are so inclined and you can find them on my flicker account.*

I do not have a plan on what comes next per say . . . I do know I want to write a little something about what I am doing, and what I have done with the pages. I think I am going to type something up and insert it in the inner front cover. I may do some paper collage, or stamping, or both! I just felt I had to paint the pages before I did anything else! Kind of like making myself dive in, just to get started. Do you know what I mean? My husband is really a great artist, but he is totally different than me. He likes to plan, draw and sketch, pretty much figure things out before starting. We did some collaborations together and he tells me he learned a lot from me because I work very differently. I do think a lot about what I might do, but not so much as in planning -- more exploring for ideas and then when I start working, that is when the "ah-ha" moments come: Oh, I could do this! What about that?! I'll try this, and so on. It's fun and I have gotten used to it. How do you work?? Share in a comment or email if you like, please!

yours creatively, lenna

Earth Time Lapse View From Space

2011-11-14T21:04:00.001-05:00

In the car today I was listening to npr (national public radio) and to Terry Gross interviewing astrophysicist Saul Perlmutter. It was hard to wrap my head around their conversation, but I did my best and told Steven about it later because I found it so interesting. Right before I told him about the interview, which was about supernovae, Steven sent me a link to a video he saw on a news site. It was serendipity! The video was also about space, but more specifically, looking at the earth from space. It was created from time lapse sequences of photographs taken with a special low-light 4K-camera by the crew of expedition 28 & 29 onboard the International Space Station from August to October, 2011. If you are not reading this on the blog and cannot see the video below, you can view it here with this link. As Steven told me, Go FULL SCREEN on this video! It really is something.

credits: Editing: Michael König | http://koenigm.com
Music: Jan Jelinek | Do Dekor, faitiche back2001
w+p by Jan Jelinek, published by Betke Edition
http://janjelinek.com | http://faitiche.de

Image Courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory,
NASA Johnson Space Center, The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov

Shooting locations in order of appearance:

1. Aurora Borealis Pass over the United States at Night
2. Aurora Borealis and eastern United States at Night
3. Aurora Australis from Madagascar to southwest of Australia
4. Aurora Australis south of Australia
5. Northwest coast of United States to Central South America at Night
6. Aurora Australis from the Southern to the Northern Pacific Ocean
7. Halfway around the World
8. Night Pass over Central Africa and the Middle East
9. Evening Pass over the Sahara Desert and the Middle East
10. Pass over Canada and Central United States at Night
11. Pass over Southern California to Hudson Bay
12. Islands in the Philippine Sea at Night
13. Pass over Eastern Asia to Philippine Sea and Guam
14. Views of the Mideast at Night
15. Night Pass over Mediterranean Sea
16. Aurora Borealis and the United States at Night
17. Aurora Australis over Indian Ocean
18. Eastern Europe to Southeastern Asia at Night

I hope you enjoy!

transformation: sketchbook project + our garage

2011-11-13T20:38:00.001-05:00

Today was a busy day because before I even got working on my sketchbook project, Steven & I spent time together cleaning the garage and unpacking and sorting from our move last September. We had moved so many times since we've been married and relocated to Florida that Steven requested no complaints if the junk (oops, important stuff!!) piled up in the garage in our new home for a while. Of course I said yes because I would hear about it otherwise: "5 moves in 5 years"!! But we did decide together that it was time - and that we would spend one of our "date days" cleaning, tossing, straightening & organizing so that perhaps I may even be able to get my car into the garage! It went from this:

To this! Wow.

Then while Steven was taking a break before we went out to dinner to celebrate our new found space, I dove back into my sketchbook project. I had been thinking since yesterday about the extended pages I had created by taping 2 sets of pages together, and how I wanted to re-insert them into the cover. I had been laying them into the cover "nested" and realized perhaps in a dream or maybe the early morning hours that I wanted the 4 signatures of pages I had created separate, not nested. This would mean sewing the 4 signatures of pages together, slicing the cover in half and gluing the first and last pages to the front and back cover -eep! I also wanted to "prime" the pages a bit and when cleaning the garage I found a new can of spray primer which worked wonderfully, laying down a very thin coat of primer paint on the pages.

This was my test piece -always test first!

These are the actual pages now that I have taped them together.

It had been a while since I had sewn any pages together so I reached for Unique Handmade Books by Alisa Golden. I found directions for a decorative stitch book with weaving that looked like it would work even though it called for 5 signatures and I was working with 4.

Creating the holes for sewing with a cradle
so that all the holes will be in the same place.

The stitching is similar to the Star Book class I have taught many times.

I use waxed linen to do the stitching.

The weaving part was different, interesting.

Finished! All 4 sections (signatures) of pages are sewn together.

Now to get very brave . . . and cut the cover in half!

I trimmed the cover just a bit, then attached it to the sewn signatures
of pages in the front and back.

There are 4 sections of pages just like the one above in the sketchbook now.

I finished the basic structure by adding tabs to make it easier to pull the folded pages out.

Now I get to fill this sketchbook up! You may wonder WHY I went to all this trouble of preparing the sketchbook like I did? Hmmm, I could have just worked in it the way it was, right? Well, I did that last year. This year I wanted to challenge myself and do something different. Last year I was satisfied to work in the moleskine the way it was presented to me because I had never really worked in an artist's journal before. That in itself was a new experience for me. I feel good already that I took the challenge I gave myself to do something different with the sketchbook. And the HOW will be here on my blog and I will also add journaling to the sketchbook about my process. Thanks for listening, I needed to get this down!

yours creatively, lenna

The cover: sketchbook project 2012

2011-11-12T22:24:00.001-05:00

The pages of my sketchbook have been removed and reconfigured. Before I return them to the sketchbook I thought I should work on the cover itself. This would be easier to do without the pages inside. If you missed the previous post that shows removing the pages, you can catch up by reading here.

I started with a thin layer of a paper napkin and fluid matte medium.

On the right I added a page of text first . . . and gold pigment powder.

And on the left, some handmade paper.

More sections of a paper napkin was applied with matte medium.

Rubber stamps were used with StazOn permanent ink.

I added my title with alphabet letter stamps:
Encyclopedia of . . . how and why (of what, is to be revealed/determined!)

Trying out the extended, folded pages . . . .

I would like to prepare the pages a bit more before sewing them into the spine; either by painting them or adding some background paper to them. I'm on a roll with this sketchbook and it feels good!

yours creatively, lenna

First step is to start

2011-11-12T17:31:00.001-05:00

I am glad I wrote about the Sketchbook Project 2012 earlier today because it got me going in a direction I needed to. The first step for me in creating anything is to make myself start, and that is exactly what I did what I did today. I committed to removing the pages in my sketchbook and putting them together to create longer pages.

The staples are easy to take out.

The pages are all removed!

I got this fabric tape from Cute Tape.

It is fabric - all cotton - very thin & flexible - and sticky!

This is how I decided my pages would fold -valley/mountain.

The tape worked well.

I'll be back with what I have done to the cover so far . . . off to visit with my mom. I am really happy and excited I have jumped in and started this, because no matter what I do, I will now be doing something art-related and working towards my goal of participating in this project!

yours creatively, lenna

The Sketchbook Project

2011-11-12T09:15:00.001-05:00

Last year, I participated in the Sketchbook Project 2011. If you'd like to see all of the pages I did online, lusciously displayed, visit the digital library, which is hosted by the organizer: the art house co-op. The theme I chose for this project was: This is not a Sketchbook. ; ^ ) It was the first time I had ever worked in an art journal. All of the posts I wrote regarding creating in that sketchbook are tagged and can be viewed by following this link. This was such a good experience for me that a few months ago signed up for the Sketchbook Project 2012. After registering I received a slightly smaller sized journal with thicker paper, custom designed for the project. A booklet with an introduction and rules was included.

The idea is you register, choose a theme, work in your sketchbook and send it back to the art house co-op by the deadline. All of the sketchbooks are bar coded and enter the Brooklyn art library (home of the art house co-op). The Sketchbooks are also taken on tour as a travelling art exhibit! The deadline for signing up for the 2012 project has now passed but a new sketchbook project was recently announced: The Sketchbook Project Limited Edition Vol. 1. This project is open to only 5000 participants and due in their hands April 30th. To give you an idea of the size of these projects, the Sketchbook Project 2011 had over 28,000 register and 10,000 sketchbooks were completed on time, added to the Brooklyn Art Library and went on tour. "The Limited Edition presents a series of experiments inspired by the Sketchbook Project. Each Limited Edition project brings together a smaller community of artists to share the Sketchbook Project experience in a whole new way."

I have signed up for the Limited edition too!

So, I best start my Sketchbook 2012 Project due January 31st, don't you think??

I am seriously toying with the idea of removing the staples in the middle of the spine and changing the pages so perhaps they unfold? Then possibly sewing the pages back in myself. As long as the dimensions remain the same -5.25 W x 7.25 H, (32 pages 70lb text stock, 100% recycled paper) and the sketchbook does not exceed 1" in thickness, it is okay to modify the book.

My theme is "The encyclopedia of". I am still thinking on this.

Etymology: from Latin encyclopedia "course of general education," from Greek enkyklios "general, all-around," literally, "circular" and Greek paideia "education, child rearing"

: a work that contains information on all subjects or one that covers a certain subject thoroughly usually with articles arranged alphabetically.

Wish me luck!

Anyone one else out there registered for either The Sketchbook Project 2012 or the Sketchbook Project, Limited Edition? I would love to see what you are doing!

I'll be back with progress on this soon.
yours creatively, lenna

Nia: through movement we find health

2011-11-11T23:17:00.001-05:00

I feel very fortunate that I am able to participate in Nia, a body-mind-spirit fitness program a few times a week here where I live in Florida -- and I have the option of taking classes on the beach!

On Tuesday, I drove a little farther than usual to Siesta beach, Sarasota and had a lovely class with my instructor Kathy Oravec, below center.

Siesta beach has won the recognition of #1 beach in the USA and it is a very popular fitness destination. There were so many people walking or jogging by, observing our class and smiling at us. Some walkers even made comments and a few even joined us! Siesta is a very social beach, and much more busy than the Longboat key beach class I had been to before. A view of the busy Siesta beach, below.

Yes, it is still very warm on the west coast of Florida! Actually right now at 11pm the temperature is only 50 degrees, but during the mid part of the day it still gets up to 75-80. Very idyllic, I know I am blessed. Today I returned to Longboat Key for another Nia class. It was quite windy and I had a sweatshirt on. We start at 9am and I took this wonderful photo before class of the sun above Kathy's Nia banner, marking our spot on the beach.

Longboat Key is a number of miles north of Siesta beach and is much quieter. I enjoy it very much. I was not sure initially if I would like doing a movement class on the beach, but I decided to try it and I am so glad I did -I love it! A week or 2 ago, just as we started warming up facing the ocean, 2 dolphins did a series of beautiful leaps out of the water. The waves were quite large today because of the wind and the sound they made was a perfect accompaniment to our dancing. Often the gulls fly overhead and it is really a very freeing experience to be outside, in front of the powerful ocean, moving and sensing everything. It is just what I need at this time in my life.

I took a quick break to drink some water and could not resist snapping a photo of Kathy teaching -beautiful. I have added a video below that will share with you more about Nia. If you are not reading this on the blog, you can link to the video here.

Nia Workout: MyFoxBOSTON.com

yours creatively, lenna

Rosie Mae's cheesy dream biscuits!

2011-11-10T22:50:00.001-05:00

I was reading my friend Joanna's blog when she told us about making dog biscuits for her sweet pup Rosie Mae - yes, making them herself! In a comment, I mentioned to Joanna that I just might need that recipe, having two sweet pups of my own. Joanna sent it to me directly today! This recipe looked so easy I decided to try it out right away. The oven was on for dinner anyway . . . . and our dogs love treats.

I had given away all my cookie cutters when we moved to Florida (one less thing to move) and so instead, I decided to cut out square "biscuits" with a knife, after rolling the dough out. Steven would rather have small treats for the dogs anyway and so that worked out well. It was easy to do and the dogs love them!

many thanks to Joanna : ) lenna

Sanibel Sweethearts

2011-11-08T18:42:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago today, my husband Steven and I were on nearby Sanibel Island, celebrating seven years together as a couple. I just came across this photo in my many photos and had to upload it! I called Steven on October 25, 2004 to tell him my then husband John, had left me for another woman. Steven and I were 47 and 48 years old at the time, but had been friends and known each other since high school. When I made that phone call, it truly was the last thing on my mind that I might end up having feelings for Steven. He, on the other had freely admitted a few weeks later, that he had had a crush on me since I was 15!! We married the next June, after my divorce was final and while we do celebrate our wedding anniversary, we always celebrate the day I called him.

I really love this photo and had to share it!

Dance SRQ and photoshop

2011-11-08T18:16:00.000-05:00

I found out about a Conscious Movement class held once a month on Sundays through my Nia teacher Kathy Oravec. This class is held in Sarasota and sponsored by Dance SRQ (the Sarasota Airport code is SRQ) and hosted/led by Kathy. She described the activity as a free-form movement class with conscious awareness of your sensations, movements and surroundings. I found it very much like the modern dance classes I took; the improvisation section especially. It was fun, freeing, I met new people, drove to a new place, and was brave. I also got quite a workout as it was an hour and a half long and I moved a lot! I took a few photos on Sunday and later enjoyed playing with them in Photoshop elements.

The Bayfront Community Center is a really fabulous space, with wood floors, tons of light.

Tweaking the photo with a Hard Mix filter makes for a very interesting look.

We took several photos of our bare feet for a new Dance SRQ logo!

I put those 2 photos together by treating them as layers.

The windows were overlooking the Sarasota Bay and it was quite amazing. Dancing in front of the windows and looking out over the water, I felt and still feel that I am living in paradise.

Another combination, photo collage - two layered photos

You can achieve some wild colors via photoshop - I do like how it looks like paint.

This one is my favorite out of all my efforts and I chose this photo
for my 300th upload to blipfoto! (my photo journal)

I'm starting to do mixed media art again which is good, but since I'm not quite up to speed yet I thought I'd share some of the other creative things I have been doing to feed my soul and "fill me up" as my friend Donna said, not too long ago. It is all creative, all a way to express myself which I obviously need to do (!) and I love keeping a record of my journey. If you would like an easy way to flip through a number of posts on my journey, try the flipcard view of this blog. Hover over any square to see the title and date of the post and then click to read! I do like that version very much but am leaving it as an option instead of the default for now until it is more seasoned.

Hope you are all doing well, sending love -lenna

The Butterfly Project

2011-11-07T23:30:00.000-05:00

Please read about this project here. There is still time to participate!

front

back

I signed up for this project last year, kept procrastinating and then finally created my butterfly when I knew I could add it to the 4x4 package I was sending to Trudi Sissons. Trudi has organized a group project supporting the Holocaust Museum in Houston, Texas. The Butterfly Project mandate was created to remember the 1,500,000 innocent children who perished as a result of the Holocaust by collecting 1.5 million handmade butterflies. In Spring of 2013, these butterflies will then become a breath-taking exhibition to serve as a memory of this event. More information is here. I have been collecting feathers and sea shells quite a lot these days and they called to me to create my butterfly. i simply arranged the feathers and used GOOP glue to hold them together between 2 shells. It was a simple creation, but I feel it was effective. Trudi has collected over 370 handmade butterflies so far with more to come: see the butterfly gallery here. "Be the change you want to see in the world."
- I am honored to be a part of this project.

4x4 for Trudi

2011-11-07T23:05:00.000-05:00

Through the Oh My Gothic yahoo group, I have been creating 4"x4" pieces on a monthly basis. In October it was my turn to make something for Trudi Sissons. Her theme for this exchange is Nature's Garden with Quotes - soft shades, flowers, vines, butterflies. Click for details.

To create this I used a copy of a vintage ad printed onto vellum paper to keep it soft and almost see-through. The John Muir quote was rubber stamped with black StazOn permanent ink. The cloth leaves and paper butterflies were hostess gifts given to me; just the perfect touch I think. Trudi has seen her piece on the yahoo group (a closed group) and told me she loved it. It should reach her in Canada before too long! It was good for me to make this, I enjoyed.

ARTchix Studio is 10

2011-11-01T12:26:00.001-04:00

ARTchix is 10 years old this month, how can that be?? I remember when Helga Strauss started ARTchix Studio! Her collage sheets and art supplies have been a staple of my mixed media art for 10 years. I am so happy she created a masterboard and asked her blog readers to create something with it for a blog challenge. Read Helga's challenge here -find out more about masterboards. Now extended till Nov. 8!! Details here at the end of the post : )

I took Helga's challenge and used her art to create a card for her celebrating this special birthday. With much love & thanks to you, Helga! xoxoxox lenna

quiet creativity

2011-10-31T00:06:00.000-04:00

Yes! I am still here, working quietly in the background.
If you could see me, you'd find me taking lots of photographs and even a video or two, traveling to state parks & disovering Florida on my "date days" with Steven, tweaking my blogs and websites, talking with my husband, my mom and my sister, visiting local beaches and gathering treasures, taking Nia movement classes (the best thing I have done for myself during this time), and celebrating an anniversary of the heart on October 25th with Steven by going to Sanibel Island last week, one of our favorite spots.

Plus, I have been visiting Museums, watching dance performances, cooking creatively, planting flowers (and weeding!) plus harvesting basil, parsley, rosemary and even romaine lettuce, wow! I have been quiet here on my blog since my dad passed away, I think because I have not done a lot of mixed media art like I usually do -that is what I typically share here. I realized the other day though, that I have been doing a whole lot of other creative things while I have been thinking, processing and of course, supporting my mom. It feels right, but I wanted you to know.

"date day" at Myakka River State Park Oct 16

Yes, you must be aware of Alligators!
Myakka River State Park is one of Florida's oldest and largest parks.
http://www.myakkariver.org/index.php

76 feet up - Myakka has a canopy walk through the trees and a tower to climb up!

beautiful treasures on a Longboat Key beach

An exhibit at the Longboat Key center for the arts

Steven being silly - pretending to fish like an Ibis!

Sanibel's Island Inn

a beautiful Sanibel Sunset

There's more I could share, that's for sure -but this is enough! I'll be back . . . . I am just taking my time about it and not worrying. -yours creatively, lenna

beautiful and soothing beach day

2011-10-22T22:41:00.000-04:00

You might have caught a couple of glimpses of my visit to the beach yesterday in my previous post or by visiting my blipfoto journal, but I want to share a few more photos. The 9:00 am light was so delicious for taking pictures and the Longboat Key beach I went to was a particularly lovely one with lots of shells.

jingle shells are one of my favorites . . . .

I love the way the morning light reflected off of this one below.

visitors that day

Some of my treasures . . . you may see these again, in my art.

click on any photo for a close-up view.

A pen shell

a close up view - click for even more detail.

There was a reason I went to this particular beach that I never had been to before. My Nia movement teacher, Kathy Oravec (below) was teaching a Nia class on the beach that day!

A lovely spot to dance and stretch.

I had never done Nia on the beach before and found it to be a wonderful experience; very energizing, yet peaceful. Definitely a mind-body fitness program. After class, I took a photo of Kathy and I.

I will be returning for another class!

and maybe a few more shells, or at least photographs . . .

I am so grateful for all of this.

yours creatively, lenna

working on it?

2011-10-21T22:47:00.000-04:00

I have switched my online blog back to one of the earlier templates . . . because even though I really like the new dynamic views templates, the problems readers had with commenting and the fact that older browsers were not able to view the new set up, plus no sidebar gadgets were available . . . .well, that made me switch back to the previous template version I had where unfortunately you need to scroll and scroll to read the posts. I would love to return to the dynamic view when it is a little more seasoned. Some benefits of switching are that I created pages for my creative lenna blog, something I had been wanting to do. The About page is newly reworked and there are other new pages too, just look at the top of the blog. Plus, I discovered you can still view the creative lenna blog in dynamic views by adding /view onto the blog's URL. Try this: http://creativelenna.blogspot.com/view/flipcard to view the creative lenna blog in my most favorite way! I love how you can chose and discover so many posts at one glance.

Edit: I have now added the link to dynamic views as one of the pages. Find flipcard at the top of the blog as a tab and click on that when you'd like to explore and discover more of what's here. It is an amazing way to choose what I have shared to look at. I may have come upon the best of both worlds -combining this current style template as the base for my blog with the ability to view the blog in more dynamic ways.Anyway, thanks for coming along with me on this discovery and we will make our way!

yours creatively, lenna

another art journal finished

2011-10-20T21:38:00.000-04:00

I started this art journal back in July when I was working on doing Art Journal Every Day with Julie Balzer. This concept is a great idea and Julie gives participants lots of inspiration. I highly recommend it. I could see myself doing this again, perhaps for a one month commitment, as I found it hard to continue more than the four months that I did. Perhaps it was my circumstances. This is the second journal that I filled during that commitment and it feels wonderful to have finished it completely and to have filled it up! I started working last night with a Sumi brush and Dye-na Flow inks.

After spraying with plain water, I let that dry and came back to it today.

The quote is from Lao-Tzu.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

That is exactly how I felt. Just one step back into mixed media art.

I added the thin top layer of a paper napkin as the paint/ink alone was just too sparse for me. Then I edged and splattered with a krylon 14K gold marker. I just can't help myself!

My art journal was finished. I had been thinking about this last page for a while, but want you to know that what I did was done on the fly, on the spur of the moment, when I finally sat down and made myself start.

A peek at the entire journal is below -click for details.

wow, that is a lot of art journaling, even over 4 months.

Thanks for being here.

creativity, photos + The Ringling Museum

2011-10-18T22:53:00.000-04:00

* my husband, Steven *

Taking photographs and perhaps playing with them in Photoshop elements has been the only way I have been creative since my dad passed away October 1st. I know this is to be expected and I know it is okay that I feel this way.
I understand it . . . and yet, it still feels strange to me not to be doing any mixed media art for this amount of time, about 3 weeks. In general, I am a fairly prolific artist and so, I feel slightly out of step right now. I have been thinking about doing an art journal page - truly, it's just a half a page to finish a journal, or some ATCs. There is also a 4x4 themed piece coming due at the end of the month and I have even been thinking about getting started on my Sketchbook Project 2012. But basically, I keep telling myself that yes, when I am ready, I will start up again with paper and paint and fabric and ink. In the meantime, I am glad to have my camera and the creativity it affords me.

On Saturday, I took myself and my camera to the Ringling Museum while Steven was out using his new paddle at a local messabout. While at the Ringling, I visited their 2 Circus Museums. This was a new experience for me having never stepped inside them before.

Inside the Circus museum, I could not resist taking a photo of myself among the clowns. I especially enjoyed all the posters and the history I learned about the Circus.

After lunch at one of the cafes, I walked through a beautiful Rose Garden on the estate where I took many photos before continuing to the Ca'd'Zan Mansion that belonged to John and Mable Ringling. It's described as “the last of the Gilded Age mansions” to be built in America, Ca' d’Zan has 56 incredible rooms filled with art and original furnishings. I only saw the first floor and that in itself was quite amazing. It is huge and looks out over Sarasota Bay, Florida.

The Rose Garden

For Frieda . . .

A glimpse of the Ringling Mansion . . .

Inside, looking out at Sarasota Bay

The courtyard overlooking the Bay . . .

Another view of the front -click for details

Next, I walked towards the courtyard of the Museum of Art, which I had visited before. The Ringling property spans 20 acres! More about the history of the Ringling estate is here. In the courtyard of the museum there was a special dance performance being put on by students at FSU (Florida State University) as part of the Ringling International Art Festival. It was titled, When Art Refuses to Sit Still and be Quiet. The group of young women from FSU danced among the renaissance statues in the courtyard and I was most certainly entranced. I had danced in a similar performance in the courtyard of the Wadsworth Atheneum museum in Hartford, CT when I was a teenager.

Then I made my way into the art museum proper . . .

The painting below is by my great uncle, William Glackens.

I stood in front of it for quite a while.

I am enjoying using my camera and figure I will be back to my 'usual' creativity before too long. I am simply feeling a little more quiet than usual, which is to be expected. I do talk with my mom a lot, as well as my sister and my husband Steven and it seems we are all just moving through this life changing event of my father's death at our own pace. Do not worry, we are as fine as we can be. With love, lenna

p.s. I am not sure if the comments glitch has been fixed, but I did send notification there was a problem. If you get to a blank page when publishing your comment, please use the back arrow, open up the comments again and you should see your comment there ready to be published. So sorry for any inconvenience!

If you'd like to see more of the courtyard and museum, about a year ago Steven & I visited the Ringling together. Afterwards, I created this 4 minute Animoto Video - fun to watch & create!

more of my photos here . . .

* creative lenna *

* Paper and Fabric beads *

'Vintage' for Tag Tuesday

New swap I'm hosting on Creative Swaps!

sketchbook project fun!

a walk at desoto memorial

paper bead earrings!

Sketchbook Project 2012 is complete

art, nia, paper beads

tagxedo - just for fun!

Art Journal every day with Julie Balzer

traveling hearts

Tag Tuesday: Snow

more mail art

Mail Art received

Creative Breakout class with Bill Buchman

Need inspiration? A challenge?

collage on canvas

Day 7 Theme & Giveaway: Alice in Wonderland

GPP Street Team Series: Evidence

Tour of Lucas Boatworks

Day 2 Theme & Giveaway: Printery

daily giveaway - Alpha Stamps

greetings!

4x4 (inch!) collage for Connie

every single moment you are . . . .

purple section: sketchbook project 2012

*flashmob*dance*fun*holidays*

Butterfly Project update

butterfly garden

flickr photos = a milestone for me

sketchbook project 2012: blue to purple

Green Paper December challenge

sketchbook project 2012: next section

photo collage and dance

where does the time go?

a wonderful day in Connecticut

gratitude

shells of love

Limited Edition Sketchbook registration - a treat!

life's what you make it

moving along: sketchbook project 2012

a peaceful place

intro and first page: sketchbook project 2012

painting and preparing

Earth Time Lapse View From Space

transformation: sketchbook project + our garage

The cover: sketchbook project 2012

First step is to start

The Sketchbook Project

Nia: through movement we find health

Rosie Mae's cheesy dream biscuits!

Sanibel Sweethearts

Dance SRQ and photoshop

The Butterfly Project

4x4 for Trudi

ARTchix Studio is 10

quiet creativity

beautiful and soothing beach day

working on it?

another art journal finished

creativity, photos + The Ringling Museum

flashmobdancefunholidays*