a diamond occasion

60 Years! My parents have been married for 60 years...so the 3 Cartwright kids, Veronica, Chris and myself, hopped in the car on Thursday and drove to celebrate the occasion. It was blast. Despite the fact it was dreadfully hot in Las Vegas, we were grateful for good air conditioning. We may not have won at Bingo or the slots, but we went to the pub, had tons of laughs and celebrated the event that took place 60 years ago...
My parents are as cute today as they were 60 years ago...and we are grateful that their bond has lasted so many years....without it...we three would not be here...

my shadow self

I got so frustrated yesterday. I was feeling completely defeated by the PDF monster.
Sarah Fishburn and I are creating a Zine...leave it to us to do things outside the box and create a size that only the PDF file Gods can create. So I finally threw my hands up in disgust as my eyes were getting blurred by the enslave of information for cyber wizards. I embrace self teaching myself website codes and designing zines...but this was more than my brain could accept. But back to my frustration... So I decided to go outside and water...and visit my potager garden that has mini green tomatoes growing and doing their ripening thing...how cute are they?

and I checked out all the spring flowering that was taking place...

and I spread a few seeds so my yellow flowers keep blooming...and I heard the birds nesting in my bougainvillea... and I filled up my fountain with water and listened to it for awhile...

...and then... I got totally entranced by my shadow...

(what was I a Peter Pan reincarnate?)...

so I shut off the hose, grabbed my trusty digital and shot away.

I was so enamored with the shadow playing on the greenery I even went to the front of the house to see what my shadow would do there.
I must say the sun totally put my id in a different space.

My shadow looked so tall I felt I could conquer anything...

So when you get down and frustrated...go watch your shadow...you may find as I did...shadowy thoughts can be totally entertaining.

To live will be an awfully big adventure!
Sir James Berrie, author of Peter Pan

PS. FYI my brother Chris (computer wiz) came to my rescue and life is good...

the unruly artist...

I have dubbed myself the unruly artist! I flip flop back and forth between life's real moments and my realm. I have been making lots of art lately...but mostly for publication so I don't feel I can post it here...yet. So here are some short and sweet textured pages I made for a small journal, as my blog was in desperate need of some art.
The weather has been fantastic on the west coast, but I have not had much time to venture outside. Trying to mark off this long list of things to get done which is as long as my arm...with deadlines to observe. I did get out last week to go to the theater to see the movie "Mr. Brooks". I really loved it...it was so c r e e p y...it made me jump out of my seat several times...ok, so it's not for everyone...but I loved Kevin Costner in it. I love when an actor gets to be an actor and plays a role against their type. (Also known as type casting - a true frustration in the world of show biz.) Dane Cook's career I have followed since he first began. He's a funny guy...makes me laugh...though not in this movie. Good job Dane!


In my art I'm working on hiding things...within the layers, peeling away, submerging myself..I'm gearing up for my exhibit in September which will be here before I know it. I can't help but find myself piling life on...like a well worn jacket. Life is short...and I love keeping busy.

I'm trying to get a jump on things so I can fly out of town for a couple of days next week for a much needed break...see how unruly I am?...

gotta fly...

I can hear you now...

a pretty funny flashback...

a long weekend

So it was anniversary time again...and I came across this picture my Dad took of me in my wedding dress a week before the wedding...What's so strange is it seems like only yesterday...Life goes SO quickly...

I have been very busy these last weeks...I got the lasers for my second book "Mixed Emulsions" and it is intense work going over it. This one is scheduled for release in November...but first there is "In This House" which will be out the beginning of July. I am putting together a book signing on the night of my photography exhibit at A Studio Gallery on September 9th. Several of the artists that collaborated in the book have agreed to come to LA and attend the signing. That should be a blast. So between a few articles I'm writing and art I'm creating for Stampington & Co magazines, working on my exhibit in September, working on a commission, and finishing up some art projects...and having the dining room painted...it's awesome! My desk looks crazy...and I am taking each day as it comes...trying to get as much done as I can.

I didn't mention it when the finale of "24" came about...it didn't have the cliffhanger the year before had...but I suspect they don't really know what they are going to do at this point. I'm not sure everyone liked this day as much as some of the earlier days...it was complicated...but being the fan my whole family is of the show...we would set ourselves down every Monday to weave through the hours of our hero Jack Bauer...
Now we have to wait till January again for our next dose of Jack.

I am already hooked on "So You Think You Can Dance"...I just love watching good dancing. So I suspect I will be following that show every week. Who is watching "The Lot"?

Gotta go...stuff to do. Will post pics of my dining room if you want to see it when it gets finished.
Have a good long weekend...

do you believe in magic???

Want a quick fix to capture your imagination? My brother just sent this link along to me and it's worth a look...I've been around magic in my life...but this guy is amazing... criss angel or if you really want to freak out your mind click here

I also wanted to let you know about the Yahoo Group that Sarah, Susie and I have started based around our book "In This House" that will be hitting the shelves July 1st. .. If you are interested in home, altered art, creating art or just lurking around art...you might find it interesting.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/inthishouse
What have i been up to? I've been enjoying the spring weather, creating art, working hard and believing in the magic....

mom's rock!

milestones

Today my issue of "Somerset Life" arrived. I have an article I wrote in it called "Milestone Decantors". This was one of my favorite projects to create. I made it for my son Jesse when he turned 21. I filled a decantor with messages his family and friends had written for him for his special day. He loved it...and I thought...this idea could be made for any special occasion...to let your loved one know they have people in their lives that really care about them.

Jesse's friends emailed me wonderful pearls of wisdom, poems, memories and photographs, and I created a little scroll for each persons message and placed them in the bottle.
There were so many that touched our hearts...but this one in particular was a moving snippet of wisdom that we all can take with us throughout our journey.

"We may never know exactly how we affect others, but we do. Sometimes a kind word or gesture, or a simple smile, or even a tear can make all the difference in someone's life. And when you step back and look at all those little things, you'll begin to see clearly that they all add up to one big thing...and that will be your life."

To see the article larger on my website CLICK HERE.
The whole magazine is just beautiful filled with simple things that can make your life more inspired.








To order the magazine from Stampington & Company click here.

the good , the beautiful and the ugly...

sketch ac

The GOOD...

My Mum celebrates her birthday family style...

left to right top row: Jesse, Dakots, Becca, Steve, Veronica
bottom row: Aunt Mary, Chris, me, Mum Dad and Richy

and Veronica celebrates her birthday in a devilish manner...

My friend Tiffini Elektra X has finally posted her long awaited website...You have to visit...she has some lovely items. Tiffini is the spirited sprite that makes the bottlecap jewelry of my photographs that are available at the Pasticcio Bazaar on my website...I'm so happy to be able to turn you on to her fantastic items available at her own store. It's a good thing...

The BEAUTIFUL...


A gal pal visit to beautiful the 2007 pick of the Pasadena Showcase House of Design...the Boddy House at Descanso Gardens...This house is near and dear to me because I had two exhibits of my photography here in August of 2002 and 2003. The gardens are one of my favorite places on earth because they are so very beautiful, peaceful and enchanting.
Publisher E. Manchester Boddy bought the land where the gardens and house are today and called it Rancho del Descanso loosely translated as the Ranch of Rest. In the early 1950's Boddy closed his newspaper and delved into creating a botanical haven on his 160 acres. The 22 room mansion was completed in 1938 at a cost of approximately $140,000 and became the site of frequent and lavish parties.
The house has long been in need of a face lift, so I was thrilled to hear it was to be the showcase house this year. The designers did a lovely job capturing the mood of the house and highlighting the details.






















How lovely to wake up every morning to a cup of coffee overlooking the vast oak tree forest...walking every day through the paths lined with camillias, or wandering down to the Rosearium which covers 3 acres and holds over 3,000 types of roses... sigh...
Speaking of gardens...my potager garden has yielded a lovely strawberry...big enough for a Barbie doll to dip in chocolate and enjoy....still waiting for other sightings of edibles...
It's a beautiful thing...

the UGLY...
You might recall if you read my blog, that I had a tree branch go through the windshield of my car 5 weeks ago... Well...it has taken 5 weeks for me to get my car back...and yesterday when I picked it up I was delighted and grateful beyond belief...
Later that night I headed out to dinner with my buds and pulled up to the valet. I go inside and get a booth and 3 minutes later my friends come in and ask if I got my car back...
and I say...Yeah! Finally...!
and Carol says "I was afraid of that...the valet guy in the parking lot just backed your car into a pole..."
and I thought she was kidding...
"We watched the whole thing..." said Maureen...and sure enough it was true...my little car had been backed into a pole...and will have to go away again to get fixed...
Go figure...
It was just about then I was ready for a cosmopolitan in the glass I had seen earlier that day at the Gardens...

open house

Come on in for a look inside

'IN THIS HOUSE'

to be released July 2007

sketch-iness

Meet the girls...I call them "Uneven Sisters...









This is my latest muse...sketching...














I've always wanted to sketch...














Give my Dad a pencil and he could sketch anything...











It was so cool...











I've been taking my sketchbook and graphite pencils
everywhere...










and I sketch whenever I can...








So that's what I've been up to lately...
hanging out with the girls...