I Wish I May, I Wish I Might...

After reading author, Jack Canfield's Law of Attraction, and Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now, I really wanted to make a set of personalized affirmation cards for myself. I have a bunch of other card decks for various things, but I really wanted to make some that I could put my very own wishes, current life lessons and important positive reminders on.

So here's my first card. The front proudly attests to how "I love being in the Now" while the back reminds me that one of the reasons why is because, "every day feels like a Saturday... and every night feels like a Friday!" In other words, I leave the pressures of the day behind me and I don't ruminate about what tomorrow might bring. I have fun in the moment.

Being in the Now is hard work. I've been living in the Past and falsely projecting how the Future will turn out for years. I am just beginning to scratch the surface of the Now, and I'm liking it. And Now I have a happy reminder.

Ahhh...Home Again! and Again, and Again!

Nope, I didn't go anywhere. But I did score 7 of these nifty puzzle boxes at a yard sale on the way to the beach this weekend! I even think it was the same people's yard sale where I got this other house last year!

Pretty in Pink...

So here's the project I was working on last night. It's a round canvas I'm collaging for the Belmar Arts Council's "Round Table" contest. Create a 24" circular acrylic painting, from which twelve will be chosen to be made into round tabletops for a little café area the Council is planning. Although here's the funny/not-so-funny part...

I looked up the contest on their site today and it says, "The subject of your piece is open but the medium must be ACRYLIC"! Uh-oh. I used paper and some other objects in mine already. What to do? Well, I have an e-mail into the BAC asking about collage and dimensionality... so, we'll see. But, I think I'm just going to have to go with my style and what I planned... even if I don't get picked because of it.

I gotta be me!

Can't Stop Me Now

Ooooohhhhh! I'm finally feeling creative, and playing around on a canvas project. Having too much fun to stop... So I'll post a picture tomorrow.

Nighty night.

Magic Shoes

Sometimes I wish I had some magic shoes... to take me away...

Have You Ever Seen Such A Sight?

How very odd. This is our resident bunny, that hangs out and makes special appearances weekly at my workplace, Ranger Industries. Today, it looks like he decided to do a little yoga. In fact, he's extending his lil' ol' back foot so far it looks like a chicken leg! I've never seen such a sight. Toes all spread out and everything. What a funny bunny.

Photo courtesy of Debbie Tlach.

You Scream, I Scream, We All Scream...

For a soft vanilla cone, with rainbow sprinkles! Actually, mine was a hot fudge sundae with Mocha Chip ice cream, whipped cream and a cherry on top. Mmmmm, mmmm.

When you live in a tiny little shore town like Ocean Grove, it's pretty much mandatory that you go out for ice cream at least once a week. Our favorite place is Day's Ice Cream, with lots of home-made flavors and friendly service.

That's my wonderful husband and best friend, Joseph... in case you were wondering.

Curiouser and curiouser...

Isn't it strange how the summer clothes you put away for the season are just a bit more snug each year when you take them out? Oh well, you know what that means...

Time to buy bigger clothes!

P.S. That's my handsome Romeo kit kat.

Balancing Act

Most of the time it seems that life is a balancing act... work, friends, play, husband, family, laundry, art... and there never seems to be enough time for all of it. If anyone out there has a clue, I'd love some new ideas!

I Tried Something Different Today...

Okay, so usually I struggle for what I am going to blog every evening. I had so much to say today that I just could not choose. So instead, I blindly chose a photo from my digital archives and said, "whatever it is, I'm going to write about it!"

So here are some treasures I found at the Art & Soul Vendor Night this past May. Boy, do I love Yesterday's Trash!

An Alaskan Wonderland

Our vacation began in Seattle, Washington. My husband's cousin, Joey lives there and gave us a grand tour of the area including the famous Pike Place Market. Then it was up to the "Capitol Hill" area for dinner and a jazz band at Julia's On Broadway. Seattle has so many old buildings and signs, too. Good for kitschy picture taking!

Then it was off to Holland America Line's Oosterdam to set sail for Alaska. Our first stop was Juneau, where we took a historic tour of the town, and a trip to a local salmon hatchery. We also got to visit the Mendenhall Glacier close up and personal. It's pretty amazing how blue the ice looks, and how it's actually made up of little tiny puzzle pieces of compressed ice. Excellent for putting in your cocktail!
Afterwards, we walked around town, soaking in the local sights, sounds and a meal of fresh Halibut fish & chips. And no stop to Juneau is complete without a tasty beverage at the Red Dog Saloon.

Next day it was on to Yakutat Bay (a.k.a. Glacier Bay) and a romp through the icy waters near Hubbard Glacier. We actually got to see some pieces of the glacier falling into the water. The Indians were right when they described the sound it makes as thunder. We also saw harbor seals everywhere. Just lounging around on little pieces of ice. That was one of my favorite things.
On to Sitka, the tiny Russian village where Alaska was signed over to the Americans. Here we took a walking tour of the town, lead by the very knowledgeable "Wolf" (yes, that was his name). We visited the Russian Church, local historic buildings, and learned much about the struggle over the land. Then we went through a rainforest (yes, rainforest!) and ended up at the Alaska Raptor Center. If you've never been to a raptor center, I highly recommend it... they take in injured birds of prey and nurse them back to health to set them free again. If they cannot fend for themselves, they get to stay, eat well and teach humans about themselves. There is just something so amazing about seeing a Bald Eagle right in front of you!

Our last stop was the Salmon capitol of the world, Ketchikan. It turned out to be an amazingly rainy day, so it was a bit hard to get around. But we did manage see a few local sights and get a couple of last minute souvenirs.

Our "real" last stop was supposed to be Victoria, British Columbia, Canada... but alas, Mother Nature did not agree. Thirty-five mile an hour winds made it impossible for our ship to dock, and so we just anchored out and admired the city from afar.

All-in-all an amazing trip.

BackFrom the Alaskan Big Country...

What a different vacation Alaska is. You really get a friendly reminder about how grand nature can be and how people can live so simply, just to be near it.

And of course I thought, "oh yeah, I'll post a whole bunch of photos the day after I get back... and blog about the whole trip!" Then reality set in. Joseph and I instead went out and had one final vacation dinner at the BrickWall in Asbury Park. And what a nice relaxing one it was. Champagne with baked macaroni & cheese. Does it get any better than that?

Too busy relaxing now... I need it... I'll post more pictures and stories from our adventure... check back tomorrow...

Off to Alaska & Our Vacation Cruise

It's finally here. Our yearly vacation, just my Joseph and I. This year we're going on an Alaskan cruise, all the way up through Canada and back. We'll be visiting tiny shore towns, touring the bay of glaciers, and enjoying some local animal-watching as some of our shipboard activities. I am so ready to see the BIG country and more than ready to be on vacation.

Check back on June 16th for details and photos of our awesome trip!

photo courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Lines

School is Back in Session!

If there is anything I love more than scouring flea markets, yard sales and antique stores for the perfect item... it's finding them for free in someone else's trash!

So lookie what treasure I found in a neighbor's trash pile as I pulled up in front of the house after work. This magnificent vintage school desk, complete with pencil holder and names scratched into the surface by some bored student. I think it would make a marvelous soldering station.

Things Are Progressing Very Nicely...

I've been working on my 4x4 canvasses and learning about my style of doing things in the process! Always a cool thing. Originally, I was trying to work on one or two at a time, but that was progressing a little too slow for my tastes. So I thought, "Hey, I need to look at all of the canvasses all of the time." One piece might not be good for one canvas, but might be good for another. With all of them laid out, I could get more done in one session.

A "Real" Memorial Day Weekend Find...

I found these dog tags at the flea market this past (real Memorial Day) weekend, which struck me as very appropriate. They belonged to a William L. Hewes, and of course when I got home... I had to look him up. And I found him!

It seems the government had put up a database of soldiers names who served in World War II. I looked him up by his full name and serial number and found out the following information: He was from Delaware County, Pennsylvania; he enlisted on November 14th, 1941; and he was a Private. Pretty interesting.

If anyone out there knows this person, I'd love to hear from you.

I Heart Giant Flea Markets!!!

Saturday's Giant Flea Market in Ocean Grove was amazing as usual. I got tons of jewelry findings, two German-English and English-German translation dictionaries, some old television bulbs, cool vintage bottles and tins, swizzle sticks with pink elephants on them (how appropriate), a couple of chandelier crystals, and other odds and ends.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature put a stop to the fun around 1pm, with a downpour that really snuck up on us all. But...tis the season for flea markets, and the next Giant Flea Market in Ocean Grove is the Saturday after Labor Day. Maybe I'll see you there!