Fall in Anchorage, Alaska

September 5th  for Alaskan's means putting up the summer toys and bring out the long winter gear.  Usually for Anchorage by mid-September there is frost on our windows in the mornings and snow on the mountains.  None of this has happen until a few days ago! 

This year I proudly say it has been the most beautiful month for Fall I've ever seen while living 21 years here in Anchorage.

Flowers are still blooming, the leaves of the Birch are golden yellow even though now laying upon the sidewalks and yards in my neighborhood;  many of those golden leaves have just fallen off the limbs within the last couple of days.

Blue Sky

"Blue skies; nothing but blue skies do I see"  a song which pops into this ole fishlips head when thinking of the color blue.

The new color challenge from 3/31 to 4/14 is B L U E. 

Blue eyes, blue crayon, blue birds, feeling blue, blue blanket, blue horizon.  So much blue.  Blue jeans, the Blues - music, Blue Haired Ladies.

I do believe there are some pretty blue fish out in that sea of blue!

                                                  'good bye black/gray & brown Hello Blue'

We had a 4 place setting of navy blue dinnerware. Hardy.

My fine china has blue flowers on the edges of the pure white china. Delicate.

My guys eyes are blue.

He gets blue from the hard knocks of life.

My fingers turn blue when they are cold.

I wear a blue winter coat.

Fun is Blue!  No singing the blues!

Creative Types

Are you a gambler trying new and wild things?  Do you jabber away while creating that next Mona Lisa?  Or are you a silent type whose yearnings can only be read in your eyes? 

I have to admit there are various days that I could be one of the three. 

                  

I’m sure you can add more to the list of ‘creative types’.  I’m just hitting the top of the iceberg for those whose passion is some form of art or crafts!

Many of my friends on Facebook and Twitter are the creative type.  It is so enjoyable to see pictures of their latest creations and even pics of their old stuff.  

Artists across the world seem to encourage each other, tease and taunt each other, plus sometimes even become sponsors for another.  That makes me so glad… in this day and age of so much pain and grief that one sector of life remains constant – art and those who encourage folks to be creative.  

Art is a passion.  You either love it or you don’t.  Once it has its hands around your throat there is no surrendering.

Cling Stamps and Journals

On a never ending quest for things to occupy my desire to be creative can land one in trouble.

A run to Michaels and JoAnn's stores over the quiet weekend lead me to finding several items that captured my imagination.

One of my past times that I find relaxing is making Greeting Cards.  So I purchased a few new stamps sets.  So many new and wonderful type of stamps are available nowdays.  I drool in that aisle.  Thankfully I knew what I wanted and my decisions were fast and furious. 

Plus once I move into the position of Home Alliance Coordinator I'll be able to enrich the lives of Hope Cottages clients with crafts if they are so incline to learn about stamping and making greeting cards!  Or just having fun with scrap booking! A perfect excuse don't you think for my purchase?  I'm sticking to that reason when I explain additional stamping sets to an already overflowing box of them.

I will be making cards for the next several days to keep me busy while my hand heals from the sprain. I plan on utilizing some of my kaleidoscope prints as the background incorporating stamping and other items onto the card.

The stamps set I purchased are vintage inspired along with some 'Steampunk' theme's.  I'm in stamp heaven right now! 

I also plan to use the stamps within my Journals.  A lovely book by Linda Woods and Karen Dinino, titled 'Visual Chronicles' has enlighten my choices for different and amazing options for journals.

Freedom in Art

I've been exploring new filters on my Adobe Photoshop Elements. 

Its a blast being creative - 

a wild abandonment of being safe 
&
uninhibited has flooded my photo folders.

Various filters and layers have been applied...

Frozen in Time

Cycle of Life

Happy Feet

All I can say is this is keeping me happy until summer arrives when flowers are blooming!

Amazing Race

On Sunday night the team of two women won the Amazing Race.  A team I had been rooting for since the beginning of this season's start.  Finally two women beat out all men teams and man/woman teams.  I just about roared out a cheer but I just the the womanly thing and silently clapped my hands and said "YAY!"

Amazing Race has been since the first season one of the handful of programs this household follows. 

Dreams of being a team lurks in my brain. 

Fantasy of winning has been often replayed in my mind.  Except this is a household of two medical problematic folks.  Both heart patients.  And one has had two serious back surgeries and he medically could not do some of the stunts.  Then some of those things; I myself would balk at doing.  But the temptation to apply is always in the background when watching the teams race to the next stop along the race.  I think he would be a great partner to see the world with...I'm sure he thinks I would be an okay partner - I can be a bit of a nag, jump on his case for any reason, and I think things need to be done my way.  Other-words I have an attitude. 

I've never been out of the States.  He traveled once to England.  The cities on Amazing Race are ones I would love to race through.  He would rather do others, ones with more ancient history esp any that have a Roman history surrounding them.  He is an ancient history buff!  I'm just a time traveler to any city on the map of the world.

With a new season starting in January for teams that didn't win any race but became favorite of the viewers I can hardly wait to relax each Sunday night, dreaming of far off places and cheering on my next team to victory!

                                                 My guy racing each day in his own way

Technology Dreaming

Today a contest ends.  The winner receives a brand new Canon Rebel Camera.  Sweet!  I entered the contest; something I rarely do.  

I have a little Samsung 10mp digital pocket model camera that I’ve used for the last two years.  I have dropped it more times than I should admit – so it at times acts up – the back is a tad scratched up from roaming in my camera bag with car keys and other countless items a woman carries when one does not take a purse.   Although most of the accidental drops of camera where from when my bike would toppled over on uneven ground  as I was loading everything back into the small basket on my front handle bars on various bicycle rides visiting gardens around town.

As far as one can tell my photos are not affected by the dropping of the camera.  There are times I need to gently tap the camera to get the lens to move out of the camera body so it is operable or for it to focus.  Not a big deal when one knows about the camera’s slight problems.

When one depends on a camera to create art one has dreams of newer and better cameras to enhance ones work and play load!

Last night out of boredom and wistfulness I visited Ebay.  Technology is a powerful entity.  My mouth was drooling over several specimens in both categories that I was clicking through:  large format printers and cameras as the viewing selections. 

If one has $1,500 to $2,200 lying around an 18mp digital camera by a couple of manufacturers where placed high on my dream list.

For $1,000 more selections were added to my list. 

And several winners I found for the under $500 with 14mp – enough pixels for large format photos up to 30 inches.

The large format printers’ price range was $2,500 to over $6,000.  These printers were more for the professional photographer who was well on their way to recognition and one who has a large studio that one could take in work to help fray cost factors.  Ink and photographic papers are more expenses than the average person realizes.

It is always fun to look at what is available, enticing one to dream and wish.  No one is too old to dream and have wishes. One never knows when the dream fairy can bring a wish to you.

My Handmade Holiday

My Handmade Holiday

As one grows older and more creative the thought of purchasing mass produced items for my loved ones across the various states is not my idea of sharing the spirit of how wonderful I think each of my family and friends are to me and my guy.

My favorite memories of holidays are those which focused on gifts that where handmade and given to me by siblings or children in my family.

Over the years I have sewn my heart out making quilts for all.  Each quilt a treasure to the one on the receiving end.  Some being utilized, while others are stored away brought out only at Christmas.  Others folded and placed in a chest for future generations.

As my eye site has gone from fresh dew youth to a person with bifocals I have changed my perspective and gone back to my first love for gift giving: my photography.  

I’ve only been showing my art in public a short time.  This Christmas one full year will be celebrated as one who can call themselves an artist.  I’ve sold various creations and continue to develop my own style.  

The smiles one see’s from a gift that is handmade is the reason I continue to have each holiday in the spirit as I do.  From deciding on the perfect gift to be given from my stash of art to my various family members; then mailing these precious gifts,  to handmade ornaments adorning my tree,  plus homemade food gifts sitting under the tree awaiting a friends’ arrival.

Sharing a handmade holiday from beginning to end is all I can ask of those who share my life and the journey of handmade.

The one who I hold dearest in my heart will be the focus of our handmade Holidays Greeting Cards this year.  We both enjoy simple lifestyle, we both have almost lost the other due to major medical issues, and sometimes we catch each other on camera.

May I present: My Handmade Guy - 

Wacky Tacky Mondays

Mondays are wacky. 

Period.  

As a person with no real life job other than my art - Mondays are nothing to get excited about. 

Mondays are tacky.

Weekends are nothing more than days making the week longer. 

Days run together.  Weeks have no end.  Months add up to years.

Wacky.

My art is getting wacky but I like that!

Wednesday Count Down

Count down is 3 posts a week.  Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  With a blog one must be loyal to posting.  Then one must find and develop a loyal group of folks who will follow your rantings.  

Yes there are days my nimble lips have much to say.  Then there are days when nothing comes to mind for writing about or for entertainment for viewers; which this is one of those days...mind is sorta blank.

In college - Many many moons ago - the assignments each week in a English Creative Writing course was: 

take 10 minutes each day and just write/type away.  Supposedly creativity will come.  I spent more time correcting spelling errors than writing the first several attempts at this 10 minute slice of brain farts. The assignments did become successful. Thus unlocking hidden talents.

Poetry and short stories are some of the talents that where enhanced.  Also learned that it is not so scary just to let the mind go free and enjoy.

But the most important thing I learned was Spelling Errors are minor imperfections in ones life skills.  

There is a reason our computers have SpellCheck...simply for folks whose spelling at times suck or have poor typing skills. Thus giving our readers words & understanding of what the heck we are typing.

fer migth bea boundyfil when one meats a lyon in a fild

fear might be bountiful when one meets a lion in a field

Color Fall Yellow

Most often by September's end the leaves are gone from the trees in Anchorage.  Its the start of our winter.  This year the weather has been warmer than normal and the leaves are turning beautiful shades of yellow throughout Anchorage.

Reminds one of the fall in St. Louis, Missouri when an old oak tree on a main street where I was raised; this tree would bloom into a golden glow from sunlight filtering over, under and through leaves on branches as thick as my thighs.  The age of the mighty oak had to have been at least two years old.  Massive in size and beauty. 

I need to check with my mother to see if there are any photos of the 'golden globe' in the family photo box she keeps.  A photo of this tree would be a treasure for my memory box.

 Anchorage on Saturday, September 25, 2010

Yesterday

Yesterday.

Words in a song from long ago.  Words I said on the morning of yesterday.

My world is small.  How big is your world.

Yesterday my world got even smaller.  My fishlips almost fell off with the lack of oxygen. 

I woke up to a booty call mass email saying "Oops we sold the venue you have given your all to establish as a great avenue for your customers ". 

This is the site that I've been working hard to display my top quality art for almost two years ~  Sold. 

Needless to say I was overcome with anger.  In my honest opinion it was handled very wrong by those who began the selling site.  In the last few months vendors where mislead and misguided from the CEO Matthew Trifiro.

What a wax job Matt and team. 

You sold your vendors down the river.  In Alaska that's justification to be feed to the Grizzly's.  We don't take kindly to being taken advantage of. This is the last Frontier we are a hardy bunch. Thus making us come out on top of anything thrown our way.

All the vendors at 1000markets where the cream of the crop in the 'Handmade' arena.  Now many are picking up broken hearts, lost dreams and scrambling to find a new home with the crush of Holidays before them for eking out a livelihood.

So I will move on also.  Packing up my art and various items to find a new additional selling venue. 

Thank goodness I am on Cargoh.com  a super fresh upcoming selling venue that is Juried. 

Juried sites keep out the suppliers, resellers, and those items which are not top notch. 

Fortunately online selling venues are popping up everywhere.

Fishlips whistling 'Yesteerdayyyy, oh yesterdayy.' and signing off...

Don't be surprised if this little booty decides to open up a juried online selling venue for other online artist/crafter who hold strong to making it 'Handmade'.