Everyone Has a Sense of Humor...

Even Mother Nature...

This deserves another look...

Can you believe this picture! My husband and I went kayaking at Lake Jocasse this weekend and saw this awesome site along one of the banks there. Jocasse is a 7,500 acre man made lake in upstate SC. There is a ton of documentation about the area before the lake was made, as well as a book or two.

It was breath taking there! The leaves were just beginning to change their colors in the higher elevations but at the boat ramps they were a riot of bold, brassy colors. The red was so bright that it almost leapt from the leaves...hitting you in the face as you looked. Yellow, gold, red, orange, maroon, brown...so many beautiful colors were there.

The water level was up considerably from the last time that we were there, but over-all it is still lower than usual. Normally the water is documented at 300 feet deep...wow...no wonder the scuba divers love this place, but this weekend it was a little less than that...maybe down 8 to 18 feet...? Not sure but you can tell by looking at the water line on the shore it's down a good bit.

We did a little fishing one evening...not much luck there but my dh did manage to "catch" a lost fishing lure...man! Why is it that the ONE time you wish you had your camera, you left it back at the ranch, er camper?! My dabh (and and brave husband) (more likely darsh-dear and ridiculously silly husband) got down to his birthday suit (YES!) in the cold, cold water to retrieve a $4.00 fishing lure...FOUR DOLLARS...!

It was a very entertaining weekend people...

never a dull moment with the two of us together!

We camped there the weekend, in a very comfortable RV (thanks Terry & Sandra!) at the Devil's Fork State Park.

We slept under a queen sized quilt that I made from one of the BOM Thimbleberry patterns...the only bed size quilt I have ever made. Considering the temperature was down in to the lower 40's, the quilt came in handy...I'm just thankful we were in the RV and not a tent...I don't think that my hip/back could weather those conditions.

Have I ever mentioned that my husband is an AWESOME cook? This weekend we ate like royalty. We had homemade chicken/sausage chili, topped with sour cream and cheese, a small side salad with fresh greens, red peppers and tomatoes from our garden and a glass of chilled red wine. Ymmm...Clear, cold night with an abundance of bright stars and shining moon light.

On Saturday, after a day long kayaking trip, we had thick & tender New York Strip steak cooked to perfection over the camp fire...almost like a blackened steak, it had crispy edges yet the inside was so tender that it just melted in your mouth. A heaping helping of steamed shrimp to go along with the steak, then add a steaming baked potato with sour cream & cheese, another luscious garden side salad. Wash it all down with a dry red wine and what do you have...?

Our camping dinner...

oh, desert...

blueberry cream pie ice cream...ymmmmm...

And I keep saying that the 5 pounds I gained came from the hormones that I started taking...

yeah, right.

Hi everyone!

I haven't had a blog entry lately but I've been very busy...

sewing origami bags, rust backgrounds and painting awesome backgrounds on canvas and Aqua board.

I am really getting into the background techniques that I am learning from Wyanne.

It's so much fun to expand your creative horizons and give yourself a stretch.

I've also started a new journal,
with the prompting of my buddies Kristi Steiner and Susan Edmonson.

It's a Gratitude sort of journal...

I am taking an accounting of my Creativity each day...listing the creative things that I did, thinking about what activities really sparked my creative spirit...

then at the end of each entry I'll be writing a quick sentence of gratitude for the creativity in my life that day.

Kristi and Susan assure me that this activity will be a POTENT way to, a tangible way to give thanks and empower my creative spirit...

the spirit that each of us have within us.

It's so true that if you simply BELIEVE you can...

then you can.

I have experienced this so many times in my life.

Oh, you have to do The Work, to be sure,

but even The Work becomes so much more enjoyable,

so much easier when you BELIEVE that you can.

Speaking of Inspiration,

of Believing in yourself...

have you all taken a peek at Donna Downey's web site?
WOW!

I saw a link on Jane Powell's web site

or maybe her blog

to Donna's site and went there to look around.

What an awesome artist she is!

And the workshops, the videos, the books...

then there is the Retreat in May.

I sent in my registration this morning and I am SO EXCITED to be going!

Paulette Insall will be teaching...

Kelli Rae Roberts will be speaking...Kelli Rae!

And Paolo Liloc will be there speaking, capturing images from the event.

Susan Edmonson, who happens to be my soul sister...

Everyone told us that before we ever met each other.

When we did meet each other,

it was kinda spooky how much we REALLY had in common!

Jennifer Stewart

Carol Wingert

Cheryl Darrow

Tejae Floyde...

and a BUNCH of other artists that will be offering mini workshops everyday!

This is a "Must Go" event!

But you need to sign up NOW because there are only a few seats left...

Random Arts Blog

Hi everyone!

You need to run over to Jane Powell's blog

and read her interview with Cate Prato about her new book.

It looks like an awesome book. If I can't win a signed copy then I will surely purchase one.

They are giving one away to a lucky commenter at Jane's blog.

So, GO...

what are you waiting for?!

My friend, Cheryl Prater, has a self portrait in there among other great artists.

Speaking of Cheryl...I did notice that she was back in Blog land after taking a hiatus...

I'm sure that some of you missed her...I hardly knew she was gone...

-inset hearty belly laugh here-

I'm glad she's back and among the undead.

I'm off to finish up my Art Journal page for Random Arts Challenge.

Visit the web site to check it out.

There may still be time for you to join in!

Have a peaceful and creative day!

Charleston, Harbor Kayaking, Museums and Wyanne

Well, I've been a busy girl here lately!

My husband and I went to Charleston SC for a long weekend.

He had to do a little work but that was quickly taken care of...On to the fun stuff!

We went kayaking with Joe on Shem Creek, then out in the Charleston Harbor.

We had a good look at this island but couldn't go out on it because of nesting activity. It opens back up on Oct. 15 and I'd love to go back and look for sharks teeth and such.

We saw a manatee! It looked like a big hairy brown face peeking out of the water!

That was so cool...hearing the "whoosh" of water and air as he (?) came to the surface,

then seeing that comical hairy face peeking up...
gotta love kayaking in this water!

We had just started to head back towards the dock when a shrimp boat came in...

birds circling the boat, diving and screaming at each other...

we followed it, hoping to see a dolphin...

but no sighting in the harbor.

As we rounded the harbor, heading in to Shem Creek

we were greeted with a couple of other folks in kayaks, holding position near the docked shrimp boat.

"Dolphin!"

"Look, it's a dolphin!"

And there it was...appearing to be rather young...

or small anyway...

jumping and rolling up and down in the water...

feeding off of the shrimp boats bait...

We wanted to stay and watch but we were renting by the half day...

I highly recommend this tour to anyone that is interested in kayaking and seeing the harbor and its' wildlife in a different way...

a little closer look...

It's well worth the money.

Next time we go to Charleston, we're going to just rent kayaks and decide on our own route.

That way we can stop and spend the amount of time that we want in each place.

It was a lot of fun!

Now...what's next...

Oh, some of you know that I've been taking art classes at a local museum.

We are having a Student Art Show in October...

I've been working on a piece.

I finally completed it!

Yay for me!

I'll try to post pictures after I frame it...

You should come and see it and all the other awesome work of my fellow students.

I noticed that some of the women seem to come to the classes as a type of "Social Painting"...

I may have coined a phrase here...

but they all are wonderful painters (watercolor, acrylic, pastels, etc...)

that come week after week for a bit of encouragement

perhaps a laugh or two (if you're in my class!)

and the fellowship of the group.

You should join us in the next set of classes.

Now, the next topic.

Wyanne.

Have you heard of her?

Seen her awesome work?

I found her on You Tube while looking for videos on mixed media techniques.

What an Awesome Artist!

I love her work...

love the beauty that comes through ...

love, love, love Her Girls...

You should watch some of her videos to see how she creates them...

how they come to life...

There are so many mixed media techniques that she uses that appeal to me.

I want to try them on fabric...

See how I can apply all those great techniques to My Art.

I hope that all of you are excited about creating Art as I am.

The world is full of Everyday Miracles...

Look around you...

open you eyes to the majesty of what's around you.

Allow The Universe to Inspire You.

Kayaking on Keowee River above Lake Hartwell

Sunday my husband and I went on another kayak adventure. This was our third one and each one has been decidedly different.

We went to the Keowee River that feeds into Lake Hartwell. This is about 20-25 minutes from our home in Piedmont, SC. Near the Seneca/Clemson area. We put in at Lawrence Bridge ramp (which was actually closed for boats) (and difficult for kayaks!).

We put in at about 2:30 in the afternoon and were tying the kayak back up at about 8:00pm...a long but awesome day!

We saw three huge turkeys, one with his beard almost dragging the ground.

We saw Blue Herons, King Fishers, and hawks.

We saw tons of other animal tracks...

and felt hundreds of eyes upon us.

We came upon a man and his two children who were digging in the banks, carrying hats full of treasures and very friendly.

They were looking for Indian Artifacts and arrow heads.

And they had found all of these things!

The man told us that the flat land that we were on was once Cherokee Indian Village land...

lived on and farmed by the local Cherokee's.

Being 17% Indian myself, I felt connected to the land...I wondered if my ancestors had walked that very area.

I want to go back there soon, look around some more...

maybe find some artifacts of my own.

I've included some pictures that we took...

notice the ones of the bank with the rocks...

the swirling pattern that the rocks produce is very tranquil...

I wonder how nature transpired to create this beautiful mosaic of rock?

See the tree trunks, dipping their toes into the waters of the river...

some running up the bank...

maybe running from the current...

maybe tiring of the constant lapping of water on their roots...

See on the sandy beach,

life does find a way.

Most of you know that my husband and I rust fabric.

Lois Jarvis (the Queen of Rusting) says that when you start rusting fabric and everyone finds out...

rust just "comes to you".

Well, she's right again...

this is the Universe transpiring to give us rust...

out in the middle

of the Keowee River...

As you can see,

our day was filled with visual treats...

my head was spinning with ideas for elements of fiber art design.

All supplied by Mother Nature.

The drought has really hit our area pretty hard...this section of the river must be down about 15 feet ( per the Army Corp of Engineers ).

Perhaps we will get some fall and winter rains...

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend as much as I did!

Oh, and thanks Jane for the plug!

I think you should get some complimentary rust fabric

for all of your hard work...

I am planning on going to Random Arts one day soon

to play

and

plan new new classes to offer everyone!

Stay tuned for the details everyone...

Live and Bloom in Full Color

I had a GREAT time!

The project was so much fun and I really loved Kristi & Susan's way of teaching. They are such talented women. It easy to see why people keep coming back year after year to the Retreat.

I'll put up some pictures and try to come back later and add comments. Everyone was so nice and so helpful. The project was a lot of fun...several new techniques to learn that I loved.

I also learned new ways to use products that I already had...that's always great!

I'll take pics of my (unfinished) project later and put it online.

I must add that my friend Paula and I had a blast driving my new little car up there!

I just got a convertible Volkswagen and it was PERFECT for a trip up the mountain.

I got home late Saturday (about 8:00pm) and then Sunday my husband and I went kayaking at Lake Jocasse.

I thought I would be worn out after Blowing Rock but getting back home re-energized me!

We kayaked for the better part of the day, about 5 or 6 hours and then picked up a pizza on the way home.

Today I should be cleaning house instead of typing this...so I'd better get at it!

Enjoy the pictures of the 3rd Annual "Believe In Yourself Retreat" from the Creative Spirit team of Kristi Steiner and Susan Edmondson.