Nanas pick of the week

There is a new blog to inspire and enjoy in the world of mixed media. Collage-Making Directory

is all about things artistic and wonderful. It lists the blogs of artists of all things collage. Other artistic mediums are included as well. Click by and check it out, and definitely be inspired!

Trecking to Concord, Massachusetts.

"Nesting on Main" is my favorite shop in the world. Whenever I am able to travel to Concord it is the first place I go.

I have the best friends. People in the art world are just different from everyday people. They just get it. They don't look at you like you've come unglued when you need to get away for "Mental Health" days and spend a day looking for ways to be inspired.

I love hanging out with my friend Karen. We are definitely kindred spirits. We have found the most wonderful places to renew our creative selves. Last weekend we went to Vallaincourt Art to see Charles Dickens's great, great grandson perform a "Christmas Carol". It was so magical. This weekend it was Concord, Mass to visit Louisa May Alcott's house for a Christmas celebration with the "Alcott" family.

I can just imagine Louisa sitting in the window seat dreaming up her wonderful stories.

This is the school where Louisa's father taught his philosophy.

Every room in the house was witness to their artistic achievement. There are still original paintings and drawings on the walls.

When we left we were greeted by a tiny snowman made by a guest. He fit the mood of the day perfectly.

Christmas Banners 2009

I belong to a wonderful online art group based on the beautiful mixed media books "In This House" and "In This Garden" by the fabulous Sarah Fishburn and Angela Cartwright. I have been involved in many of the art swaps with this group but my favorite has been the Christmas banner swap. This is the second year for this particular swap. I loved the way these came out so much that I had to make a couple to keep for myself. The little angel on the gold banner looks like my mom when she was little. She has since passed on and I love having this to remind me of her at Christmas.

OMG! I Love My Job!

I have been a photographer for the Holden Landmark for seven years. I've just been promoted to photo editor and head photographer. The following photos are of a shoot that I did with Madrush Films. They were shooting a pilot for the History Channel at Alta Vista Farm in Rutland, Mass. I am one lucky girl. I get to do the coolest things and get paid to boot!

The dead gotta eat!

Nana's Pick of the Week



This week I am going to spotlight one of my favorite things. For the past ten months I have been lucky to belong to a wonderful group of creative artists who get together every four weeks or so to learn artful techniques at my favorite place. The class is called "Creativity Bootcamp". We meet in Westford at the fabulous "Ink About It". The classes are taught by the amazing Ursula Smith and the inspiring Karen Provost. It is a combination of creative learning and art therapy. I don't know how I ever lived without it.

These photos are of the tags that I made for our Art Allies swap. Artwork is randomly sent to artists on the list. It's always wonderful receiving artful surprises in your mailbox. It's a lovely way to start the day.

This was made for fellow camper Amisha. It was inspired from a class I took with Tim Holtz.

I've been asked about what I'm working on in the first photo in this blog. I was sanding embossed metal to bring out the aluminum for the covers for a book I am working on. This was also from a Tim Holtz class.

This last photo is of me and one of our bootcamp commanders Karen. Thanks to Karen and Ursula for forcing me to let go and embrace the inner "weirdo".

This morning was all about art. My granddaughter had to make a scarecrow to help decorate her classroom. So I pulled out some supplies and we went to work. It was so much fun making art with my daughter and granddaughter.

Welcome to my new blog! My lovely friend Karen has helped me create a blog about my adventures in the art world. I have been planning this blog for some time and will be posting about current as well as past art work. I will also be sharing news about some of my favorite artists and websites. So far it's been an amazing journey. I have met so many wonderful new friends who have been instrumental in helping me to reconnect with my true passion. "It's all about art and it's all good".

Metal Embossed Book Cover