Clearing my head.....

I have had people asking me how we fared through the 

the snowstorm that hit eastern USA..

here, in upstate NY....

we didn't get any snow,

not even one flake!!!

In fact, 

my snowshoes are still in the box!!!

So for now,

I am busy running inside..

It gives me a chance to start my day off 

with a clear head...

I play the music loud!!!

and keep the tv off...

Exercise also helps to combat the potential side effects

 of using my new bread maker...

cinnamon raisin bread is especially delicious!!!

(just sayin')

Another place that helps me clear my head

is my studio ...

which I share with two of my fiber art friends.

It is housed in an old building which was 

a shirt factory once upon a time...

and you know how I looooooove old buildings!!!!

My spot is in the far left corner near the window

that blows and rattles in the wind...

sometimes windows need a bit of duct tape too....

Polka dotted tape, of course!

(I love the sun that shines on my spot)

Sometimes my spot is neat and tidy...

 but

most of the time....

um...

it's not!!!

Over the years,

as my interests have, shall we say, expanded...

I have "collected" many items...

and stuff is stashed everywhere!!!

but

when I am here at the studio...

I forget about my worries, 

my anxieties, 

my problems...

I slap paint around...

swish the water...

cut up fabric...

and just play!!!

NO!!!!!!

oh the weather outside is frightful...

(and my car always reads about 5 degrees warmer!)

but the sun is so delightful...

(in my studio!)

and since I've got no place to go 

(well that isn't exactly true)

I can sew....

(more French knots!)

glue a row...

(Documented Life Project, week 5)

draw to and fro...

 (#28 patterns with Julie)

but..

don't let it snow, don't let it snow!!!

 sigh. }:(

The Hills are Alive with the Sound of..... Mixed Media!

I am a huge fan of The Sound of Music!

And since I live in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains,

you might be able to hear me making a huge mess as I dabble in mixed media!

Now just in case you were worried...

after recently returning from the dead

followed by my temporary freezing to death, 

I am happy to report that I am very much alive!!!

Last year, starting about a month late, 

I joined the Documented Life Project (DLP)

in which I used a Moleskine weekly planner

to attempt as best as I could to furnish evidence or documents

(or just play with mixed media)

that I was indeed living!

(all year long!)

So.... 

in order to once again verify/substantiate/confirm

that I am indeed living (still!),

I am participating in the DLP 2015!

Most of the participants are using 

Dyan Reaveley's Dylusion Journal

and so am I!

This is the cover of my journal...

Inside the cover, 

I taped down two photos...

one of the display of pastels at an art store

and

one of my studio...

Our first challenge was to use book paper 

and our journal prompt was to be our own goal keeper...

  

I listed my goals under the tags.

My 2015 word is Breathe (that should help to sustain my life, right?)

 essentially.... to let go.

Our second challenge was gesso 

Who can live without it?!.... not I!
(Though not really essential to life!)

and our journal prompt was the quote below...

These pages used a variety of mixed media supplies 

including (but not limited to)

gesso, book pages, tissue paper, stencils, spray ink, markers galore, rubber stamps, stamp pad, watercolors, acrylic paints, pencils and washi tape.

The essentials of mixed media that seem to sustain my artful life these days!

Have a great weekend!

Murder and Mayhem in Siberia!

Bet you didn't know that I had moved from upstate NY to Siberia!

Well...

antarctic air has settled in our neck of the woods 

and it is frightfully frigid!!!

Yesterday, taking teen (aka Sugarbaby) to work (at a frozen yogurt shop no less!!!),

the temperature was a balmy...

but surprisingly,

even Siberia can have a pretty sunset!

And by the time said teen was done toiling...

which, by the way, was past my bedtime,

I decided it was best to travel toastily 

in my pajamas, bathrobe, winter coat and boots, of course!

Today wasn't much better...

on the way to the gym before the crack of dawn..

(yes that says -2 F!)

and by afternoon, I was almost sweating at a rousing

8 degrees FAHRENHEIT!!! 

So, when the surroundings begin to glaciate

it is definitely better to be playing inside the igloo!

And that is what I have been doing (mostly).

Sometimes, I like to get comfy on our couch and knit..

The thing is, there seems to be a chesterfield vortex

(not to be confused with the perilous polar vortex!)

as a variety of objects seem to be devoured

into the creases of the said divan...

like this knitting needle I was using to knit my first pair of socks...

As I reached down to clutch the bamboo stick from 

imminent evaporation,

something awful happened!!!!

I killed my stick!!!

 If I had only taken care

to store my sticks in a nice, handmade knitting needle roll!

Like the one that I now have!!!

Of course, nothing goes as planned...

especially when you leave your pins near the edge

and 

you staple the directions in the incorrect order

after they are spewed out of the printer onto the floor!

But now I have a new needle nest!

I did manage to create this week's activity 

for Life Book 2014

even if it spilled over

onto all surfaces!

And that is how one might keep engaged in Irkutsk
if you are going to survive the ice!

(warning: some brain cells may have atrophied in the arctic in the act of authoring this article)