collage | Carpe Diem Creative

Hi! It’s good to get back to blogging after a little summer break! So much to catch up on. Took baby Ramsay on a two-city tour of Tucson, Arizona and Columbus, Georgia to see family. It was so much fun to watch him with his grandparents, and so good to get hugs and feel taken care of.

Too many random thoughts for any cohesive writing lately, so here’s a summary of things I am grateful for lately through photos:

The ritual of making tea with loose tea leaves

How baking makes the house smell good. (And the deliciousness of devouring Madeleines).

Quiet time in the evenings to read, and to collage some “mail art” and create with molding paste, which is a fun, new medium I’m learning about.

Discovering what interests my son: especially the color yellow, and shoes in general.

Surprises and beauty in nature, architecture, and daily life:

Hope your summer is going well, and there are many amazing moments in each day.

Welcome Book and mask I decorated to take with me

Welcome Book and mask I was sent to decorate before arrival

I attended the 2013 Virginia Beach Art and Soul Retreat this week. It was a fantastic experience, however,”retreat,” (synonymous with “relaxing” in my mind), may have been a misnomer in my case, as these were intense days of art classes. Great instructors, lots of notes, and oodles of new techniques. Great environment to be around so many talented and inspiring creatives, and to commit so much time to art.

Course Names and Postcard

Day 1: Catherine Anderson, photographer. Love, love her teaching style and techniques. This was my favorite day! We made journals centered around the theme “Secret Lives of Trees.” Learned to make image transfers and alter photographs:

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Day 2: Misty Mawn, painter and mixed-media artist. Amazing to watch how well and quickly she captures an image by sketching with charcoal- a little intimidating. Wow! We collaged onto a wood panel. Never used this surface before- great to work on.