I'm not knocking Vegas...

We have a lot to offer and more than just strippers and brightly lit machines that take your money... we have canyons and rock formations. We have a community of people who organize and try to build that community..

We don't have a great Art Museum.. (I wont even mention our zoo)

But a great Art Museum.. oh how fantastic that'd be... I am in Dina's Masterful Art Journaling and while I never try to hide that I love Get It Scrapped or support and try to share on my blog all the cool classes that are going there. This isn't a post intended to do that.. it's a pitty party. My very own one man pitty party.

Dina posted the first class and it's on Van Gogh.. and she talks about his painting and how thick and textured it was and the brush strokes he used.. I just love Van Gogh, all of his work from the early to the late. There is something about the colors he chose and the manner in which he painted that speaks to me. I read the first class and was so inspired and full of ideas for art journaling. I am excited to just try something. Even knowing I'll never touch the talent of the Masters I'm ok with that.

I remember the first time I saw a Van Gogh in person. I always enjoyed Starry Night and it was a favorite from Art Appreciation in college and even Art History.. but if this is the only Van Gogh you know, you haven't scratched the surface. It's not meant to be mean, only that there is so much more.

In 1998, my mother died in Septemeber. That Halloween, I decided to head to Washington DC to the home of one of my closest friends. Neala had to work so I headed to the mall (weird name for a stretch of grass isn't it?) and explored on my own. I roamed around and decided to go to the National Gallery of Art. I also was lucky enough to have a kind worker pull me to the side and tell me there was only one ticket left for the Van Gogh's Van Gogh exhibit. Since I was with an infant who was free, she asked if I'd like to buy the last one. I did.. my time was later in the afternoon so I roamed the permanent collection first.. and I came to this piece.



I was amazed at what it looked like in person.. it was so thick and screamed "touch me" even if the guard nearby was screaming "Best Not" I could have sat and looked at that painting for days. I was so much more blown over when I went to the exhibit. I can't believe the colors that Van Gogh used.. even his darkest paintings were rich in color. I will stop before I ramble on for two days about it. I just think if you get the opportunity you should take it. See Van Gogh. I am now in Vegas and we do not have an Art Museum any longer. So that is my pitty party. I have very little chance of roaming a gallery to see the masters.

ps. I think this is fantastic.. click here and you can see the same exhibit I saw back in 1998. Just click on a square in the blueprint below the picture to the right to enter that "room" and then click on the painting in the picture to get a larger view of it.. how cool is that??

http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/gogh/html/nonplug/room10-main.htm

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I really think you should check this out..

Dina's Blog



You can get a free pass to Dina's Art Journaling class!!!

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Do I really want to bite the bullet?

It seems housekeeping and organizing are a never-ending.. nightmare? no.. that's not strong enough.. the bane of my existence fits better.

As I said, I've been following this blog: http://wookiemouse.blogspot.com/
And last week we were to decide if we wanted to "start small or go for broke". I don't feel my scrap stuff is that bad that I need to go for broke but with the new kit club I need to rearrange and since that's the case I have decided to go for broke. I will be starting today at noon. Why noon? Well it's 10:30 now, I need to run out for water and a few groceries then I will grab lunch and begin after lunch.

My goal is to have a space that works FOR me and I can grow into rather than fit now. I tend to organize and then if I get something I have no where to put it because the container where it belongs is full or I've never bought that item before so I have no idea where to put it. Then the item winds up on the desk, where it is soon joined by other things. I will agree this is my greatest flaw.. once one thing goes to the wayside to be dealt with "later" it starts the cliche snowball effect.

In conclusion, I am stating now that I will be Going For Broke with this reorganization. Further, it will involve the entire structure we currently call "home". Tony loves when I do this, he likes moving things around and me purging his stuff. *read with dripping sarcasm*

Don't feel too sorry for Tony though, he may pretend to forget every other thing I tell him.. but when I ask a favor he remembers it. So for months I will get "Remember when I helped you.... do you think you could make cookies tonight?"

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Through the Lens.. Preview Class photos

Katrina posted a preview lesson here
Here are a few photos from the list on the last page.. thought I'd "warm-up" before class starts tomorrow. I can not wait to see how much better they'll be after the class!!

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How to Play Hide & Seek by Keagan

1. giggle when mom starts counting
2. watch big brother run around to hide (keep giggling)
3. when mom says "Ready or Not" freeze and stand really still.. it will not matter if you are in the middle of an open field she can't see you if you aren't moving...
4. when mom makes eye contact.. start giggling again.. then run and show her where your big brother is

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Oodles of Doodles..

Ok this is from the warm up class in Oodles of Doodles at Get it Scrapped..

I can't believe I drew that eye.. Michelle's teaching gene really came out.. I mean it's the first eye that doesn't look like a drug addict's eye LOL

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Going "commando" is not an option...

So someone (me) has been slacking on laundry. This morning poor Zach was without clean underpants.. though in my defense he is prone to changing them more than once a day.. as mornings are Lightening McQueen and if we are watching Thomas the Train movies.. our underwear must match, right? Knowing there were some in the dryer I told him to just put on his pants until the dryer was done. We aren't going anywhere so no big deal right?

Apparently, this to the ears of a three year old translated to asking a scrapper to burn her albums. Yes, it was that big of a reaction. He cried and pleaded for me to find him underwear.. all which was met by my not quite stiffled laughter. (Yes, I realize this probably didn't help.)

I just put shorts on the crying child and told him it'd be ok, it's no big deal just sit and relax for a little bit. He sat on the couch watching some SpongeBob and sniffling. Cut to about an hour later (calmed down, underwear forgotten) he slides off the couch.. upon which his shorts ride *up*..

I am sitting here in the chair and knew before he even said anything what he was thinking about this wedgie issue.. and whose fault it was. The most irritated look crossed his face as he turned to me.. hand yanking the shorts out of backside and very sternly he said "See! It is NOT OK!!!!! I told you I need underwear!"

Oh.. my... I am still crying from laughing so hard.

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Organization Challenge

Organizing is the same as a dating .. I have gone out with a LOT of solutions but have yet to find "the one". So I am trying this Organization Challenge by Stacy (wookiemouse)

Now I just found it so I am behind but not by much and will be caught up by the end of this post ;)

Week 1: Space Audit

What works:

My embellishments, they are in my eye line and easy to access

My kits, in iris cart drawers so everything is together and it's easy to dump it back in the drawer

My photos are stored nicely (those actually developed and put in the storage)

My Alphas on a clip it up

What's OK: (I'm adding my own category)

Stamp blocks and stamps.. too much effort to dig them out but I can't have everything in reach

What doesn't:

My bigger embellishments.. I always need what's in the bottom container or the back one

Pens.. my desk drawer doesn't pull out far enough when I'm sitting there without effort of moving the chair on carpet and the front bins of the drawer aren't big enough for pens

Tools.. must dig as if digging for china

Adhesives.. ATG works fab but glue dots and such thrown in box and box has no 'home'

Clean up.. I don't do it and find putting away a dozen different items in as many containers annoying

Week 2: Brainstorming

So I think I'd like

1. a place to put pens that's not the drawer and I'd rather it not be in a box.. not sure what that leaves. I would like a pen rack so to speak perhaps to put in the open cupboard above (with the three white boxes across the top)
2. a place to put things to not clean up every time a do a layout but rather at the end of a scrapping session
3. a place easily accessible for the adhesives
4. better fit for my larger embellishments

Ok I think I'm caught up and will try to get in there to at the very least keep thinking on my approach

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I wonder..

So you can see my profile photo now.. over there to the right..
wonder if after the Throught the Lens photography class I can get it to look more like this:


I'll have to ask Katrina at the chat tomorrow..

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