So....I’m back

 Hey folks.

I’m back after a break from blogging.  I’ve reviewed my plans and priorities and I’m refocused on my art.

I’ve moved my art studio from the top floor of my house to the main floor.  My new studio is on the main floor, in my living room and dining room....very large compared to my little 9 x 10 room.  I haven’t used my living room , not even once, in 2020.  I used my dining room once, New Years Day 2020.  My move is not complete as I’m doing it in stages, trying to organize, purge and work in the new area.  So far I love it

My focus regarding art is to work in my various journals - art, and junk journal, producing and donating  cards, participating in swaps and just making art a priority, rather than an end of day process.

I’ve also committed to participating in the 100 Day Project.  Last year I took on a project that was waaaay too big.  I don’t know what I was thinking!   So this year I’ve chosen a smaller format ...basically I’ve set myself up for success, instead of failure.  What a novel concept!  I completed day 1 and it’s posted below for your enjoyment .

taking a time out

Folks

I've decided to step away from my vlog and focus more on my mixed media and social media endeavors.  Truth be told, this vlog tends to get neglected and only updated sporadically.  The original plan was to use this vlog to showcase my art, not to really share any personal stuff. At that time, I wasn't on Instagram.  I have now switched over and find that Instagram allows me to do the art sharing without the personal stuff.    

It has been a chore to try to keep it interesting for you..... so I've decided to take a time out.  I may re-ignite this vlog at a later date .....or not.  Time will tell.

If you would like to see my art on a more regular basis, please join me over on

Instagram: @sandraproulx1500. 

 I usually post over there a minimum of a couple of times per week, sometimes more often.  

As well you can see me on FB:   https://www.facebook.com/sandy.proulx.52



Caio!

Life in the time of the Virus

Well, life certainly goes on, although it can bring some challenges!  I haven't been outside my house since I came home a week ago.  We needed groceries and tried to order on line but there was a several week wait for delivery soooooo.....my daughter went out and bought groceries.  A neighbour made a comment to her about us supposed to be in quarantine.   Yes I'm well aware of that!!!  However I don't see anyone  buying groceries for us so what are we supposed to do???

Anyway, its all good.  I'm not doing much of anything, just relaxing and getting lots of sleep.  I guess it could be worse.  I plan to do a bunch of crafting next week, have some cleanup to do, plan to read some books.  I plan to stay self isolated long after the 14 days because I think this virus is here for awhile longer than they think.

That's it for now!

The Virus

I’m heading back to a Vancouver early due to virus related flight cancellations. My daughter is scheduled to leave on Saturday the 21st and I was to stay until April 1st.  However WestJet has pulled the plug on international and trans-border flights starting Monday the 23rd so I need to get out of Dodge!

I’m so lucky that K saw the announcement as soon as it came out.  She was able to get me a seat on her flight out Saturday so we’ll be travelling home together.  I heaved a sigh of relief when the Prime Minister said the border would be open for returning citizens.  I have to admit that I didn’t see the WestJet thing coming though!  Disappointing to be leaving early, but understandable. In any case, the weather has been unseasonably cold and things are grinding to a halt down here in Palm Springs.  Our golf course closed today for a minimum of 2 weeks,  restaurants are mostly doing takeout only and most of the snowbirds are scrambling to get flights home.  It could be worse....we’re both healthy and we were  able to change my arrangements so it’s all good!

Assuming this pandemic is over by the fall, we’ll be back again in September.

Caio!

Still cool

Weather here on Palm Springs has been unseasonably cool.  Sunny Friday and Saturday but cool breezes and some clouds. Too cool and windy to lay in the pool so just spent the day hanging out in Jamie’s. Nice today but for some reason the poo. Had shut off again so couldn’t swim.  Frustrating but they came over and had it up and running in no time.  I think it keeps blowing the circuit and shutting downtowns power surge!?!  Anyway it was a little too breezy to swim....in high 60’s to very low 70’s so sat out in the sun and read instead. Also chilled in the hot tub.

The new barbecue is great.  We had strip loin that I marnaged for 48 hours, asparagus with bernais sauce, baked potato and fried mushrooms and, of course, wine.  As good a meal as you’d get any restaurant.  Compliments to my daughter, the chef!

I played in your collage/junk journal today.  I got my first, layer down and will work on it again tomorrow after we golf.  I used a recycled, coil bound planner,  which I would not use again.....pages rip too easily at the binding, but live and learn. My next junk journal will be handmade.

That’s it for now....

Rainy weather

We’re rusticating in the wilds of beautiful Palm Springs and thoroughly enjoying ourselves. We’ve played golf a couple of times, and while my score has been bad,  I’ve had a great time.  Weather here has not been all that great since we got here.  I spent several days lounging in the pool and then the cool weather and rain moved in so I haven’t been able to get into the pool for a couple of days.  As well, the bad weather Tuesday night, into Wednesday morning, caused a massive power surge which shut the pool down.  Then today there has been lots of thunder, lightning and rain so, understandably, no repairs today.   I’m hoping that this storm will dissipate the bad weather they say is coming and bring us back the sun and heat.  Keeping my fingers crossed!

I’m not bored, just chomping at the bit to get some more pool time.  I brought lots of art supplies with me, as well as my recycled collage/junk journal and my mixed media journal.  I had to run out to Joanne’s yesterday because I ran out of glue stick and forgot scissors and liquid glue......well, actually I don’t think I forgot them.  I know I had stamps and glue and scissors etc packed but I think I took that bag out of my suitcase so I could get something and didn’t put it back in my case. DUH! However since we’re not in Siberia a simple trip to Joanne’s solved the problem.   Joanne’s didn’t have a great selection of stamps but their papers were on sale so I scored a nice selection for my collage.

Well enough rambling for today.   Caio!

Snow, snow, snow

Here on the coast in the lower mainland of British Columbia we get very little snow.  Higher elevations, meaning the ski resorts, benefit but here at lower elevations, any snow we get does not stay very long.  I thought we would move smoothly into spring as our winter, while having some cold days, has been absent snow.  Not anymore.

A cold front moved in about 5 days ago and dumped a couple of centimetes on us.  The snow was very wet, more like a slush, so it only stayed one day and then was gone.  The next night, however, we got more snow and it has been snowing off and on, mostly at night, for a couple of days.  The dump was at least 8 inches and it's very cold here, in the neighbourhood of -8 C, so the snow has stayed.  Reminds me of when  I lived in Ottawa and we got lots of snow.   Since I'm retired, it's not a big deal, however I know that commuters are having a tough time....so many accidents!

I finished my Christmas mail art cards and managed to get them out before the due date, very unusual for me, so I'm pleased to have that off my plate.  My next projects are to complete some swap cards and send them out before I go south in March, catch up on a couple of on-line courses, work in my journal and clean up my studio which is such a mess!

Must run.....Caio!

Into the New Year

I don't know how anyone else feels but I always look at the new year as an opportunity to get a fresh start.  It's sort of like moving into a new apartment or house.  You have all the same "stuff" but you get to look at it with new eyes and evaluate whether you want to keep it or not; you get to decide where you'll put your stuff ie on a different wall or maybe in a different room.  A new year gives you to opportunity to look at things differently and maybe make a few changes.

I've never been one for New Year's resolutions, mainly because I never keep them so what's the point?  I don't know anyone who ever does but then maybe that's just me.  Two years ago I did decide to stop purchasing supplies.  I posted a large note on the blinds in my art studio and it worked.  I have, for the most part used and / or purged what I have and it's helped.  I can actually go into a craft store now and not lose my mind when I see all the new supplies.  Have I closed the purchasing department completely?  No I have not, however, I have cut back by about 75%- 80%. I give myself permission to do some purchasing and when I do shop I'm more mindful of what I have and what I really need (rather than what I merely want) so purchase far less. 

We had a quiet New Year again this year.  Appies on New Years eve and we watch Anderson and Andy on CNN, not something I usually do, however, I enjoyed it this year.  Those two have good chemistry and they're entertaining.  I even stayed awake until after midnight which is unusual for me. 

I hosted my annual New Year's day dinner party for some friends.  We always did that when my husband was alive and I've kept the tradition alive.  I always make prime rib which is too die for, even if I do say so myself.  This year was wonderful and while it's a lot of work, I really do enjoy doing it. 

Happy New Year to you and yours.

Another Christmas gone

I had a lovely, quiet Christmas, as usual, and Santa was very good to us.  With just the two of us, it's always quiet but very enjoyable.  The days of running myself ragged and getting stressed are long over so I do enjoy this time of year very much.  I made about 60 christmas cards, both for myself and for donation, as well as a couple of dozen gift tags.  I really enjoy making cards and tags at this time of year. Every year I say I'm going to make cards/tags throughout the year and then the year gets away from me.  However it just seems to make sense to me to keep making these little treasures since I have all my scraps and christmas embellishments already out.

Craft room looks like a cyclone hit it  - so what else is new?  Now that the Christmas crafting rush is over, I will put in a concerted effort to restore some semblance of order to my little corner of paradise.

I went to Michaels today to pick up a couple of sketch pads for my daughter.  I had ordered them online for Christmas but turns out they were out of stock so I didn't get them.  While there I noticed they had their Christmas paper pads on sale.  The regular price here in Canada for hot buy is $12 and these were on for
$3.99 or something like that.  I do not need more paper, however, the paper packs had really nice paper so I bought 4 so I'm well fixed for next year.  In past years I didn't use a lot of the paper pads but this year I did and found them quite nice and they made card making so much faster.  I still did some really intricate cards but you certainly get a lot of bang for your buck with the paper pads, especially the really nice ones which these were.

Well gotta run.  Hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas and that your New Year is wonderful!

Looking back.....

I find that at this time of year I start to reflect on the past year.  I'm always surprised by what I've accomplished (or not) in the past year!

I had set a tag challenge for myself which I enjoyed immensely. The challenge was to make a tag each and every day of 2019. Had I completed it, it would have resulted in me making 365 tags.  It seemed feasible at the time.  I went great guns for 3 months and then got so far behind that it was impossible to catch up.

This year, sometime around September I think, I signed up for some on-line classes.  They're still a  work in progress.   I was focused on my tag art, just not very productive with my other art.  Summer came and well, some of you will know what it's like.  I had all the best intentions but then my motivation and my mojo take a stroll and don't come back.  I haven't worked in my journals for at least 4 months and that makes me sad. 

So... I'm trying a different self-challenge in 2020.  I'm calling it my "page a week" challenge.  I'm challenging myself to create one journal page each and every week of 2020.  By the end of the year I should have 52 pages completed....nothing to sneeze at!!  I'm also challenging myself to complete the courses that I'm committed to do.  This should dovetail well with my page a week challenge as one of the courses is called 30 Pages.  

I tend to over-commit and then lose interest.   I get overwhelmed and frustrated with myself.  Hopefully these projects are challenging enough to hold my interest but not so challenging that I can't keep up.   I may also make a few tags but they're not part of the 2020 challenge.

And so it goes.....

Caio

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

The weather here on the coast is cold and they're talking about snow here in the Lower Mainland.  The storms I've seen on tv all across the US are brutal....snow in the Grande Canyon for goodness sake.  I don't ever remember that happening before.

I finished and delivered the cards for the hospital.....finally.  By now you would think I would know exactly how long it will take me to create them but it always seems to take far longer.  Not sure why.  Maybe I make it way more difficult/complicated than it needs to be?  Anyway, I was pleased with the finished product and I hope they will do well with them.  Currently in the process of finishing up some gift tags which I hope to deliver on Monday.  They use the tags as a thank you for sales of a specific limit.  Kind of a fun idea and they're easy and fun to make.  I can make a bunch of them in an afternoon without breaking a sweat.

I promised to post some pictures of some of my Christmas cards so far so here goes!

These came together fairly quickly and I'm pleased with all three.  I may mass produce the ornament card as I have 13 to make for a group I'm in and this one would be quick to make.

I picked up the ornament die at Tuesday Morning for $4.99  -  great deal!

Only 8 more Saturdays....

til Christmas.   Now that, is something I did not need to hear!  How is it that 

Christmas comes so fast every year?

I'm in the process of Christmas card making.  I'm doing them assembly line this year which is a way more efficient way to produce a large number of cards.  I'm not sure why I've never done this before  -  I guess it's a bit of a foreign concept for me - however it is a faster and more efficient way of producing.  I find myself drifting back to old habits so I guess it's a bit of a learning process.  So far so good though.

My daughter and I are going over the line for a couple of days next week.  In July the two of us took off to the Skagit Casino in Washington state for a few days.  We had never done anything like that before.  We both enjoyed it and it was nice to just do something different for a change.  She made out like a bandit - she won $1,000 US.  Me?  Not so much !

Well must get back to cardmaking.  Since I'm doing assembly line, my cards are not complete yet, still need some finishing touches and bling.  I'll  post some as soon as they're finished.

Caio!

Creative Pursuits

Fall has arrived on the coast - I really do love this time of year!  It's the time of year when you retreat indoors, for the most part, and enjoy sitting by the fireplace and watching the world go by.

It's also the time that you refocus your creative energy and get back to doing the things you let slide when the weather was hot.  I'm sure most of us have been guilty of slacking off during the summer.

I'm focusing on getting back into the swing of things for my tag challenge.  I know I'm too far behind to catch up and make my goal, however I will continue until the end of the year anyway. I've really enjoyed this challenge even though  I had no real appreciation as to how much time and effort I would need to invest in it.  On the flip side,  while I haven't worked in my journals very much, I do have lots of tags to send out as happy mail.  Looking forward to getting back to my journals though.

I'm also firing up my Christmas supplies in preparation for my Christmas card blitz for the store and the Christmas swaps I enjoy.  I always enjoy making tags and cards for the holiday season and this year is no exception.

Well must run.....Caio

Playing and organizing and organizing and playing

The journey continues.  I do feel that I'm making some headway....I think my organizing will be an ongoing project!

I've been busy making tags for my challenge and I'm playing in a summer art swap, as well which is always fun. I've already created the backgrounds for my summer art, which is a big part of the project, IMHO, so next step will be to decorate and embellish.

Here are a few more of my tags...these little guys are a lot of fun to make!

Gelli Print play

I spent a couple of afternoons last week playing with my gelli plates.  I had forgotten how much fun that is!  I haven't used my plates all  that much - having said that I have a stack of prints from several months ago.  I just seem to have a hard time getting my colours and my stencils in sinc.  It seems if the colour is right then I'm not happy with the stencil results.....and so on and so on,

Anyway, I bought myself 2 sets of the "Petites", which I haven't used yet.  I've decided that my focus will be on making colourful backgrounds - usually one pull or ghost prints - and not worry about the stencil step on the plate.  I'll add the stencil prints either one at time, "the old fashioned way" or embark on gelli plate stencil adventures another time.

I cut my papers to size to cut down on waste.  They\re 5x7, 3 1/2 x 4 1/2 and the tag size I prefer, which is 3 1/2 x 6 1/2 inches.  I also printed a bunch of 8 1/2 by 11 inch card stock and copy paper. I plan to use the card size for card fronts and use the tags for my #tag365 challenge.  Here are a few examples.  I hope you enjoy.

Tags, tags and more tags

Summer seems to have finally hit here on the coast.  The weather has been good but a little cooler than expected but my garden is fabulous.  My flowers and my hanging baskets are happy and healthy and my roses are going crazy.  Since they took down the horse chestnut tree in the back yard last year we get a lot more sun and my flowers are loving it.

I've been kind of lazy of late.  My hip is still bothering me - that's my story and I'm sticking to it.  Between my arthritic knees and my sore hip, I move around a lot slower these days.  I worked in the front garden for a little while this afternoon.  It was crying for attention and really overgrown.  I'm surprised the neighbors didn't complain!

The purge and cleanup of art supplies and organizing my studio is ongoing......I see no end in sight :)  It's quite amazing all the little "treasures" I'm finding that I forgot I had!

I'm also working on my journals.  I did one flip video over on my YouTube channel and I'm close to finishing another journal so will upload a flip video when the journal is complete.

#Tag365 is going well and I'm really enjoying it.  Using up some supplies and playing with my paint is very relaxing. Here are a couple of my tags.

"Arting" and such

My self-challenge - #tag365 - is going great and I'm really enjoying it.  I am behind but I expected that so no worries there.  Trying to get back on track with my journals as well.  It seems that while I can get caught up on one front, I fall behind on another.  Guess I need to spend less time playing on the computer and watching YouTube videos and more time on my art. 

You can find some new videos over on my YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNYm2V2rWbH-5-Q2Mmulkpw?view_as=subscriber

On my own

My daughter was only here for 3 weeks this time and she left yesterday.  I took her to the airport at 11 am rand have the next 11 days here at the house on my own.

I thought I might be nervous alone in the house at nigh.  Our home is alarmed, which we use all the time.  This house is not alarmed and I din’t really think about that when I mad my plans.  It’s been fine so far and I’m not the least bit nervous by myself.  It’s a very safe community.  We actually had a police officer stop in at the house a couple of nights ago.  We had left the garage door open and he stopped to let us know, so I feel comfortable here.

The weather has greatly improved so I’m just hanging out enjoying the pool.  Paradise.

Two weeks in

My back is finally back to normal, helped I might add, by the hot tub.  It’s wonderful for getting all the kinks out.  We’ve had issues with the pilot light on the pool going out, due to the fierce wind, but my daughter resolved that so it’s all good.

The weather has improved, now in 70’s though still windy. Regardless I am enjoying the pool....chillin’ like a villain!  We also played golf twice this weak.  I wanted tp play 18 but I’m still not strong enough to do the full deal, but that’s ok, I’ve enjoyed getting out in the fresh air and spending time with my daughter.

I brought a ton of supplies with me to do art and have done very little.  Silly really but it is what it is. I have some major catchup to do when I get home.

Safe arrival

Flight was good, though it was almost an hour late leaving Vancouver.  Packed flight but no screaming kids so that was a bonus.  Then we stood in line for almost an hour at the car rental place.  Seemed to be unorganized confusion. People in line to get their rental cars but no ID so they had to go find their significant other to give them their documents.  I mean really...get on the program people!

The weather here has been unseasonably cold - low to high 60’s - it would normally be 80! The locals say it’s been lousy weather for the last 3 months....worst weather in 15 years.  Actually a little too cool for the pool, with a strong cold wind.

We had planned to golf on the Tuesday and Thursday after we arrived.  The cool weather is perfect for golf as long as it doesn’t rain.  My back was all seized up so we had to wait til Saturday.  We had a lovely day.  We golfed with 2 gentlemen from the Vancouver area.  Nice guys and a lovely afternoon.s