Hey Beth... now what?!

Beth. You mentioned trying certain markers for Ellie. And telling her only "little girls" drew on the wall. Well.... let me tell you... this is no ordinary toddler we are dealing with! I've tried EVERYTHING!! These are chalk markers made just for writing on glass. They are from Aunt Kimie. I went through every scenario of where we could NOT write on. And repeatedly asked her, "Now where CAN we write with these, Ellie?".

I went on to ask her to "watch her baby sister" as she was "little" and would need to have some help writing ONLY on the glas.

Cause, well, Ellie Sue eats that big sister/ babysitter role UP!

And sure enough when I was walking through the house today, I see a nice big fat red ring around the doorknob on the INSIDE of the door. INSIDE my house. Of course, as is her typical response of late, she said Gabbi did it. I know she did not. Gabbi could NOT make a circle around the doorknob!

What I try really hard to teach her is that with all the markers we have in the house, they are to be used on ONE thing.... PAPER!

Her new thing is drawing all over her dolls. or herself! I will say, "Ellie, what is the one place we are supposed to use markers? "

She'll reply, "Paper".

"And Ellie, Is that paper?"

"No". (which SHOULD be" no ma'am)"

"then why are you drawing on it, Ellie?"

"I don't know!"

So, Beth. Now what?! Spanking? Grounding? Total exclusion from markers? ANd believe me, it is also crayons, scissors, glue, etc. I can't really keep her away from them witout locking up my art room, which may be the next step.

And as frustrating as it is, I'll admit there is a part of me which doesn't want to squelch the inner artist that is obviously residing within her!

And Gabbi too, as you can see here.

Thanks, Kimie. They really loved the markers. And actually so did I. It gave them a fun activity that kept them preoccupied for about an hour. Or 15 minutes. Or something like that.

And if you think today's story is the least bit surprising, just wait until tomorrow's post! It involves PAINT!!

Again!

For those of you who are coming to the retreat, we better make it quick, while I still have a house standing!!

Toddlers!!

Mo

Artsy Fartsy

I'll tell ya one thing. The kids in this house get plenty of exposure to art!! As do the kids in this neighborhood! But, hey... it's fun that way. Except when this little artiste' decides to color on her desk, chair, my table, the walls, ...

and to glue the table, and to take the scissors to my first ballet shoes which I have meticulously cared for in anticipation of putting in a shadow box with each of my girls' first ballet shoes, for ohhh.... 39 years! I thought I was going to DIE!

Yep. And those toes shoes she tried on recently... well, they now have neither the elastic strap which goes across the top of your foot nor the ribbons which strap around your ankle. Yessirreee... she cut every single thing that could be cut!

But, she is serious about her art! I took some pictures of her most recent creation, and I gotta tell you, I was way impressed!! She did a heart with wings! For her age, I am amazed at her ability to copy something that she sees. Truly!

And she does not think that kid markers are good enough for her. She only wants to use my "artist grade" markers... the kind you buy one at a time for, like, $6.00 or so. I suppose I should be glad she has good taste. But I am not. I want her to use HER markers! Many of mine are of the permanent nature!

And while we are on art... let's further discuss this retreat we got going in September.

As far as I can tell, I have my first class filled. But I need confirmations that my list is accurate.

So if you see your name on this list and don't really want to come or have had second thoughts, please just email me and let me know... mojoy@att.net.

And if you thought your name should be on the list and is not, let me know that too.

For some of you who inquired, there WILL be more retreats. There will be some which are ENTIRELY painting. Some which are ENTIRELY fabrics. And some which are all things JEWELRY! I took three activities I feel very confident with to do this first one. So... check the list. And let me know if you are coming in September!

Mo

Riley Hammond
Mindy Hollingshead

Cindi White

Kacy Acree

Kim Cook

Susan x 2

Tara

And Shoemake... what's your actual name?!( I searched your blog, but you don't sign it. Sorry)!

If this is correct, email me so I can get some details to you. And so I can find out what you have in mind for a theme for your mini book so I can start storing up goodies specific to your project. This is gonna be a blast! MO

Another talisman. For S.S.

This talisman is for Sharon. Her entire talisman is about love. Love for her Family of Five. Five being a significant number for her. It is about all the people in her life that have become her family and continues to be the light of her life. Those two dangles on the top of the piece represent her daddy and brother who she lost in the span of only two years. With the loss of her brother came a special bond between aunt and a nephew who needed some extra love. Brody is the first of FIVE to be mentioned and represented in this talisman.

About her Family of Five...Years ago, when she was trying to get her nephew, Payne, to call her Sha Sha (short for Sharon), it came out YeaYea. ANd well, it kinda stuck!! And lo and behold, it was discovered that "yea yea" means mother in another culture. Very prophetic, as Sharon was to become mother to so many.

FIVE significant others in fact. Well, four she really "mothered". The other she just derived much strength from... her sister, Toni.

See, Sharon found herself in my boat. Wanting children, but things just not heading that direction. We don't choose our family. They are God's gift to us as we are to them. So. God had other plans for Sharon!

12 years ago, he brought Jessica into her life who she basically become her daughter. Jessica's birthdate is the exact same as the date of the baby who she lost in a miscarriage. It was her sign that this was the way it was meant to be. And now, Jessica has given Sharon a precious granddaughter, Jayci! (number three and four of the "children" represented in the talisman).

Above, Sharon, I included a few greenish stones to represent your love of all things about the ocean. She describes the ocean as her refuge, her peace.

And now that we have Payne, Jessica, Brody, and Jacey covered, thereis only one more. That will round out the five, which are represented by the hearts (5) and the turquoise oblong stones).

Note the cross included. This is to represent her gratefulness to God for providing her a FAMILY after all. She expressed a desire to have a cross on her talisman to remember His blessings on her and to remind her that even when she feels alone, He is with her.

So, lastly, we have a fifth heart to represent her sister, Toni. Toni gives Sharon strength and is very special to her.

So... see how this whole talisman is about LOVE!?

It doesn't matter how we get our families, Sharon. We just need to be grateful and LOVE. So glad you "get" that!! We are blessed!

MO

A talisman.

Hey Shelley... I hope you get to read this. It is a story describing to you what I felt was symbolic of you and and your life and included in this talisman which was commisioned by your friend, Toni! What I really should post is the awesome tribute Toni sent to me regarding your friendship and how special you are to her and to everyone with whom you come in contact!! I just let her words inspire me to create a piece for you she could give you for your 30th birthday.

First, you will note these three green pearls. They are representative of your three decades. Each one has taught you a considerable amount. As you wear this talisman, I hope you reflect on each of your decades and what it has taught you. How each has shaped who you are now and how the future ones will also dictate who you will become. One of the pearls hangs on a heart. That heart represents the love you have for your large circle of friends and the love they share back with you in return. Life is good, isn't it?!

This wing is representative of your daddy, whom I hear you were very close to. I wish he could be around for this important birthday, as you cross oveer into your third decade. Toni let me know how close you were to him, and she felt he should be represented on your necklace.

She also told me that your faith was important to you, so I included a cross and a Bible.

The Bible actually opens, so I put "Storm" in there, as it is her last name. The way it is placed in the Bible means even when you are in the midst of a storm, you are always in God's hands.

I chose these colorful beads to symbolize one, your love of the beach, and two that your favorite color is green.

And lastly, the guitar is for your love of music. I hope you enjoy your talisman. I enjoyed making it! Your friend, Toni, thinks very highly of you! She says you hold a special place in the hearts of every person whose life yours crosses

Canvas. the third phase of the retreat.

Ok, and finally.... the canvas!! I have chosen 16x20 (think small corkboard) to use as our canvases in the retreat. It should be small enough to still fit in a suitcase and large enough to make a statment. I will teach you to use the gloppy medium to make the canvases three dimensional prior to painting them. As for what we'll paint.... wellllll..... you get to decide that!! Just about anything really.

Polka dots, crosses, fleur de lis, heart with wings, or holiday things are my faves. I should have some samples here for you to look more closely at.

I love the idea of something fairly simple... like a pumpkin or a Christmas ornament. This gives us time to work a little on shading and "extras" that can make a canvas unique... you know, like GLITTER!

Or using a spritzy paint and stencils to make your canvas unique.

This was done by my friend who stopped by and was whining, "I can't paint. I have no idea where to begin." well, I'd say she's begun pretty great, wouldn't you!? All things can be learned.

And that's what I intend to prove with my retreat. Sooooo, who's with me!?

It's getting time to sign up. I have one commitment. Cindi! She's already booked her flight.

And when we aren't crafting, we will sit here and drink wine and stare at the beauty that is my backyard!!

We will start signing people up and giving out supplies on Friday, the 16th, at noonish. We will finish up Sunday, the 18th, at noonish. I have a full on agenda that I will post, maybe this weekend. The cost of the event is $300. That includes your two nights lodging, all your meals (except one fieldtrip dinner to a local spot), and all your supplies. You will be going home with at least two pair of earrings, a canvas, and a mini scrapbook. And you will have the knowledge to reproduce these things to make lots of your own Christmas gifts this year!! Wooo Hoooooo!!!

It's time to commit. I can only take the first 8. Either tell me here, inbox me on FB, or email me at mojoy@att.net

Let's do this.

MO

Earrings...our second retreat project.

So phase two of the upcoming retreat will be learning to make these... And by the end of the weekend, you will have the skills to make just about any of these. This is a portion of my personal collection!! I, myself, am a fan of turquoise!

But, there will also be an option for pearls.

And if you have a few sentimental beads, bring them and we can work them into a piece.

Some are more of the whimsical type. These earrings were made on headpins.

And these with the turquoise dangle were made with eyepins.

Headpins....

Headpins!

Headpins and eyepins! By the end of the weekend, you will clearly understand the difference and know how to make just about anything your heart desires.

As most of you know, I make my pilgrimage to Tucson every year to buy more beads than I could ever use. For that reason, I can supply all the beads for the projects at my house. Therefore, the cost is all inclusive.... you'll get two nights' lodging, all your meals (except one dinner so we can get out as a group to see a little of West Monroe... for you out of towners), and all your supplies.

There will be options for making additional goodies, if you are a fast paced worker and feel the need. These can be made into pendants and hung on ribbon, leather cording or chain as well.

Ok, so tomorrow, I dissect the painting to complete the projects for the retreat. Stay tuned.

MO