Blog Education

Ok, so me thinks there ought to be a section "blogging for dummies" ! LOL This is all so new to me, and here I am struggling through it, trying to remember to take the few minutes to write a little something... and I have YET to figure out how to make all my posts show up on one page?!?!?!? Half the time they just don't show up at all! LOL And this isn't rocket science! They've made it so easy!! So WHY can't I figure it out??!? HELLOOOOOOOOO ...... MCFLY???? ANYONE out there that can point me in the right direction? Pretty pretty PLEASE?? I would be eternally grateful! :0) Well.... long story short, it's been a LONG 3 months. Ugh. Trying to recouperate from all kinds of weird things... anyway.. up and about a bit now, and trying to just find some normalcy in my life again! Updated my website a bit today, added some new products and pictures, that was fun - and it definitely needed it! Organized my mailing list, and writing a new newsletter to send out next week, so that's good. Visited with some friends, snuggled with my 3 year old daughter, yelled at my 14 year old son, and reminded my 8 year old to brush his teeth umpteen times..... so yep.... life is starting to get back to normal! LOLOL (only other mothers will be able to relate to that, I'm sure! haha) Praising God that He has let me be here to enjoy these simple pleasures, and that He is soooo full of grace!! Wishing I could be hooking and dying, but that will come soon enough, I'm sure. In the meantime I am just thankful to be out of bed and semi mobile!! wwooooooooohoooooooooo!! :0)

Hooked Cat rug

This was one of my favorite rugs to hook. It was kind of a pain because of the process I chose to acheive the affect I was going after. Basically pulling 5-7 loops of one color, cutting and then pulling 3-5 loops of another, cutting, and then 5-7 of yet another.... creating a very varigated background.... all reds.. all different textures and shades of red. Fun!! This is a rather large rug... approx 18" x 60" and it's lays on my antique blanket chest in my living room. .

. Let's see if this actually works! This was one of my latest rugs. If i can get this to work, I will upload the one I am currently working on, and some others! :0) This was made in the "patchy" style, trying to emulate antique rugs, where they made do with what they had on hand. Primitives are my favorite... with folk art running a close second! It's always an internal battle as to which is going to win out! LOL

Passion = Obsession (in everday life)

I think it's important to have hobbies and interests, and things that just make you PASSIONATE in life! Skydiving... skiing... rock skipping... fly fishing... art... whatever! That being said... I think passion is also equivilant to "obsessive"! My father is an incredible water color artist.... art is his "passion".... ie his obsession. Every artist I have ever known has been this way. For some reason we live breath eat sleep our "passion". Doesn't matter where you go... if you are grocery shopping... a painter will see an incredible display of fruit that makes them want to go home and paint a still life.... a sculptor is inspired by the line of the guava fruit.... the doll maker sees the cloves and nuts as eyes for her dolls, the hooker is inspired by the colors and wants to go home and dye gobs of wool to attain those colors so she can "paint" (hook) with them! It's all relative... color, line, and value. It doesn't matter what kind of artist you are - you can and will find beauty and inspiration everywhere you go! Thus the importance of keeping a journal, or a sketchbook. Call it an inspiration book, or call it whatever you want. LOL But this is the place where you should be able to sketch, doodle, write single words, phrases, or whole essays on anything that moves you or inspires you. This is the place that when your "creative juices have done dried up" that you can doodle making absolutely no sense, until the juices start to flow again. This will also become your saving grace when those juices seem to be running thin!! Just cruising through the pages will spark the smallest interest and inspiration and remind your subconcious WHY you love to create! Those little hidden ideas, quirky as they may be, may start the flow of consequential ideas and motivation. I can honestly say that I have been lax in this department. Knowing it and doing it are two different things, don't you think? :0) For years instead of keeping a specified "journal", I have kept piles (literally) of sticky notes and ripped out binder paper, old envelopes, napkins... you name it... whatever happens to be handy at the time of inspiration or a doodling moment!! bahaha!!! So... what I have now, is a lovely folder full of these scraps of papers. Which is a lot less accessible than a journal! I admit it... i have a paper & pen fetish. Office stores turn me on. Art stores with all those pens, pencils, markers, erasers, gorgeous papers.... omg.. yep I'm panting just thinking about it!! LOL I believe sticky notes are the next best thing to chocolate! :0) Thank goodness my husband has the same affliction, or else I fear I would have to sneak sticky notes into the house and hide them! As it is, my wonderful hubby brings me pens and sticky pads, and grid paper instead of flowers! LOLOL!! (you don't hear me complaining!!) Anyway, I digress... (did I mention that Rosanna Rosanna Danna is a long lost relative of mine?) ... Journals... I FINALLY started keeping a notebook for all my ideas and scribbles, business plans, and designing. Well I'm here to tell you that it is AWESOME!!!!! If you haven't made the effort to do this yet... YOU NEED TO!! (yes... if sticky notes are handy i still use those! LOL But they can stick INSIDE of my journal! ) Try keeping a small one in your purse, a composition size one in your car and desk, and one by your bedside. And if you're afraid... start small. Start with just one - but USE IT! You will soon see the need for several others! :0) That's my thought for the day! over and out! Bren :0)