The Mystery Girl

Ah...it's Sunday night and another weekend passed without a chance to get into the "studio" and finish any work. My entire afternoon was spent at Lowe's in a desperate search for a toilet and sink and all of the hardware necessary for a bathroom remodel. This is my third trip to Lowe's for this very purpose and still no bathroom purchases.

I've been secretly coveting a RoomBa for some time now - you know...the iRobot vacuum cleaner. I thought I might get it for Christmas, but I knew if I did I would have been pissed that I had actually received a vacuum for a Christmas gift. So...I'm happy to report that we discovered the RoomBa in the toilet aisle. I did end up leaving Lowe's with it since it was more than $100 off. I had to have it. Annie is one shedding machine and this might make my life a little easier. If only they could invent one that remove the dog hair from the couches...

Chris and I spent a good deal of the evening watching the RoomBa clean the floor. I pretty sure I could have manually vacuumed twice in the time we spent watching the RoomBa work its magic. It was worth seeing Annie in such a confused tizzy about the newest gizmo in the house.

The piece above was completed a few months ago. The antique love letter is signed "Yours Truly...The Mystery Girl." I think that "Mystery Girl" is pretty fitting since my friend Roshni was accusing me of "leading a secret life" by not telling anyone about my art. The word is out that I have a blog only to a select few. I guess I'm not so mysterious any longer.

Oh well...

I received a regret email from the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. More than 2,400 artists applied to the show! I had less than a 1% chance of being accepted. It's OK though. I still feel good for trying. I'll continue to apply to shows, but I think I'll stick with more of the mid-level shows.

I stayed home from work today with every intention of organizing and working on a few new pieces. Instead I went to the gym and the bookstore, where I bought another home magazine - shocking! Even better...I got my baby fix by visiting baby Thea and then baby Campbell came to visit me! They are the sweetest and worth a PTO day anytime. I wasn't sure how Annie would react to a baby in the house, but she just wanted to sniff and give kisses.

I have to finish this post because "The Hills" starts in 9 minutes. One of my guiltiest pleasures. I have to see if whatsherface is preggers.

Still nothing

Still no word about the Cherry Creek Art Fair. I've become obsessed with checking my personal email. When nothing pops up in my inbox, I then check Cherry Creeks web site to see if any info has been posted. When nothing has been posted there, I check the online application site. Oy!

I haven't spent much time in my "cinder block studio" since the holidays. It's been very hard to get motivated. I went down to see if anything might inspire me and realized that all of my brushes had dried up. So, I have no new art to upload.

In the meantime, here is a cool picture I took at a Kansas football game this fall.

Still waiting

Artists that are selected for the Cherry Creek Art Festival's Emerging Artist program should be notified on Friday. While I know that there is a slimmer than slim chance that I would ever be selected, I'm still checking my e-mail constantly to see if I've received notification in advance. As if they might let me know before the other 2,000 people that applied to the show.

So...I wait.

Everyone that knows me knows that I have a magazine addiction. I've been trying to wean myself off of subscriptions. For a while I was receiving Lucky, Oprah, Cooking Light, Country Living, ELLE Decor and I could hardly make a trip to the store without picking up US Weekly. It's bad that I spend so much on magazines (which I DO read), but it's worse that I keep them!

Recently we've been thinking about finishing our basement, so it's been a good reason to go through all of the home magazines at least and tear out projects and ideas that I could see using in the basement or in any other future home projects. I feel very proud that I've sent huge stacks of magazines to the recycling bin this week.

Today on my lunchbreak, however, I picked up three more magazines and a Pottery Barn book that focuses on storage and display. $35 later, I have more pages to tear and place into my nifty orange binder of dream home ideas.

One of the magazines I picked up was Martha Stewart's new magazine Blueprint. I've only thumbed through it, but I love it! It's only on it's second issue, but I'm already a fan. Click here for the ideas of how to build a sleek home office. It is exactly the look I'm going for in my basement.

New Year's Resolution

Well, I think this might be the first time I've actually completed my New Year's Resolution. Keep in mind I'm referencing LAST year's resolutions, which was to apply to an art show. I applied to the Cherry Creek Emerging Artist program - which allows new, wannabe art fair artists to apply to the show without having a booth shot. This is a great program because everyone needs to start somewhere. I'm happy to know that there is a program for young-ish artists.

I did finally set up my borrowed tent in the backyard last weekend, so I could apply to the Brookside Art Annual here in Kansas City. I was pretty pleased with the way the booth shot turned out. It was a very windy day though and all of the pieces look crooked. Here is the final look...

Puerto Vallarta

Back from a very short trip to Puerto Vallarta. It was so nice and relaxing. I think I should book a warm, tropical trip once a year just to keep my sanity. Here are some pics...

This is Our Lady of Guadalupe Church next to the Bay. I was on a mission to get Our Lady trinkets for a friend - you now who you are. There was a Spanish service (obviously) taking place while we were there. Little nuns sold little trinkets on tables outside of the door.

The last sunset of 2006. We sat in a bar and sipped on Coronas and Pacificos, while we watched the sun go down.

This is me trying to take some cool, Spanish architectural pictures. This is also a shot from the same bar overlooking the Bay where I took the sunset picture. All I had to do was turn in my chair and I could see the moonrise and sunset at the same time.