The top photo is from a piece I did in Lynne Perrella's "Frida's Trunk: Lost and Found" class, back in fall 2007. Lynne has always been 1 of my favorite artists. And although I have only taken 2 of her classes, I must have made a positive impression on her because I receive cards and notes from her several times a year. Awhile back, actually 7 years ago this February, I had several hundred rubber stamps that I had collected, compiled, stashed, or were gifted to me over the course of many years. We had a fire that destroyed our entire home and all of our possessions. Miraculously, my large Acey Deucy collection wasn't touched by the fire. After that fire, it was the beginning of us down-sizing our lives. Today, I only have about a dozen of my Acey Deucy stamps - the ones I reach for, time and time again; stamps that I have had for many years. Lynne's work is such an inspiration to me. So, during my recent Christmas break, I made Lynne this travel journal and field kit for her upcoming Frida workshop.

Here is the cover of the field kit. I LOVE the strong, vibrant colors and how they compliment the focal image so well!

Here are the covers of the travel kit, minus the silk ribbon tied around it and the cover of the journal that fits inside the travel kit.

More images of the field kit, exterior, front cover, alongside its interior and the journal that tucks inside the kit.

Another view of the interior of the field kit.

Lastly, a view of the entire exterior field kit. The field kit and journal are both made of canvas - lots of layers of paint went into this project and it was finished off with a simple stitch, all along the entire field kit. The stitching was made with waxed linen thread.

Here are some photos of some of the artwork I created while I was on vacation. I created this travel journal and field kit for Seth Apter, whose blog is called "The Altered Page", http://www.thealteredpage.blogspot.com/. Seth has been 1 of my biggest supporters for awhile now and during the time I was working on my own India journal, I received many compliments on my pages. So of course, it was only fitting that I make Seth an India journal of his own.

One of the things I have learned from reading Seth's blog for the last year is that he is a BIG fan of the color blue. So, in putting together his journal, I tried to incorporate the blue he likes plus the vibrant colors of my own journal that Seth really liked.

Here is a shot of the interiors of the field kit. The hand on the left was made with a rubber stamp. I then painted and added my own touches to make it "gel" with the India theme and the recurring of the hands throughout the journal and field kit covers.

Happy 75th birthday, to Elvis, the "King"! This is a video from my favorite Elvis movie, "Viva Las Vegas". Although the movie might be a little dated, Elvis and Ann Margaret sizzle. . . if there is any doubt why he is still called the "King", just check out this video clip or the movie!

Besides watching movies and music videos, and let's throw in there eating bon-bons (well, actually more like having a cup of hot tea and a couple of oatmeal cookies), I have been cranking out new art like crazy during these last 2 weeks. There are several BIG projects I have completed, but since the recipients have not received them as of yet, and they all read my blog, I will have to refrain from posting any pictures as of yet. However, these pages are the most current in the new journal I am currently working in.

My husband and I watched Fellini's "8 1/2" last night. What an incredible movie! Marcello Mastroianni is perfect as "Guido" ( I am dying to see how Daniel Day Lewis brings his "Guido" to life in "9")! Although I know some of "8 1/2" and have seen bits and pieces of it over the years, last night was the first time I saw the entire movie. At the beginning of my 3 week vacation, I posted on my blog that I wanted to see 3 movies. Those movies are "9", "A Single Man", and "Broken Embraces". Tomorrow begins week 3 of my break, so I need to stop talking about doing it and head to a theater first chance I get! I am running out of time! And on the subject of movies, my husband has challenged me to put together a list of 52 movies to watch this year. I know whatever I come up with, many of those film choices will include classics and foreign, which is my favorite genre. I hope the next movie the 2 of us sit and watch at home is Fellini's "La Dolce Vita". More on that later on...

Although we have just started a new year, I am SO looking forward to February! Yes, in February is my birthday! Yes, in February is my husband's birthday! And yes, in February is our anniversary, on Valentine's Day! But I have been patiently waiting for this for the last few years... the new Sade cd. I found this "tease" about a month ago, on Sade's official website, which I have followed for years. When I first heard this back in early December, I told my husband, "This is what I want for my birthday!" What can I say?! I am such a cheap date! Is it February 8th yet?! Whether you are a Sade fan or not (she has been my favorite female artist since she burst on the scene 25 years ago), if you watch the video below, "Sweetest Taboo", you will see just what an amazing artist Sade is. She is the epitmome of class, beauty, and talent. Timeless. Perfect.

Happy 2010! I will echo what many have said: Thank God 2009 is over! It has been an incredibly busy 2 weeks off. This is a shot of my beautiful niece, Francesca and me @ dinner last night. We had a wonderful New Year's Eve dinner with just the family.

Here is a shot of 1 of the gifts I wrapped. I believe that a gift's presentation should be just as special as the gift inside.

A shot of 1 of the 2 trees I put up this year @ home. Also, I have a small tree in my office @ school.

I bought this pink (yes, pink!) tree right before Thanksgiving. I have always wanted a non-traditional tree to go alongside the more traditional tree that I decorate each year. I wanted this little guy to reflect my culture. That being said, I decorated it with ornaments from various countries from Latin America. I have so many ornaments and each year, I buy 1 for the bigger tree. It seems each of the ornaments I have acquired over the last 30 years has a very special story.

Here are the 2 trees on display together. The smaller, pink tree is on top of a table, in the living room. This year, I decided to put the larger tree in the dining room. This was a great idea since it gave us lots of room to move around!

What makes the holidays SO much fun? The opportunity to spend time with our family and friends. Here are 2 of my good friends, Nicolette and Claudia, with me. My husband and I attended Nicki's "karaoke" party and had a blast. The highlight of the night: Claudia and Alejandro performing Michael Jackson's "PYT". They did a GREAT job!

Speaking of wonderful friends, here is a shot of my friend, Donna and me @ the Huntington Museum, having tea. Although it was less than a week before Christmas, Donna and I managed to have the Huntington tearoom pretty much to ourselves. In fact, the young ladies who were waiting on us were SO comfortable with just us in the room, that they were able to carry on a very personal conversation regarding men and something about "size mattering" ... oh, my! What a fresh breath of air blew into the SUPER proper Huntington that afternoon!

And somewhere in all this craziness and fun that the holidays bring, I have started on a new book. Here are the 1st few pages of this new visual journal.

Lastly, on the page on the left, I used a stencil that I confiscated from a student who had a backpack-full of graffiti supplies ready to use @ school (oh no!). The student was cited by our officers and his stash was scooped up by them. However, I told the student I wanted to keep 1 of his stencils and would use it later for my own artwork. He gave me this 1 which I have added my own touches too. Speaking of work, I am off 1 more week and looking forward to making more art, which is something I have been doing almost every day. Once again, happy new year! May 2010 be a wonderful and magical year for you - go out and make some art!