Spring is in full bloom...

...and it's about time! we've had the most lovely, springy, warm, blossom-and-birds-filled couple of days this week and it's such a welcome relief from the gloomy, rainy days of this very LOOOONG winter. not that i have anything against winter...i love ALL the seasons...but i am a nature-sunshine-outdoorsy-barefoot type person and i can get kind of depressed and unmotivated pretty quick if i'm cooped up for too long.


so me and maya and sureya have been enjoying the sunshine. taking trips to the park, eating drippy popsicles, and hanging out on the front lawn (much like last spring/summer when sureya was first born!) i think it's time to break out the art journal bag-o-fun! i did quite a bit of art journaling this summer out on the lawn while sureya was just a pup. (i blogged about it here.)

sureya sees a sweet treat!

and i've been getting out more in the morning. even though i've had almost ZERO sleep these days, it helps to start the day out and about (keeps my mind off of how tired i am!) then i try to nap in the afternoon with the baby before picking up maya. it helps to get me and sureya out of the house. she's less whiny/needy (i know, she's just a baby, but i swear she's so much happier when we're out and about. much like her mama--she needs to explore and be outdoors and see people and places and have endless adventures!) and i'm less grumpy/sad (bad mama mix!).

gimme the popsicle and no one gets hurt!

big sister shares a little bit of mom's sweet treat!

i've been adding bits and pieces to my "remains of the day" art journal. it's for the online class i'm taking with mary ann moss.


i'm LOVING this class, by the way. and it's PERFECT for moms who have very limited time to work on art or have only those weird times like when the baby is napping or when the whole house is fast asleep at 1 in the morning!


the videos are up for a LONG time and i can watch them as many times as i like. there's a flickr group and when you sign up for the class, you get access to a separate website with the videos and PDF downloads (printable instructions with photos plus fun things to print and add to your pages)


what else...i'm totally into estate sales right now! i've been shopping on etsy for a long time and it can get a little pricey (all those "little" purchases add up!) i keep seeing everyone in blogland find all these cute and curious goods at estate sales for a fraction of the cost so i thought i'd give it a try.


i just went on craigslist and typed in "estate sale" for my area (sf bay area--south bay). i love these little collection of old birthday candles. one of them is marked .27 cents!


it's kind of weird, though, the thought that you are rummaging through someone else's belongings...someone who most likely has recently departed this world. i try to be mindful and respectful as i wander through someone's home.


i try to imagine who they were and what they did from what clues are left behind. and i think that i wouldn't mind people take my belongings once i was gone. as the saying goes, you can't take it with you! i mostly look for vintage supplies that i can use in my artwork and crafty/home decor projects.


i picked up a whole bunch of vintage ric rac today along with vintage sewing patterns, spools of thread, a box of little teeny tiny glass xmas ornaments plus, a very special find: two hand embroidery pieces. these pieces were stuffed into an envelope and found among the sewing patterns. they are made with such love and care and i am so curious about their story. i wonder why they weren't framed and hanging on the wall like they so deserve. i will cherish these and take care of them. i'd like to scan them to use parts in my artwork but the originals will be framed and admired.


OH! i'm off to JOURNALFEST in october!! (i know, it's still months away, but i am so EXCITED!) my mom is flying out to help take care of the baby while i'm gone. she'll be 17 months by then...i wonder how she'll do without me for 4 days! (i wonder how i'll do? i couldn't leave maya for more than a few hours when she was that age. i think it's different with the second child. i'm sure i'll miss her but i think i'll still be able to enjoy myself and my little break!)


i'm registering for classes with roxanne padgett and ingrid dijkers. there were so so many lovely classes to choose from, it was a tough decision! there is still time to register. check it out! journalfest is much like artfest except it's smaller and not as intense. to quote a fellow art sister who was lucky enough to go last year, "if artfest is like espresso, journalfest is a cup of herbal tea." ohhh, i like the sound of that. i could use a nice, relaxing art-filled weekend! :)

ok, that's all for now. can't believe i found the time to do a blog entry! but i did. i guess this kind of counts for my weekly "check in" for the artistic mothers group! i still need to work on the first project: gessoing, painting and stamping my art pages. i think i will do that tonite! :)

mine! all mine! :)