I've always been a bit of a pirate girl . . .

My art friend, Cindy McC, asked recently how I managed to keep my "word of the year" present and useful. One thing I do is to make a couple of art pieces with the word, usually based on definitions or quotes with the word.  I've posted one here and another here.  I made one more little project . . . a little charm to add to my key chain.  It's in the upper right corner of today's picture.  The charm was made with Ranger fragments and features the line Johnny Depp utters to end The Pirates of the Caribbean movie as he sails off to new adventures . . . "Now, bring me that horizon." It's on utube here.  And, yes, there's a picture of Capt. Jack Sparrow on the other side of the charm.  I really want a necklace like this one with my word for the year, but I'm unwilling to pay that much for it!  I am considering making a dominoe or two with my word and maybe, just maybe, my friend Cindy will make me one of her oh-so-cool soldered necklaces with my word . . .

Finally, here's an art journal page I made which focuses exploring new horizons in travel.  As always, you can click on it to enlarge if you want.

(Art) Journal Your Christmas: 12 Days of Christmas

It's Epiphany today - time to take down the Nativity Sets and the last of the Christmas decorations.  I wanted to do a slide show with just the the last 12 Days of my AYC from 2006-07, (which I did as an Art Journal , 5x7 cards with art on one side and journaling on the other).  So as not to spoil the prompts, I have held off posting this until today.  I featured days 1-25 on my blog on Christmas.  Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to just do a slide show for a portion of the file anymore.  So, if you want to see the last 12 days, you'll have to wade through the first 25 again.  Sorry about that! Just click on the link below to start the show.
http://good-times.webshots.com/slideshow/556287940fqopgq

2010 Intentions

I finished a collage with my 2010 intentions.  The ten rays of the sun represent not so much specific things I want to accomplish, but rather ten horizons I want to explore and move towards this year.  I picked verbs for each one:  love (my husband); parent (my children); travel; write (mainly at work); network (at work); pray; artconnect (teach, blog, etc.); thrive (health); sister (relationships with my brothers & sisters); create (art).  I included the Dag Hammarskjold quote that I liked and used some beautiful batiked fabric I received in a Secret Santa swap this year (thanks Allison!).  The overall design is inspired by the Van Gogh lesson in Dina Wakley's Artful Masters art journaling class.  The subject fulfills challenges posted at The Scrappy Tree, Scrap Weekly -2010, and 365 Challenges.

The Card Recipe Challenge Winner is . . .

Erika and her ultra-cute sailor card!  Sorry, I think it's oriented the wrong way but I can't seem to fix it.  I numbered the entries 1-9 and used random.org to choose a number.  Erika was lucky number 8.

Thanks to everyone who participated.  Here's links to some of the fabulous entries:
Corbi's card is here.
Helena's card is here.
Jacky's card is here, and she also shared this wonderful link for vintage photos.
DJ's card is here.
Paula's card is here. In case you don't have access to the forum, here it is:

And the non-bloggers -
Here's Marianne's card:

My friend Cindy is still working on her blog, but here's her card:

Here's Pauline's card: She's Erika's mom, and they took some creative time together to create these cards. How cool is that???

A Creative Tip from Vincent Van Gogh

I'm taking a fantastic art journaling class with Dina Wakley.  The class features art challenges and journaling challenges based on four different artists.  This art journal page features a bunch of Vincent Van Gogh techniques, mainly using different types of brush strokes and thicknesses of paint.  It's not my favorite page artistically (my favorite so far is posted here), but I do love the journaling.  It features a creative tip from Vincent Van Gogh that Dina put into her lesson and which really grabbed me.  Apparently, Van Gogh kept a basket filled with balls of yarn in all different colors.  He could grab a couple of balls to see how the colors looked together.  How cool is that!  If I ever get a studio When I get a studio, I am definitely going to get a big glass fishbowl and fill it with balls of yarn in all kinds of colors! Do you have any new creative tips to share?  I'd love to hear them.
Also, if you're looking for some scrapbooking inspiration, check out my friend Kathy's new blog:  365 Challenges.  It will feature a new scrapbooking challenge everyday for the year!  Go Kathy!
And there's a weekly scrapbooking challenge blog here.  I hope to join as a challenger soon, but I'm having technical difficulties!

Don't forget - last day to enter the card recipe challenge. Details are here.  Entries close tonight, Sunday, Jan. 3, at 9:00 p.m. California time.

I love these photos (taken at the San Francisco Zoo)

My friend Rebecca and I took the kids to the zoo last week.  I love going the week between Christmas and New Year's Day because it's never very crowded, and the animals seem very active.  The male lion was hamming it up for me.

This gorilla sat for a full portrait session.  I took about 12 pictures of him, and this one is my favorite.  He has such dignity within his sadness.

Finally, this polar bear who seems to have had enough of the holidays!  I hope you're enjoying your last weekend of the holiday.  Don't forget to take some time to enter my card recipe challenge, posted here.

My word for 2010: Horizon (Art Journal Page)

After much thought, I've chosen the word "horizon" as my word for 2010.  There's something about it that suggests looking forward and moving toward a promising future.  That's how I feel about the New Year - I don't have set goals I want to accomplish like I did for last year.  Instead, I want it to be a year of striving for new and somewhat unknown accomplishments.  Maybe I'll finally write the book I want to on the Thirteenth Amendment.  Maybe we'll travel to Costa Rica.  Maybe I'll help the kids discover new talents and achievements.  Maybe my art and/or photography interests will take off.

I looked up definitions on the internet and found the following:

• the line at which the sky and Earth appear to meet
• the range of interest or activity that can be anticipated; "It is beyond the horizon of present knowledge"

I also found three quotes I like. 

• "Only he who keeps his eye fixed on the far horizon will find the right road."  Dag Hammarskjold
• "We have always held to the hope, the belief, the conviction that there is a better life, a better world, beyond the horizon."  Franklin Delano Roosevelt
• "Now, bring me that horizon."  Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean 

In celebration of my word, I created some art.  I hope you like it!  It was inspired by the art journaling class I'm taking, and it incorporates inspiration from Vincent Van Gogh.


Also, check out yesterday's post to find out how to win some of my special collage sheets!  You have until Sunday night (California time) to enter.