Category Archives: Exercise

Back to the Art!

Good evening!

My youngest sister, Trina, has gone back home *SNIFF*, so life is returning back to normal around here, at least for a few days!!

I decided to come straight home this evening and get back to do some serious creating!!

You can’t be an artist if you don’t take the time to create!

One of the biggest mental blocks that I have been struggling with is that I have a tendency to really judge my creations rather harshly, which I would NEVER do if it were a friend of mine creating them. So, I have decided that I am going to create a piece and just put it out into the universe so that it doesn’t matter what I think of it, good or bad!! The point is to get the art expressed, to get it out there and move on, and in doing so, learn, try some more and get better!

I have been doing some art for the past week or so, and I have decided that today would be the day that I would share it with you – AKA, the Universe!!! 😉 If you would like to comment on any of them, that is fine, but please be kind, I am just learning, and experimenting!!

Like Coco Chanel once said, “I don’t care what you think about me, I hardly ever think about you!” AND although, NOT my sentiments exactly, I understand what she was trying to say! This is the thing that I have to remind myself about my inner critic. I don’t care what you say, it is not worth listening to anyway!

So back to the art:

Here is a sketch I did while I was sitting in the car with all of the windows down, listening to the ocean waves crashing on the beach! That was a GREAT moment!!

Here is the picture of what I was actually looking at!

Here is a mini collage, that helped get me unstuck creatively! It is only about 4 inches by 6 inches – THAT, I felt, I COULD commit to!! This took me less than 20 minutes, but I really like it!

This is one of two gel skins that I created a couple of days ago!!

Here is the other gel skin. My only problem now, is that I am not exactly sure how/where to use them!! I may have to create a collage just to feature these skins!! 😉

Here is an experiment on wood that I have been working on! It was gorgeous and then I thought I “messed it up”, but decided to keep moving forward with it anyway! I am really loving how the light plays through all of the blues, greens, silvers on this piece. This may have to become a background for an awesome word, or a fairy or such!! It just seems very dream-like to me.

Wanting to use EVERY opportunity as a possible creative one, I did this little doodle while I was doing my Artist’s Way homework (for week 8, as you can see), but also people watching! So these rough sketches are a mish-mash of all sorts of people I was seeing.

Here is a continuation on one of my very first pieces, and I think that I am very happy with it. It represents a well-used life to me. About all of the people who come and go in and out of your life, and leave impressions behind of themselves – both good and bad! Yes, I think that this one is FINALLY done!

And last but not least, this one is a collage that I have been working on, and finally finished! I think that this is a happy collage, one that reminds me somehow of the sky, wind, movement, and dancing!! I see dancing when I see this one!

Well, at least that is my take on it all! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, they say!! I will continue to create and use my bravery muscles to keep sharing, no matter how dreadful I think something might be – again, not the point is it!!!

I would encourage all of you to get out there, find what you are good at, put your bravery muscles to good work and get your creativity flowing!! I can’t wait to see what you make!!

Until then…

Have a FABULOUS evening!

I Feel Pretty!!

Good evening!

I had such an excellent evening!! I always am soooo JAZZED after belly dancing class!! and guess what????

WE DANCE WITH VEILS TONIGHT!!!! 😉

That made me feel like a bug-a-jillion dollars!!!!!

Who knew that you could actually get toned and fit while twirling, and spinning, and flipping, and making butterfly shapes out of your veil!!!

MUCH

FREAKIN’

FUN!!!!

Seriously, how could I NOT have discovered belly dancing before??? What else could I have been missing out on because I was a big ol’ chicken!?!?!?! Our instructor, Jody, did a full veil dance for us at the end of class, and it was soooo SENSUAL and MESMERIZING!!! You literally couldn’t take your eyes off of her!!

THAT IS WHAT I WANT TO DO!!!!

I aspire to dance like my dance instructor when I grow up!!!

Can you imagine??? I don’t care, if God didn’t want me to dance, he wouldn’t have put a song in my heart, dang-it!!! 😉

I LOVE dancing!! I know that I will be one of those women who will be doing it for THE REST OF HER LIFE!!!

As I go off to bed, and join my dancing dreams in la-la-land, twirling, and smiling like a FABULOUSLY crazy person…

Have a FABULOUS evening!! 😉

Note to Chunky Dunkers: 1 hour down, only 2 more to go!!! I am DETERMINED to keep my weekly commitment!!! 😉 Oh, and plus I have started to track my food again today!! I am very happy to report that I am on target!! WHOO! HOO!! Oh, and did I mention that I passed up a HUGE cookie platter at a work celebration today??? MAMMA IS FEELING GOOD!!! 😉

Calling All Belly Dancers! Or Would Be Belly Dancers!

Good evening!!

I am sorry to be getting to my post so late this evening! In all honesty my sweetie and I have taken it upon ourselves to stay up extra late tonight because it is our FRIDAY night for a FOUR-DAY-WEEKEND!!! WHOO! HOO!!

Anyway, I have had a very FANTASTIC evening! I had my Artist date with myself!! I am a very lucky date, after some shopping at the art boutique, I took myself out to Venti’s for a healthy dinner – YUM! Then I sat and read a magazine,while I enjoyed the cafe’s ambiance, and patiently waited for belly dancing class to start!!

Now, you might be sick of hearing me talk about belly dancing, but I have to tell you!!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!

Tonight, i even got brave enough to ask the instructor, Jody, if I could take pics of the advanced troop doing a dance for us!! and wouldn’t you know it???

SHE SAID YES!!!!!!

AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

OK, so I pulled my camera out, as if I were giddy kid getting a long awaited for present at Christmas and these are a few of the pics that I was able to capture!!

Even in still pictures, don’t they just look great!!! These ladies are the ladies that I want to emulate!! I hope that there will come a day that I will be in this group having a blast and dancing my little heart out!!!

I want to take a quick moment to invite anyone who might be reading this, if you have had any inclination, or any interest no matter how fleeting in giving belly dancing a try – I HIGHLY recommend this class. This class has completely changed my beliefs about what my body can and cannot do! I couldn’t not have had this new found confidence if it weren’t for this dance class!!

Jody is a fantastic instructor, she is extremely patient, and after one of my very first classes, I reported to my husband, that I couldn’t believe I was actually able to do some of the moves because she kind of tricked us into them!!! She breaks them down, and then when you put all the pieces together – a MIRACLE happens – YOU ARE BELLY DANCING!! and the prince is PHENOMENAL, SERIOUSLY!! For 3 months of weekly classes, it cost me less than $10 per class!!! SO ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT!!! If anything, try it for just ONE class!! I am sure you won’t be disappointed!! 😉

Anyway, I am going to ske-daddle off to bed, because it is WAAAAY past my bedtime! but, if you live in the Salem area think about taking this class, maybe you will have the same kind of AMAZING experience that I am having!! Call RJ Dance Studio at (503)363-3341 or go to RJ Dance Studio’s website to get more details!!

Have a FABULOUS evening!!! 😉

A Really Late Post!

Good evening!

I just wanted to make sure that I touched base before I climbed into bed this evening! I am soooo tired!!

I had an hour and a half long belly dancing class tonight by a substitute instructor, and she REALLY kicked our heinies!!! 😉 No, she did a FABULOUS job, but she worked us out from HEAD TO TOE, so I am gonna be ONE SORE MAMMA in the morning!! Scratch that – I AM SORE NOW!!! 😉

This pic is of me striking a pose!! Paula, one of the other students, was very sweet in offering to take my picture, and I just HAD to jump at the chance! I would have taken more pics, but our class of 6 has somehow managed to dwindle down to a class of two. So that is a bummer, but I am still having a blast.

My focus in class has changed from “Let’s see if I can be brave enough to do something scary”, to “Let’s see what else my body will do if I practice!” It seems like a minor change, but it has really made me stop and think about EVERYTHING that I demand of my body, and what I DO and DO NOT do to take care of it! I have to remember that this is my soul’s vehicle, and it will only last so many miles, so I have got to start taking better care of my engine, er…uhm…so to speak!! 😉

I stopped at the grocery store on the way home this evening – I was craving cheerios with a sliced banana for dinner, and I wasn’t sure if we had any of that so, I made the mistake of grocery shopping on an empty stomach. NO, an empty stomach that had just worked out hard for the last hour and a half!!! So, let’s just say I may have gone a little crazy, and bought a little bit of EVERYTHING!!! 😉 The good thing is that after belly dancing class, I am on an adrenaline high, and I ONLY WANT to do or eat things that are healthy, so ALL of my food choices fit that bill!! I am now contemplating doing our weekly grocery shop under those conditions EVERY time I shop!! LOL!!! I wonder what my sweetie would think of that??

NOT TOFU AGAIN!!! 😉
(I really do LOVE that man of mine!!)

On that note, I am taking my happy, but exhausted self to bed!

Have a FABULOUS evening!!! 😉

A Wednesday of Art Class!

My Homemade Business Cards!!

Good evening!

I know tonight is Chunky Dunker’s night, so we can still chat in the comments section after I post – is that alright for everyone?? It so too difficult trying to come up with a health related topic when right now my life is revolving around art and being creative!! 😉 So from now on, Wednesday evenings will be the same kind of posts that I normally post, my life’s journey to creating my dream life, and Chunky Dunker’s will “meet” in the comments section!

On to my day!!!

I spent the day over at The Art Department, in downtown Salem. I was taking an art class being given by Sharon Geraci, who, BY THE WAY, is PHENOMENAL!! She is talented with a capital T!!

Here is part of the class description:

Rev up your collage experience with an expanded repertoire of materials and techniques. Work on wood or canvas as a support, with an assortment of gels, household materials, and alternative methods of attaching objects and materials.

DOESN’T THAT SOUND AWESOME???

There were six of us in class, not including, Sharon. There was Sandra, Marcia, Cheryl, Brigitta, Linda and myself. Everyone besides Sandra and myself had already taken classes from Sharon, so they already knew what to expect!! Here is my workspace:

Each student had an ENTIRE 8 FOOT TABLE TO THEMSELVES, which is a REALLY good thing because collage is a VERY W-I-D-E art form!!!

This class, was a collage techniques class, which was formatted much differently than the kind of collage class I took last Saturday. Not to say that one was better than the other, but to say that they were different. This class was much more educational in feel, with A LOT of demonstration time. After leaving the class you didn’t really walk away with a finished product per se, however you did walk away with a TON of samples, and a very clear and practical understanding on how A LOT of cool techniques worked!

That was VERY EXCITING!! The fact that I now know to do SO MUCH MORE in creating interesting and creative AND ARTISTIC collages!!! 😉

Here are some of the techniques we learned, and some pics from the samples that I had made:

We learned how to make acrylic skins, which is something that can be used to lay over the top of and enhance your collage design:

This one was inspired by the next collage that I am wanting to work on.

I wanted this skin to be a little more earth tone and nature-inspired. This one I actually used mica flakes (the little shimmery things)

This one is clear and is meant for the sole purpose of adding something sparkly to one of my next projects! This one utilizes the mica flakes again, and then who couldn’t use some glitter???

The next technique we learned was the foil technique!

This project was really cool because we got to try out a lot of different kinds of professional grade acrylics, and then we got to try out a heat sealing iron, and iron on foils, that was a lot of fun! I can see how THAT could be VERY ADDICTIVE!!! 😉

The next technique was called, for lack of a better term, TSqeegee Method of decorating paper!!

I just loved the blues and greens that I was able to create in this one, and I think the whites in this just really makes everything else pop!

Here is another blue-centric design (I had Jason on my mind a lot today, and blue is his FAVORITE color!! On this one, Marcia had just shared a technique that she found cool, which was using a painters comb to swirl loops – so I “borrowed” a variation on her technique to come up with this on water color paper! This one is my favorite, and there is NO WAY that I am going to cut or tear this one – I think this one is ready for it’s frame!

Here is another blue sample, using different sized combs – this is the one that I actually use in some of my later samples.

Then we learned a couple of more techniques for making backgrounds, and we got to play with making some of our own:

This one is a yet to be finished board, it is missing something that will tie it all together!! (Do you see any of my papers?)

This piece is a finished piece! I think the embossing really finished this one up for me! I LOVE It!! (Do you see any of my papers in this one??)

W learned SOOOO MUCH in this one day of lessons! WAAAY MORE than I have even itemized out here!! This is an art that I can see has ENDLESS possibilities! and I am JUST SO HAPPY to be able to be a part of it!!!

Thank you, Sharon, and all of my class mates for such a FUN day!!! I look forward to next time!!

Have a FABULOUS evening!!! 😉

A Late Post!

Good evening!

I am sorry this post is getting to you so late! I completely lost track of time this evening!! 😉 I was playing in my craft room with my friend, Cicily! We were both collaging our little hearts out! I can’t wait until we get to do it again!! 🙂 I will have to take a moment sometime tomorrow to take pictures of our newest works in process for you to peruse!! The funny thing is, that we were sitting on completely opposite ends of the room, and our color schemes are almost identical!! TOO FUNNY!!!

Well, I am ready for my class on Wednesday, and because of lack of class space, I am going to have to find some kind of alternative activity for Saturday, since my encaustic class will have to wait until the next round!!! HOWEVER, I picked up all of my supplies this afternoon after work, and I am ECSTATIC!! I truly can not wait!!!

Oh! and I am excited to say that I am going to take a Zumba class next Monday evening! My first Zumba class ever!! I am all about making movement fun, and I have heard nothing but GREAT things about Zumba, especially one of the classes that is offered a few blocks from my place! I will give it a try for one week, and then I will decide if it something that I can commit too!! I will keep you posted!!! 😉

As for me and right now, I am zonked!! It is so far past my bedtime that all I can do right now is tell you G’night…and

Have a FABULOUS evening!!!

A Day of Collage Play!

Good evening!

I have had the most MAGICAL weekend, and it is still only Saturday!! I want to tell you all about my LOVELY evening with my sweetie last night, but I have decided, with his blessing, to save that story for tomorrow!!

You see, today I had a FANTASTIC mixed media collage artist class that I just couldn’t wait to share all about with you! I also know that all of the ladies from the class will be looking for the pics of their art projects too, so I wanted to make sure that I was able to get these up and out there into the universe so that our momentum would not die down!!

You see, I had heard about this class a few weeks ago, which I told you about earlier, but money was tight and I was thinking that I was not going to be able to make it! Well, when the class got closer, I was trying to think of everything and anything that might give me reason not to go!! You see, I was letting my inner critic get the better of me, and I was chickening out!!! Thankfully, my sweetie came to my rescue, told me to go to the class, and next thing I know it is 11 PM the NIGHT BEFORE class, and I am online searching for the Keizer Art Association online and I signed up for today’s Collage Play class!! WHEW!!! 😉

I wasn’t sure what to expect, seeing that I have never done collage before, but on my way to class I was getting more and more excited and couldn’t wait to get started! The class was being taught by Salem artists Linda West and Glenda Goodrich AKA “GG”!! I was the first one at class, like usual, and they were there smiling, and extremely friendly! I was still pretty nervous, as I have a tendency to be in these situations, but they were ABSOLUTELY WELCOMING!!

After every one arrived, they opened the class with GG taking us through a guided meditation, and it definitely set the right tone for the day!! This rang especially true for me, when she told us to tell our little inner critic that they could go find a nice shady place and go take a nap for the day!!!

The whole idea for this class was that we were going to play, and create mixed media collages using decorative and handmade papers, paints, ephemera, ink, all sorts of baubles, trinkets, ribbons, buttons, beads and ANYTHING ELSE WE COULD GET OUR HANDS ON, quite frankly!! 😉 It was as if someone had walked right into my crazy filled to the brim craft room, and told me that I WAS NORMAL!!! 😉

These were some of my supplies! 😉

We had such a GREAT time!! They only rule was, was that there really were no rules except that we had to leave our inner critic at the door!!!

Both Linda and GG demo’ed all sorts of hints, tips, and new techniques!! and all of us ladies had fun ripping, and gluing, and glittering, and laughing as the day seemed to literally FLY by!!! There were 5 students in the class, and both instructors got to make some collages too!! I was ABSOLUTELY IN AWE of the AMAZING talent that was in that room!!

Before the day was over everyone had made all sorts of treasures!! So much so that we could have opened a gallery! We were really all quite thrilled at not only how much we had made, but at how good all of the pieces turned out to be!! There really was some INCREDIBLY talented women in that room!!! 😉

Everyone’s tastes and working styles were so different, but it was agreed by all that everyone that it was fun spending the day creating with other creative spirits!! I know for myself, it was quite the change from crafting by yourself!! There is something absolutely electric in the room, when you are all using your creative energy!! I think it was GG that mentioned that her and Linda have a once a month craft day where they get together and spend the day crafting! I told them that I was going to have to borrow that idea, because I think that if I am wanting someone to craft with their HAS to be SOMEONE out there who would want to craft WITH SOMEONE too???

Here is a Show-and-Tell of everyone’s handiwork!!

This is Maggie and her lovely artwork! She was inspired by some FABULOUS quotes that she had found!

This is Terri and her lovely artwork! She was inspired by this stone that one of her girlfriends had given to her. There is a shape of a tree in it’s markings!

This is Julie and her lovely artwork! She was inspired by her extremely supportive husband!

This is Vickie and her lovely artwork! She was inspired by her recent trip to Hawaii!

This is one of our lovely instructor’s Linda, and she was inspired by the neutral pack of supplies that she had gotten to create this first piece of art, and her second piece was inspired by her niece, who’s birthday is coming up!

This is our other lovely instructor, GG, and her art work was inspired by the nature theme of supplies that she had chosen and the 3D bird that she fell in love with that Linda had created that was also came out of her pack!

Here are my two art pieces. These were inspired by my love of all things red, and some of the great images that I found that I thought represented me and my journey to rediscover my creative self.

This class was such an AMAZING experience! I know I must be saying it over and over again, but it is ABSOLUTELY true!! It was so great to be in a class that was so freeing and open, and to be able to play again as if were all little girls back in kindergarten was pretty special!! I think the thought that summed up the entire day perfectly, which was said by Maggie, was,

“Art isn’t always well behaved!”

What a GREAT quote, and one that I am learning to hang my hat upon!!! Thank you, ladies!! I had such a good time “playing” with you today! I hope that we get the chance again in the near future!!!

Have a FABULOUS evening! 😉

A Night of Private Lessons!

Good evening!

Tonight was my belly dancing class, just in case you have been hiding someplace and hadn’t heard me say it for the umpteenth time!!

BELLY DANCING THURSDAYS!!!

WHOO! HOO!!

Hee! Hee!! Hoo!! Hee! Hee!! Hoo!!

Ok, I have gotten myself back under control!! 😉

Tonight I wanted to share a bunch of pics that I took this morning while I was taking a walk to go into the office. It was very cold here, and foggy, and I thought that the world seemed very ethereal and magical this morning with all of the hazy fog. So, I took some time just finding some shots that I thought were BEAUTIFUL! I would love to hear your thoughts about them!!

Ok, onto my class this evening. When I started this belly dancing class about a month ago, there were 5 of us, then we became 6 for a couple of weeks, last week we dropped to 4, and I am not sure what happened this week, but there were only 2 of us there, and the other lady had to leave early! BUMMER!!

BUT TO MY SURPRISE! I got to have about a 20 minute private lesson with the dance instructor and one of the students from the advanced class! That was really awesome, and that means that I know some dance moves that everyone else doesn’t!! YEAH!!!

HOWEVER!!! There are two moves that I am going to have to really practice on! They are both spinning moves and you do this thing with one of your feet that you do a 180 degree turn, and let me tell you MAMMA IS GONNA HAVETA FIGURE OUT TO SPIN THIS SHIP IN A SPLIT SECOND!!! SHEESH!! Let’s just say it is going to take me some practice, and maybe some slippy socks!!! LOL!! 😉

I can’t say it enough! I truly LOVE this class, I look forward to it all week!! It is exhausting and energizing all at the same time! I am becoming better coordinated, balanced, and graceful, three things I thought could never be associated with me, and through lots of practice, I am getting better, and better, a little every week!!

While I was waiting for the instructor to get there, I was sitting out in the waiting area with a tall, graceful woman, who looked to be in about her 80’s. She was VERY OBVIOUSLY a dancer, with a dancer’s body and a dancer’s posture! So I got to talking to her, asking her questions, like I have a tendency to do, and I found out that she has been dancing since she was 6, she has 4 dance instructors because no one can keep up with her, and she tells me,

“I can’t help it, when my feet hear the music, they just can’t hold still, so I have no other choice but to get up and let them dance!”

She was right, not 5 minutes later, there was a private lesson going on in the next room, and the music started playing. She got up to watch, and before you know it she was dancing all around the waiting room, and down the hall! It was actually quite beautiful and made me smile all the way down to my liver. 😉

I pray that when I am 80 something, I am able to say,

“I can’t help it, when my feet hear the music, they just can’t hold still, so I have no other choice but to get up and let them dance!”

If only we were all so lucky to find a physical activity that gave them this much joy and pleasure!! I am truly blessed!

Have a FABULOUS evening!! 😉

A Challenging Weekly Challenge!

Good evening!

As many of you may already know, I have been following the 12 week program, called The Artist’s Way. I am in week 5, and I have to tell you that doing this program may be ONE OF the BEST things that I have ever done in my adult life to in my quest to bettering myself!! I have been consistent with my Morning Pages, every singly morning, whether I want to do them or not, and I have gone above and beyond on making sure that I get my artist’s dates and weekly questions done EVERY SINGLE WEEK! However, I think that week 5’s challenge is going to be the one that REALLY tests my resolve!!!

This week’s challenge is supposed to help you listen in on what your inner voice is saying by avoiding any and all outside media. So, the challenge for this week is that I am not supposed to read any books, or magazines, watch any television, or movies, or play on the internet.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!

I didn’t realize what a crutch these things have been for me until I tell myself I am not allowed to do any of these things!!! I think I have used a lot of these activities to just “numb out” over things in my life.

How many of you do that?

Is it only me??

Let’s just say, it may be a very long week!!!

I know that every step of the process so far has been, just that, a process, and so far I have learned something new about myself all along the way!! So, for this week’s challenge I thought something that might get me through this challenging week would be to have some activities on hand, so that I don’t have to try and figure out what to do at the last minute – a la “I’m bored” style!! Not that I would really have anyone, but my poor sweetie to whine to about this, but I digress!! 😉

Some optional activities for this week will be:

Writing
Drawing
Painting
Cleaning
Organizing
Kissing
Swimming
Walking
Cooking
Baking
Skipping
Dog walking
Photographing
Miniature golfing
Sculpting
Bowling
Dancing
Stretching
Sleeping
Meditating
Day dreaming
Recycling
Volunteering
Making Love
Twirling
Laughing
Card playing
Any game playing in general
Dressing up
Playing make believe
Making a video
Playing with makeup
Listening to music
Blogging
Decorating
Furniture arranging
Collaging
Nature walking
Yoga
Mani/Pedis

That is a pretty healthy list, and some of these things really excite me to think about being able to do this week!! There will be no need to “Numb out” this week, I can just get out there and

LIVE, LIVE, LIVE my life!!!

You know what Auntie Mame always says,

“Life is a banquet and most poor sons of bitches are starving to death!”

OK, so I realize that is a movie reference, but I didn’t watch it, I am just recalling it, so I think that counts as being compliant!!! LOL! 😉

Have a FABULOUS evening!!! 😉

Finally Getting Back to Swimming!!

Good evening!

My family stopped by today for lunch and swimming!! Instead of completely taking the day off, I thought I would share some of the pics that I took today!!