Somehow I misplaced my creativity. My ability to play with art. Or maybe the sun melted it out of me. Regardless of how it happened, it is long gone now. Even my doodling feels too controlled and contrived. I can admit it now. It used to be the heat that kept me out of my art room but now it is fear. Fear of the blank page. Fear that I've lost it for good. Fear that I couldn't produce anything if I tried. Fear that I'll always feel this way. Thankfully, the door is still unlocked but ...

I actually tried to spend some time in my art room this past week but didn't get through more than a little superficial cleaning. We're in the middle of a 100 degree plus heat wave and it's still way too hot indoors. I'm determined to enjoy these last six weeks or so of summer but I have to admit that I'll be thrilled to get back into my art room and back into the swing of freer art making! Slinging paint and paper and fabric with wild abandon--I've almost forgotten what it is like ...

When I started my doodling notebook, I was coloring in all my designs. It was the color that I loved most. But the more I do them, the more I fall in love with the line.

And there's something about the black and white. But I still can't decide which I like best. 

What do you think? Color or black and white?

I've been told that when one moves to a new area, the transition to a new home, climate, landscape, etc. can last not a few weeks or months but a whole year as each new season brings its own transitional period fresh and new. I'm wondering what I did with my life before we had this porch to waste the days upon. I truly can't remember.

I vaguely remember spending lots of time on the Internet writing my own and looking at other artist blogs.

The other day I walked through my art room and stopped to ...

These Summer days are longer, but there doesn't seem to be much time for blogging. Lingering dinners with old friends, a new Bible study and new friends being made, slow walks through the neighborhood mentally cataloging my favorite houses, books that require many hours in the shade of the porch, finishing one blanket and beginning the next--so many good ways to spend the longer days!

What have you been up to so far this Summer?

A bowl of yarn is my food morning, noon and night. Day after...

...day after...

...day. My blanket is wrapping up faster than I imagined and I've already got my eye on the next project with some silky bamboo yarn waiting for me in the wings. As I work stitch after stitch I imagine how it might feel sitting on the front porch of our new house. For fun, I searched for 'patios' on Flickr. I pretend I'm in each of these places, trying them on like a new summer sun dress. It's like a mini-vacation without ...

My porch has been invaded. Seems I'm not the only one loath to be indoors these days.

It's a wonder I accomplish anything at all. Oh, yeah. Maybe that's why I don't seem to finish much. Except for a new pair of scrappy flip flops from one of Alisa Burke's fabulous tutorials and the last things that will probably see my sewing machine dusted off until September. I sewed mine together a little differently (because of sheer laziness) but the effect is the same.

There are a few new doodles in my notebook. Nothing is ...

With dishes piled up to the sky; the kitchen table buried in books, papers and electric cords; and the laundry not so bad but getting there, I find myself abandoning it all for the comfort of the front porch. A bag full of color and weavy goodness keeps me company should the kids wander a little farther down the street on their scooters giving me a brief moment of quiet. (Oh, please, let them wander just a little more!) These days its much cooler to be outside than inside. And way too hot to turn on the oven or stove ...

~ A few more journal pages filled and a few more left to go.

~ A few more doodles drawn and a few more left uncolored.

~ A few more houses walked through and a very special one chosen.

~ A few more files transferred and a few kinks still to be worked out of the new computer.

~ And next up: A few sunny Southern Colorado days to enjoy with friends and family and maybe even a few hours to work on some new projects.

Hope you have a great weekend and I'll see you next week with a few more!

I'm getting deliriously close to finishing my remains of the day journal. It will be the first journal I've ever filled completely before abandoning and moving on. I've been working on finishing up some pages I started months ago but never got back to. Most of them I'm not absolutely in love with but they are meaningful enough to me to finish recording or working through. And it feels great to have them done, like I'm actually accomplishing something for a change.

My favorite thing about this type of journal is all the ephemera and ...

Tiny little setback here as we await the inevitable death of our beloved computer. Despite having 2 external drives, I am frantically trying to salvage the last few remains of my hard drive before it breathes its last. I can hear the awful death rattle already and I have to hold my breath, cross my fingers, speak a fevered prayer, and hop up and down on one foot each time I start it up. Thankfully, I've been able to rescue all the photos I uploaded in the last few weeks and I'm working now on the mind numbingly ...

Thankfully, life has slowed down just a tiny bit but I still haven't been able to make much time for art lately. As usual, it's always on my mind and I have plans--big plans--but am still lacking something in the motivation department. The last thing I really want to do is get started on a big project and end up having only a few minutes here and there to actually work on it. 

I haven't mentioned it here but we moved to Colorado with our close friends to start a church. I really hate using that phrase ...

~Painted papers that need to be finished and ironed flat.

~Garlands for Maisey's bedroom that need to be assembled and hung.

~Jewelry for myself and friends waiting to be worn.

~Journal pages in progress.

~Markers and my new Moleskine doodling notebook.

And I haven't even mentioned my two new sewing books. If it's possible to have way too many projects going at once, I do.  

Have I mentioned how much I love living in Pueblo? Another day I'll really sell her to you but for now I'll just say that one of my favorite things about living here is that we're only 30 minutes away from the mountains! The glorious, awe inspiring mountains. I can still hardly believe it's true. Tuesday was Soren's 9th birthday so we took the kids on a little pilgrimage to Bishop Castle. 

(I snagged this photo from the Internet, not sure the source; the rest of the photos are mine.) 

I wanted to to tell ...

By some miracle, I was finally able to upload some pictures to the computer. I don't think we've seen the last of our technical difficulties, but if I can upload pictures at least that means I can get back to blogging--yeah! Hopefully, anyway. So, I thought I would check in here quickly before going to bed and show off some of my new journal pages. I haven't touched my journal in a month or more and I can feel it. I had sort of an emotional breakdown last week but this week seems to be going much ...

We've been having some computer issues that are making life much more difficult right now than it needs to be. On top of that, we've got so much going on each week that I haven't had much art time lately and it's likely to become even more scarce. I did buy some new markers, just for fun, and made a few doodle-type drawings for Maisey's new and improved (too-big-for-her-britches) Big Girl Bedroom that make me smile. Right now, I'm happy with whatever I can get.

I know, these pictures aren't the greatest but ...

I'm seeing things differently through the lens of my new Zumi. Somehow I think it sees to the essence of things, their true nature.

...........................................

The first hint of Spring in Colorado is inspiring me lately. All I can think about (besides houses) are flowers--real tulips! It makes me more grateful for the rain and cold we're having today and tomorrow. I wonder what new colors will burst from the ground next week.

Yep, tomorrow is my, um...37th...?...birthday. I had to think about that one a bit. After 21 they just all kind of run  together. I'm so very excited because 1.) I'm planning on painting all day tomorrow (no school on birthdays!), 2.) I already spent a  fabulous weekend in Colorado Springs with dear friends from out of town, 3.) I have the best family in the world who bought me just what I wanted for my birthday: the Zumi Digital Camera 2.0.

Did I mention they surprised me? Well, sort of. I found the receipt a ...

Well, I finally figured out something that will slow down time for me: getting sick. Apparently, when you feel lousy and have no energy to do anything, the hours just creep by. Especially at night. When you are the only one awake. Just trying to breathe.

Thankfully, I'm feeling better already and my voice has returned which was almost completely gone for a surprising 5 days. Sounds like it's the perfect time to show you our second collaborative canvas! Finished a couple of weeks ago. Either that or my recent collection of tissues because that's all I ...

I love living so close to the mountains! We had some good snow a week or so ago so we took a drive to find the perfect place for skimming down the mountainside at warp speed with nothing but a piece of plastic under your butt--otherwise know as sledding. I have to admit, we had a great time and the snowy mountains were absolutely breathtaking.

Back at the house, I had my own kind of snow day fun alone in my art room with a cup of hot coffee and some paint and fabric.

I'm already looking forward to ...

I never planned on staying away so long, but there's something funny about this Mountain Time...it seems so much shorter than the Texas Central Time I'm used to. The days fly by and I haven't been able to find a way to fit in all my daily chores let alone the things I want to do for fun. Add to the kooky time zone that we have no dishwasher so I hand wash at least 2 sinks worth of dishes daily (and I'm getting pretty fast, I have to admit) plus our very old house ...

My brain is all over the place this week. Maybe it's more transitioning. Or maybe it's a fresh start. In a way it feels like I'm fluffing my nest or storing up for Winter. I'm not sure what to call it, but I hope it leads me somewhere good. I'm feeling the need to be more productive, wake up, come alive, get in there and do the things I spend so much time thinking about doing.

Painting on canvas has opened up a whole new world to me. A world I've explored before but ...