My Next Great Masterpiece!

Ok, so I may not be Picasso or Monet (not even close), but I love to paint.  Of course I haven't done it in a few years but I think I'm ready to tackle my next masterpiece!  I finally have enough room to spread out a large canvas, pile up some paints and brushes, really mess up the place without having to clean it all up when I'm done with a painting session!  I'm ready!

Where to start...  A few years ago I saw a segment on some show (that is no more) about painting floor cloths.  Ok first a little about floor cloths before I continue.  As early as the 1600's early Americans were using painted heavy-coated sailcloth or canvas to decorate their floors, a sort of painted carpet.  They used geometric patterns or free-form designs and some were stenciled like this one:

http://www.earlyamericanfloorcloths.com/?p=3846

 

Ok enough about the history, back to my plan!  So instead of going through the process of binding and priming a piece of canvas for a floor cloth which is a project in itself, this segment I watched showed how to use a remnant piece of vinyl... you know the ugly stuff you see in some kitchens and bathrooms.   I had my first attempt at a painted vinyl floor cloth a few years back and it's been with us through quite a few moves and it still looks good!  They're durable, they protect your floors and, (if you aren't Picasso and would be ashamed to hang a piece of your art on the wall), they can be as simple or elaborate as you want.  A nice piece of your own handy-work under your feet!  Art you can walk on if you will!  Here's a picture of the one I painted, I use it in my kitchen.

So I went out to look for a remnant of vinyl and I found a large roll of a nice plain vinyl, not much pattern which is what you want, for $50 regularly $115!  It was a great value, I can make beaucoup floor cloths from this! 


Now I needed to find out how big I wanted my floor cloth to be so I could cut it to size.  I really needed something on the wood floor in front of the door.  I wanted a small carpet but the door wouldn't allow even the shortest pile carpet to pass over it, but the vinyl turned out to be perfect!

I measured the space and decided on a piece about 25" by 50" would be the perfect size.  Here's the vinyl cut to size.  And what it looks like on the front, I paint the picture on the back.

 Well, that's where I'm at right now.  I've still got more supplies to buy and, (hardest part for me) I've still got to figure out the design.  I'll be showing you the process from beginning to end in later posts.  Just be patient with me, I'll get through the steps when I can.

Hmmmm...  I want to do something with an interesting pattern like this pretty rug pattern I found from anthropologie.  But I also would like something vibrant and graphic kind of like a painting by Frida Kahlo, whom I just love!

I know... a little ambitious!  But that would be a fantastic floor cloth!!  Maybe I'll just stick with good ole early American folk art style (couldn't find a good picture).  But... I guess you'll just have to wait and see what my masterpiece will become!  I hope you'll follow me through the process, it should be fun, (I hope)!


When You've Got Those Rainy Day Blues

This is how my week started...




Hard to tell but it was raining cats and dogs.
 

A typical Pacific Northwest summer rain is coming down, it's grey and dreary and that's the direction my mood ends up going too. 

The house is dark and even the skylights can't lighten the mood in the room.   Nothing feels joyful on a day like this...  Why does the weather seem to affect my mood this way?

  I read an article  on the affects of weather on our mood which basically said it's really all in our head and that "We can and should take proactive steps to strengthen the brain's system against weather-driven mood changes."  They suggested reading a good novel.  Great!  But I'd just finished "Inferno" by Dan Brown which was a really great read and now I have to go through the process of finding another book that can hold my interest.  Not an easy task!

Exercise, which I did but it was like torture getting through, although I did feel better afterward.  How about listening to uplifting music?  On a day like this I tend to like music that follows my mood... something with a slight bit of melancholy.  Like Gilbert O'Sullivan's Alone Again:

 

A little sad, but it's a really great song!

You know...  in my experiences with rainy day blues (and we get ALOT of rainy days here) I found that it's best to just... ride it out.  Go with the melancholy, let it wash over you like the rain.  Look at the rain, go outside and smell it, it's really quite beautiful...

 It makes everything fresh and clean and if you take a deep breath you'll feel it too!  Go inside and if you've found that great novel grab a soft blanket and wrap yourself in it with a nice hot cup of coffee and lose yourself in the story!  Sometimes we have to just take care of ourselves when our mood is low... it's kind of like taking medicine when you have a cold, if you deal with the symptoms you'll find that it's not so hard to ride it out.  And if you just look ahead...

You'll see that the sun is right around the corner!  (Thank you God for that!)

  Have a fantastic week everyone, come rain or shine!!

 

 

 

 

Have a Dreamy Weekend!

I'll leave you this week with a snapshot of one of my dreams.  What do your dreams look like?  I hope they come true for you this very weekend!  Enjoy yourselves!



Greece

Rockin' The House Clean!

It's Thursday and that means it's cleaning day at my house!  What is it about this essential weekly task that by just saying the words "cleaning day" it just sucks the energy right out of you just when you need it the most?  Let's face it, there is no joy in scrubbing, dusting, vaccuming, mopping floors, etc. etc.  So is there any way to infuse a little fun in such mundane work?

Well the only way I know of is grab your ipod shuffle (or whatever device you use), load it up with some great music and just rock out!!

http://www.ucc.org/feed-your-spirit/your-life-better/10-life-lessons-learned-from-housework/

Now it can't just be any music, it has to make you move and it has to be loud!  I mean you have to turn that puppy up so you can feel it in your bones...  just turn it up till it actually startles you!  Yeah, then you're ready!  It's the only thing that gets me through cleaning day.  You'll be moonwalking while you're vacuuming, you'll be singing at the top of your lungs and before you know it the house is spotless and you won't even know why every bone in your body aches and it feels like you just ran a marathon!

So go to your iTunes store and pick out some kickin' music, there's a lot of great stuff out there and you'll be ready to rock your house clean too!  Cause when I clean house.... I do it Gangnam style!!  (sorry Chris!)

Check out one of my favs here! (remember turn it up real loud and OMG!)

The Joys of being a Crafty Nerd

Have you ever woken up in a cold sweat with an idea for a craft project that just won't let you sleep till you can start executing it?  Then you could be a crafty nerd.

Do you ever find yourself at the local craft store salivating at all the new supplies and colorful yarns and buying things you normally wouldn't because you just know there's something fabulous you can make with it someday?  You might be a crafty nerd.

Is there plastic container after plastic container filled with tools and supplies and unfinished projects you plan to get to someday lining the walls of your garage??  You're pretty close to being a full blown crafty nerd.

One more question...

Do you have an Etsy shop????  Yes you have just crossed over, welcome to my world my crafty nerd friends!


http://gigaom.com/2012/02/02/etsy-to-become-an-indie-biz-one-stop-shop/

 

So what is it about creating things with our own two hands that has the world in such a buzz these days?   It seems like everyone is crafting in one way or another...



Yumi... made it for an Etsy contest a few years back... she didn't win.

I think it could be all about ego!

When you can take raw materials and using an idea that comes from your own little brain turn it into something absolutely fabulous..... lets face it.... it feels pretty darn good!

Crocheted beach stones

There's really nothing like the joy and satisfaction I feel when I've completed a project that I am completely happy with... and after that first time...

 You get addicted... It's like crack!!  Craft crack!




Then when you find out that people will actually pay money
for what you create......

Forget about it, you're hooked!!





                                                                      
                                                                                   

 So if you're looking for another source of  joy in your life...

 

 

                                                            


















 I highly recommend you find out what your good at, whether it be crocheting (my craft of choice, if you haven't noticed), or painting or writing.... anything!  Then hone your skills, make something fabulous and look into opening your own Etsy shop.  I've had mine since 2005 and it's been a great ride, a real source of joy in my life!  I'm not the most successful crafter and you don't have to be, you put into it what you want, and it will be a great outlet for your creativity!  Come on!  Join the millions who are in the ranks..... be a nerd.... a crafty nerd!!  (remember, it's like crack!)


Free Joy!!!

It was a beautiful day so I decided to grab my camera and step outside my door....

                    this is what was waiting for me...         

  Sometimes I spend too much time indoors, at my computer, doing chores, or watching TV stressing over the details of the up coming week....

and I forget to step outside....

and just take it all in!

There's so much beauty right outside my door...  and I think we all tend to take for granted that the greatest stress reliever, mood lifter, and for me one of the best sources of joy is the God given gift of nature!  And it's free!  So get out there and breathe it in.......

Sometimes all it takes is a little box...

If I could have that look on my face......  I'd sink my big butt right down in one too!

Name that classic and win!!

A few years ago I was absolutely obsessed with fine art, Renaissance, Medieval, Baroque, Rococo, you name it I couldn't get enough of it!  I found a wonderful website called the "Web Gallery of Art" that has absolutely everything you would want to find on  the subject of historical art!  I would spend hours browsing the collections of artists like Jacques-Louis David, Bartolome' Esteban Murillo, and
Dirck Van Delen to name a few of my favorites!  They are all such treasures and I highly recommend you check out this site if you want to develop a passion for art.  They have many ways to search the site, you can do a comprehensive search or take a guided tour.  You can even listen to a wide array of classical music while perusing!  Here's the link and some fine examples:

 http://www.wga.hu/index1.html

Jacques Louis-David



Bartolome' Estebon Murillo

Dirck Van Delen



A while back I made a few pendant necklaces using images of my favorite paintings and I've been hording them ever since!  Well now you have a chance to win yourself a small piece of art!  Pictured below is one of the pendants I made with, not one, but two classical painting images, one on each side.  The pendant is 1" by 1 1/2" in a little brass frame with a leather cording attached.  The first person to leave a comment with the correct Author and name of each painting below will receive the pendant free!  Here they are, there are two images, of each painting:

 

Here is the link to the Web Gallery of Art, it will help you figure out the answers if you know how to search!  Good luck and I will be waiting for the first correct answer.  If you don't mind I'll need the winners email address so I can get the info for a mailing address to send it.  US residence only please!  Good luck!

 

http://www.wga.hu/index1.html

 

Where to begin...

Boy this is tough.... starting a blog I mean.  Hmmm I guess I should introduce myself first, my name is Camille and I'm no spring chicken anymore (turning 50 next year gasp).  Is that interesting enough for you?  Probably not....  Well how about a visual!




Yes this is me trying to look funny or cute
or anything to look different then what
I see in the mirror everyday.

So what am I here to talk about?  They say when you start a blog you need to have a focus, don't talk too personally if you want to pull in readers, stick with a theme, something you're good at.....  hmmm.  Well my title is a good place to start I guess, (by the way, I found out there's a million other blogs with the title "Joy in the Journey"!  Oh well I'm going for it anyway!).

You may think I'm going to blog about how great my life is, how happy I am and that I'm overflowing with joy!!  Well not quite, because honestly that's not always how I feel.  This blog is going to be about how to find joy when you feel like it's no where to be found.  Am I an expert on the subject?  Not even a little bit!  But I'm bound and determined to seek it out and claim it for myself and by golly your welcome to join me on my journey!!  That's all for now.... stay tuned!



A little Jose James to brighten your day!

I don't know about you people but I could sure use a little "Heaven on the Ground"!  Love, love, love this song.  Hope it puts a little musical joy in your day!

Joy in Escapism!

One of the great joys in life is escaping into a good book.  I've been enjoying Dan Browns' "Inferno".  It's been a good read!  I like it when a book can take you on a wild ride!  Sometimes you just have to take some time off from reality and look through the eyes of a great character like Professor Langdon who always takes you on a great adventure.  Thanks Dan!

Joyful Sunday???

Ok, day two of my Joy Journey blog and it's Sunday...  Normally Sundays for me aren't my favorite day of the week, they're slow and a bit boring and usually a chore day, and you don't get to stay up late cause the work week starts the next day, ugh.  Sooo I got up not feeling particularly "joyful".  I pushed the button to make myself a cup of coffee (essential ingredient to my everyday life!), doled out my various vitamins and pills, grabbed a scone and sat on the couch for breakfast.



http://www.channel5.com/shows/paul-merton-in-europe/episodes

Now another thing bad about Sunday is TV sucks, not helping the doldrums of the day.  I scrolled through the channels and came to "Paul Merton in Europe" and thought I'd check it out.  Never seen this show before.  This particular episode Paul, a rather nondescript British guy, was travelling through Germany.  Sounded ok and I was pleasantly surprised at how funny it was!  He didn't go the normal "tourist" route but went decidedly unconventional in his travelling through the country.  Trying not to go into too much detail, the first place I saw him visit was an old penitentiary re purposed into a hotel where he booked in, not too comfortably I might add.  Another was a spa where you can sit in a jacuzzi.... filled with hot bubbling beer.... while drinking a beer that can be refilled at will from your own personal tap, imagine that!  He also tried bowling where all the people are naked, I mean, showing everything... (nice visual).  Needless to say I got quite the chuckle from that!  The funniest part of the show was his expressions and reactions, it was really hilarious especially with his dry British wit.  I highly recommend this show for a good laugh!

Sooo my Sunday wasn't starting out half bad after all.  Good breakfast, good laugh, and good company I might add (thanks hubby).  I guess it pays to add up the little things that can bring joy to our day!  A scale of 1 to 10 on my joy meter my Sunday started at about 4.5 but ended up a nice.... 8!  Cool!