My LIFE as an ARTIST

Since the girls came along, almost 5 years ago, I have set my passion to create aside. I have turned to crafty things such as scrapbooking to keep me satisfied but overall something has been missing inside me. I dove into my studio classes at Youngstown State University where I was finishing up my masters degree. I finally found my outlet and had my first show this past summer. The title of my show was reflections...

Reflections “Anything that you have, you can lose; anything you are attached to, you can be separated from; anything you love can be taken away from you. Yet, if you really have nothing to lose, you have nothing” Dr. Richard Kalish Loss is a universal experience; it can manifest itself in small intimate ways or on a global scale. Loss can be an opening for growth and renewal or it can have a shattering life altering effect. The occurrence of losing something can have a devastating influence, given the chance that you may never get what was lost back. We all have experienced loss on one level or another and have felt its impact. Through my show, Reflections, I share my memories and emotions of my personal loss, and its impact on me. However, all art is interpretative, and my work is open to numerous interpretations by all who view and spend time with it. I hope to raise questions that relate to all of us and evoke a myriad of feelings in those who view it.

Tea Party Themed Birthday Party

Its been well over a year since I have posted a new blog. Thanks to a new friend, I am motivated to start blogging again. I think I will take you back almost a year to my daughters 4th birthday. She wanted her first friends party! Since most of her friends were girls we decided on a Tea Party. I was so excited and got pretty into it.

I love to shop for vintage and discounted items. My first challenge were the actual tea sets. How in the world can I give a bunch of three and four year olds glass tea cups? So I started to search and I came across adorable plastic vintage tea cups. I found mine at a local second hand store. I payed $60 for a huge set of 26 tea cups, random saucers and some plates. You can find them for sale on ebay. Just search trumpet ware

We played pin the lid on the teapot. I just drew out a teapot and traced the lid over and over.I let my daughter paint each tea lid however she liked. If you aren't advanced in painting you can just do solid colors of tempera paint without the shading. Just outline after in sharpie marker. All of the table cloths were found on clearance. I liked that they were mix and match. Using the small tables I was able to cut them in half and layer them. The more stuff on the tables,the better! Clutter is perfect for a tea party. You can find most of this stuff at a local party store. I made sure that I served real tea. Its a TEA Party!I just found a good tasting decaf to serve. For lunch I made small sandwiches appropriate for kids. Peanut butter and Jelly, Cheese, Tuna Salad and Chicken Salad.