Last Week

Here are last week's journal pages in my daily art assignment for this year. It's a space theme. Can you name the song that inspired this? It might be a kinda obscure reference. It is the song I most recently added to my ipod. School is out, but I still have to go back for a bit tomorrow and finish moving into my new art room. The girls helped me all day today and worked really hard getting all my art stuff organized. The girls had soccer tonight and tied the first place team in their league. Their tournament is next week and for fun, I am tie-dying their shirts. I will post pics. Hoping I have some dye left over to do some fabric while I'm at it.

I have so many projects cooking right now!! I had one thing about 80% done - the faux french thing I was working on - and then I REALIZED IT WAS ALL WRONG. So I am starting over. If I am a perfectionist in any way, it is not in execution so much as communication. An artist - or maker, as I prefer to be called - cannot explain her work to everyone who sees it. They will see it and judge and make up their stories and have their own ideas. I want to to particpate as much as possible in that process, so I strive mostly to communicate my ideas as clearly as possible.

I saw Million Dollar Baby the other night. It was good, yet disturbing. There were parts I could not watch.

Honey Pie, Sugar Doll

Darlin' Dear, it's our annyversry! Warsh the truck! Let's go up to the Red Lobster and git us some shrimp. Can we stop at the walmart on the way home? I love you more 'an a speckled hound pup.

Seriously, today is our anniversary. JR and I have been married 18 years today. Marriage might be the ultimate act of optimism. You really don't know who that person will turn into on the way to "til death do us part". You can look at his family and background and take a guess, but there is no way to tell for sure. The best part of the last 18 years has been seeing JR become the man he is today - a perfect father to our two girls, confident and assertive, and

he talks all the time! He used to be so quiet. I hoped on May 20, 1989, that everything would turn out okay, but I had no idea it would be this good.

ooh la la

c'est francais

n'est ce pas?

oui

Faux French is one of my all-time favorite themes!! It's kinda hillbilly/eurotrash. Ma and Pa Kettle go to Paris.

Yee-haw, mon petite!

Here's the stuff I have pulled out for a nontraditional quilt of sorts I am going to make today. Don't worry - it's only a small quilt. This might be my favorite part of anything I make, the gathering of materials and discovering new color, pattern and embellishment combinations. This is all stuff from my studio. I didn't go shopping. That's one of the benefits of hoarding - you can just shop in your own house. The velvet is my great grandma's, the toile was $1 a yard at Walmart, the green tassels were on clearance when they closed the walmart to open the supercenter. I think I have about 4 yards of it. I like the way these pinks and greens are all slightly off and do not match or "go" exactly. The girls have a soccer match at 9:00 and another one at 4:00, so I will have a good chunk of time in the studio in the middle of the day.

I got tagged

I have "e-known" Cheryl Prater since mid- December or so. Very early on in our communication, I expressed to Ms. Prater my dislike of tagging. But did this stop her? No.

So today, she tags me to show how messy my studio is. I just took these photos of my home studio. My work table is pretty much covered right now. I haven't been working out there too much lately because of how hectic our schedules have been with the girls' sports. We are on a bit of a break right now - down to only soccer; track and basketball are over. The kids get out of school next Wednesday and I am done next Thursday. Then I can clear off the table and get down to business. I am currently working out of my giant red tote bag. I almost always have a project with me to stitch or glue while watching whatever sport they are playing. The next photo shows some of my shelves - not too bad, I guess. The last one is a canvas bin of fabric scraps. I hate neatly folded fabric. So uninspiring. I was talking to a lovely mom and daughter at the Chicago thing. They stopped by my table at the virtual studio and, as they looked at my books and stuff, expressed a frustration at not knowing how to get started on mixed media projects. They said they had bought all the stuff and had it all organized neatly in their craft room, but couldn't seem to get going. I said maybe that was the problem - that everything put away all neat and perfect is a good way to stifle creativity. I pulled out a bursting-with-stuff gallon ziploc from my giant red tote and told them to get a ziploc and toss some random junk and scraps in and see what comes out. Like I always say, You gotta break a few eggs if you're gonna bake a cake.

My beloved husband, J.R., does not approve of my mess. My real studio is above his shoe store and whenever he ventures upstairs he fusses at the scraps on the floor. That place needs a good cleaning, too. I HATE the thought of buying plastice tubs to store stuff in - they have no soul. Generally, I don't worry too much about where things are. If I am workin on something and think "now where did I put those gold wings I got from artchix?" and I start looking for them, it is altogether possible that I find something else that will work better, or at least give myself options I hadn't considered. The clutter doesn't bother me in all honesty. I feel a little bad about that. A good artist/wife/mom would not only care about the mess; she would clean it up.

I really want Blake to win American Idol, but I don't think he will. Elliot Yamin got new teeth and let his hair grow out. Dancing with the Stars was fixed to not let Cheryl win again. What do you think of The Fray? We love them. How about Matt Kearney? Have you heard anything after "Nothing Left to Lose" - what a great song.

I get to move into 2 brand new art rooms next week. Two of my schools have been building new digs this year and they are so beautiful. I LOVE LOVE LOVE that my precious students out here in rural Indiana are getting these shiny, gorgeous schools. I am getting SMARTBOARDS in both of my new rooms!! They are the perfect compliment to the current e-curriculum I am using and the kids are so motivated by the technology. Our summer break is 11 weeks this year. One week will be well-spent at Arrowmont, one in the mountains of New Mexico, one taking a class at IU to renew my teaching license. Whit starts high school in the fall, so she will start training with the high school soccer team sometime soon. We can't really plan a vacation until we know what that schedule will be like. There is no place on earth that girl would rather be than on the pitch. She used to be one of the tallest girls in her class, but she has about stopped growing at about 5'5" or so and maybe a hundred and 5 lbs. She plays like she's 5'10" and 150, not afraid of the devil himself. I wish I was that assertive. I want to be her when I grow up.

BLAKE JUST GOT INTO THE FINALS - which prolly means jordin will win, unless he cover maroon 5 again!!

Bird Doodles

Did Billy Ray get kicked off of Dancing With The Stars? Is Ami going to fire Kat? Will Blake survive another cut? WHEN is my Project Runway going to be on again?

I got my hair cut today. Just a trim and reshape. It's the cut Mariska Hargitay has on her milk commercial. She is a recovering short hair girl, too.

We have about 12 days of school left and the kids are getting wound up with the end of the year activities and stuff. This is Teacher Appreciation Week, so we are getting lots of treats at school - Starbucks Gift Card, catered lunches, handmade cards. It's fun. I got the BEST letter from a third grader.

I am starting a slew (5) of new projects. I am making myself finish this bunch of stuff before I make another pair of artjeans. The first of my current projects will be in abird theme. I don't do birds. I feel like I am impersonating an artist who does birds. But I WANT to do birds, so I shall forge ahead with birds. Here are some of the 50 or so bird doodles I have done in the last 2 days.

I think I have recovered from the mini marathon pretty well. It was a totally good experience and I felt SO SO SO blessed to be there - to have the health , the will and the freedom to do it. At the start, I thought about all the women in the world who don't have the freedom to go run a half marathon with their kids and the total support and love of a good husband. My life could not be any better.

I did it!

I finished the Indy 500 Festival Mini Marathon - all 13.1 miles of it!!! This was my first half, and I plan to do it again next year. My girls did GREAT. They ran it in 2 hours and 4 minutes.

I was SO nervous all last week. I was struggling with the idea of it all -questioning what in the world I had done, signing up for this thing and thinking that I had any hope of finishing. It's true that they sold out the Mini this year, 35,000 people signed up and paid to run, but only 29,000 showed up yesterday. I didn't have to do it.

Yes, I did have to do it. I said I would, I paid my money, and I did the training. Most of all, I wanted to set a good example for my girls. If a Crane woman says she is gonna do something, like make art every day or run a half marathon, let's say, YOU CAN TAKE THAT TO THE BANK!

The girls followed the mini with a soccer match, playing almost all 70 minutes. All of us a sore today, but getting by. My only regret is that I was so nervous for the first 5 miles, I couldn't really enjoy myself. Next year, I'll know better.

I see the footage on t.v and I cannot believe I was actually part of that sea of humanity. I went to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time and stopped for a second on the yard of bricks. Danica Patrick was there when the girls were. They saw her. She was cheering her sister on. One lap is 2.5 miles - that's 10 times more than the 1/4 mile track I do laps on in town!

I knew I had it at 9 miles. I never felt sick or like I wanted to quit. The biggest trouble I had was a blister on the ball of each foot. I could feel them squishing with every step. But I finished.

Try something you're not good at - in public, in a big crowd. It's not embarrassing. It's liberating.

The jeans are done!

Here is the left front leg, the back of the rigt leg and the lower part of the front view. That gorgeous fabric on the sides is Anna Maria Bohemian. If I finish the Mini Marathon Saturday I am rewarding myself with a few yards of her new Chocolate Lollipop.

Julaine tagged me - okay 7 wierd things about myself

1. I will be 40 next month and my youngest sister is 20. We have the same parents.

2. My mom and dad got married when they were 17 and 18.

3. My last name was Crane before I got married - no we are not related.

4. Mark Kistler of the PBS tv show The Imagination Station is my friend

5. The right side of my face is the product of reconstructive surgery due to a car accident

6. I still have dial up

7. I have never been to Europe

I know I am sposed to tag 7 others..but I am too tired right now!

The Art Teacher

It says:

Those who can

Do

Those who can't

stand the the thought of a world without creativity

TEACH ART

Can you name all the colors in a 12-part color wheel?

Goodbye Peyton, Hello Brady

Every morning, while JR are getting ready for work and school we watch Mike and Mike on ESPN2. The running gag for the last few weeks has been Mike Golick's fascination with Brady Quinn, the Notre Dame QB in the NFL draft this year. I do not follow college football, so I don't know anything about Brady Quinn. Yesterday was the draft. We were at a basketball tournament in Jeffersonville, IN. We had a long break between games, so we went out to lunch. One on the parents had recommended Cheddar's, so that's where we went. We were seated facing a big tv tuned to the NFL Draft. At one point I looked up at the screen and saw an object d'art. I said WHO is that. It was Brady Quinn. Peyt, ol'buddy, it's been fun, but I'm leavin' ya for the Browns. The Colts picked some WR from Ohio State.

I am SO glad basketball is almost over. Whit's team has advanced to State, so she will have at least one more weekend. Mother's day weekend. The Indy 500 Mini is next Saturday. I am a nervous wreck. I never saw myself doing anything like this. I am an artist, not an athlete.

This the lower right leg of my artjeanz. I told Whitley I wanted them to whisper "art teacher". She said she could see the "art teacher", but wasn't sure about the whispering.

Love/Hate

Today, somebody told me that we only have 18 days of school left. I didn't believe it, but then I counted, and she was right! I love having the summers off, but I hate the way the art room starts to look empty this time of year. All the big projects are done, the art show is over and kids are finishing up their last projects of the year. It means saying goodbye to another group of fifth graders and sending them off to middle school. I will be moving into two brand new art rooms when school starts back in the fall, so that means I have a lot packing to do and a lot of throwing away.

I worked on the jeanz a bit tonight and cut threads. I have a feeling Whit and Court won't be too crazy about these crazy jeanz. Sorry, girls, your mother is art teacher about to turn 40. Hang on!!

Distraction

I have been working on these jeans instead of the stuff I really need to work on, y'know, the stuff with deadlines. I can't help myself. Ever since the Quilt Show (yes, I'm still beating that drum) and seeing the jeanz made and worn by the Artgirlz, I have been on a mission to make my own pair. I cut these old jeans right up the side to make it easier to machine stitch all the stuff. These have a flower theme - duh - and a big Frida K on the other leg. Pretty much pink and orange. Most of the fabs came from Chicago. Here's what happens - I go to work on a Real Project and I see the jeanz and my sewing machine and I MUST sew a bit. I limit myself to one bobbin full at a sitting and then get to work. I am doing "scribble sewing" around everything and may add some hand sewing later.

I haven't trimmed any threads yet, by the way.

Actual Work from the Virtual Studio

These are my journal pages from last week, so they were what I was working on last Friday and Saturday in Chicago. I colored penciled the images on Saturday, intending to use them in a circus-themed tunnel book I have been dreaming of making. I did some watercolor in my room at the Doubletree Friday nite and early Saturday morning, then I made the little quilt from fabric I bought on Friday, then added the people. This year's journal was passed thru many hands last weekend in the Virtual Studio and during my classes. People who were watching around the edges of Make It U asked if they could look at it while I was teaching. Someone asked me if I had been considering that the book would be on display, in a way, and if that had influenced my work, you know, being conscious of other people looking at it and wanting it to look good. Turthfully, I thought about that for maybe 30 seconds. That's something I have come to realize about my process - I do not think about whether or not anybody will like it or get it or want to emulate it - I just make stuff. That is a bit of a duality with me, because I totally care about what other people think of ME. Am I nuts? Don't answer that. I will show you my art all day long and talk about it and tell you how I do it, but when it comes to *me*, the person - yikes! Know my art, I guess, and know me.

Yesterday was about a 20 hour day, with taking Whit to school for her 8th grade class trip at 5:00am and then picking her up at 1:00am. She had fun and there were no problems. Two soccer matches today and I got in 11 miles at well under minimum race pace. The mini is in 2 weeks and then I am never running again. Not really, I only tell myself that to get thru these long workouts.

While in line at Walmart, I read thatJessica Simpson and John Mayer got married -say it ain't so! And that Ryan Phillipe is dating Lindsey Lohan. What does this have to do with art - nothing - but read the header. It's my blog. I'll show some art and talk about stuff.

Signs and Wonders

WOW. A lot has happened since we last visited.

I drove to Chicago - via the Dan Ryan Expressway - I wonder how people do THAT every day?

I saw the sun rising over the bare fields of Northern Indiana and the smokestacks in Gary, both of which were equally pretty to me. I saw the Chicago skyline, up close and personal and thought about the Twin Towers, which I never saw in person

I spent 2 days at the Quilt Show and met the BEST people. I met Pokey Bolton,editor of Cloth Paper Scissors and Quilting Arts, after knowing her thru email and phone for almost a year. She has a great new book out about ATCs (I have some cards in it). So many lovely people came by the Virtual Studio to visit and talk about art. Thanks to everybody who signed up for my classes at MIU. I was nervous that nobody would!

The strangest thing was meeting Cheryl Prater in person. It was like we had always known each other. People thought we had been friends for years and were shocked that Friday was the first time we had met face to face. Cheryl, I am so glad you sent me that email in December. I would have never done it.

Above is some of the fabric I bought. One booth had 15 fat quarters for $20!! I met the Artgirlz and bought some wool beads. Too much shopping too little time.

I drove home on Saturday and got into a bit of white out driving. It's mid April!

I saw a bald eagle on the highway near our house eating a carcass of some kind. The first time I ever saw one in the wild. Amazing.

Two Days to Go

I have two more days to get everything ready to take this circus on the road to Chicago. This is the beginning of my journal for this week. Of course, it is a quilt theme. I left at 7:30 this morning and the girls had a track meet after school, which started late, of course. We didn't get home until 8:45. They did well, both had wins. Whit ran a beautiful 800, staying right on the heels of the first place runner until the last turn and then crushing her. After the meet, Whit was telling us how she went around and talked the girls she raced against and told them "good job" and all that stuff. Courtney said she couldn't do that because she was SO far ahead of everybody she never saw their faces. Little stinker.

My to do list is shrinking, but the countdown to 4am Friday is going much faster. That's not a light at the end of the tunnel. It's an oncoming train.

Happy Easter

Urban Cowboy is on CMT right now. Love that movie. John Travolta movies have taught me so much over the years. I based my entire opinion of Manhattan on Saturday Night Fever, on Stephanie's description of what it was like to work there. Stayin Alive taught me to quit while I'm ahead. Urban Cowboy, that county songs are about real life and that fancy shirts are NOT the answer. I'm not really a huge Travolta fan. He has been unavoidable.

FOUR DAYS - scream of excitement - until Chicago! I actually checked 3 things off my to do list today! Did I happen to mention that the district wide art show is next Monday? So that means I have to have about 100 pieces of artwork matted, labeled and ready to set up right after I get home from what I am sure will be a whirlwind 2 days at the Quilt Show.

Eggsicles?

It was about 80 degrees here on Monday. It is below FREEZING with a WIND CHILL today! At least there won't be any melty chocolate bunnies tomorrow. It is a mere 5 days until MIU in Chicago. I have a short to do list before I leanve at 4 am Friday morning, but it will be enough to keep me busy. I am going to give myself an assignment every day and no going to bed before it is done. I'm not worried about not being ready to go to Chicago. I am much more concerned about tanking when I get there.

The girls have track practice Mon and Wed, track meets Tues and Thurs, soccer practice Mon and Thurs, basketball practice Mon and Thurs, basketball games Fri, Sat and Sun. I just realized today that the outfits I planned to wear for MIU are all wrong and lame. Hate that. No time to shop for anything else. Maybe nobody will notice.

I hope you find lots of eggs and no black jelly beans.

In the Process

These are this week's journal pages so far. I don't think I have posted any of this year's project while the pages are in the process. I am thinking of the song "Colorful" by Roco DeLuca and The Burden. Go put it on you Ipod right now. And while you are at it, check out Paolo Nutini and Robert Randolph and The Family Band.

I have got SO MUCH to do in the next week in getting ready for Chicago! The girls have track, soccer and AAU basketball right now, on top of homework and maintaining straight As. They love to be busy and are so competetive. Sports practice of any kind for them is serious business. I don't where in the world they gottheir hard core, all or nothing attitudes. All 3 of us are running the Indy Mini in about 30 days. I have really had to work hard to get ready for this. I am always asking myself what in the world I think I am doing trying to run 13 miles in one session! I have to get in a 10 mile run sometime this week! We have an AAU tournament this weekend, Fri nite and Sat and the Sunday is Easter and the trip to JR's gramma in Martin County.

Hollow or solid - which do you prefer in your Easter Basket? Cadbury Creme Eggs - Love 'em or hate 'em? I would rather have no chocolate bunny and only Cadbury Creme Eggs, not the caramel ones. My girls like giant hollow bunnies, and of course, those wretched peeps. When they were very little and still did trick or treat on Halloween, Easter was the day I threw out the leftover Halloween candy and I threw out the old Easter candy on Halloween. Now, we don't have enough of either one around to have leftovers. It's funny how your day to day life changes as your kids grow up. It's been over 2 years since I packed a lunch - NOBODY takes their lunch to jr high. Miss Picky Courtney is sometimes very hungry after school. I never do their hair anymore. They clean their own bathroom. I guess that's a good thing about them growing up. But I still miss frilly Easter dresses and new white patents a little.

Out like a L.A.M.B.

Or a Peep. We went shopping yesterday - the mall, Hobby Lobby, Joann Fabric, Michaels (bought nothing), TJ Maxx (where the girls found the new Gwen Harajuku purses[that's why it's L.A.M.B. at the top] which I did not buy for them) and Target. The girls bought Peeps at Target. The colors they chose are a crime against sugar-coated nature. Aren't they hideous? The red ones are especially repulsive. Are they sunburned? Emabarrassed? Coated in paprika? You'll be glad to know that they are exclusive to Target, so CVS and Walgreen are safe.

On my spring break goals, it's a mixed bag. As of today, I got the 25 miles, but I have had to walk some of them due to a nagging injury that I can't get to reslove. I didn't clean as much as I wanted, but I made huge progress on a ceratin project and got the bulk of my Chicago materials prepared. After a bout of insomnia and nightmares, I did manage to get caught up on sleep, which is the most important part of spring break - to go back to school refereshed and full of energy to tackle to the last seven weeks.

It's warm today,but...

it's Indiana in the spring, so the weather will be a roller coaster for the next six weeks or so. I don't know how many times friends of mine have gone to Florida for the week and the weather has been nicer here. Went shoppping after church. Picked up a few things for the girls. Mommy got some a dress and a couple of tops, cheap at the Tanger outlet.

I feel almost obligated to stay up late tonight since I don't have to get up in the morning, but I doube I'll see 11:00pm. Did you watch Peyton on SNL last night? Isn't he a doll? So much better than Tom Brady. Tom Brady WISHES he was Peyton Manning. Have you ever watched that show Cold Case? I never want to, but it always sucks me in and I have to see how it ends. I am back to reading The Memory Keepers Daughter. I haven't picked it up in over a month. I was reading today in the car. There was a passage in there that gave me goosebumps. I hope to finish it this week.

A Book So Nice I Made It Twice

These are little - about 5" tall by 3"wide - two signature books with canvas duck covers. There are doors and windows cut out here and there throughout the book, so you can peek thru to the next page. I had been thinking about what kind of journal I wanted to make to take to Arrowmont to document my class this summer. The class is called Printmaking Funhouse, so I came up with the house idea for the book. These are just (I am going to use an unnecessarily pompous word here) prototypes. I love using primed canvas in place of case paper. It acts like paper, but has the durability of fabric. I am going to make an accordion book with wooden covers and the text block from primed canvas. I will use either little tacks or staples to attach the covers to the pages, something decorative. This book might become my Arrowmont journal. I adore little artist books, but it seems that big books are more attractive to the masses. I love something that is just the size one person can look at it. You don't (and can't) get that level of interaction with a huge painting. Not saying I'm right or smarter or anything. It's just my personal bias. I guess some people want to say different thing with their work. Some yell and some whisper and some of us simply do not wish to impose. It's a dilemma, alright.

The Crabby Crafter

I am thinking of changing the name of my blog to Postcards from the Crabby Crafter. I am NOT a crabby person by nature, and, really, I am not a crafter. I just think it would be funny to do something like that fussy old lady on the Hallmarks - is it Maxine? - about stuff like burning your fingers on the hot glue gun, printing out stuff backwards and breaking sewing machine needles. Y'know, the stuff we all do all the time that can really drives us nuts. I had an idea this week for a certain book and I have made 2 of them. I will show you a picture tomorrow. I accidentally left them at the studio.

I am on Spring Break!! Nine days of busy freedom. I started working on my kits for Make It U - Chicago after school today. I do hope you can come over and take my class. I will just DIE if nobody wants to take my class. I promise it will be fun and I will tell you a great, true story about why I make purse-shaped books.

My To Do List for Spring Break

1. Prepare all materials for MIU

2. Run 25 miles

3. Figure out what I am wearing in Chicago

4. Take the girls to the dentist

5. Get my hair done - touch up roots and trim

6. Make a skirt from my precious Anna Maria fabrics

7. Finish the project pictured above.

8. Go shopping - girls need bermudas. Hard to fit. This could take all week.

9. Sleep

10. Clean

I really hope I can sit at this computer on April 1 and say that I got it all done.

Red, Black,Brown and...

Cobalt Blue. I was thinking purple or turquoise, but I had some of these blue scraps and they just worked, so blue it is. Have you ever made something a bunch of times until it becomes so boring and pedestrian that you quit making it and then you rediscover it and it seems so cool again? This is a single-sheet book structure that I first saw, made in a different way, in 2002. This one began as am 18 x 22 sheet of watercolor paper that I washed with watered down brown acrylic paint and then stamped with foam printing plates. The book is made by folding, cutting and refolding. No glue or sewing. It gives you front and back covers and pages 1 thru 6, so it's not too big a task to finish a whole book.

What am I putting in this book? Not sure yet. Working on it. I think this is the project I am going to demo at the CPS Virtual Studio at the Chicago Quilt Show. Come see us and visit for a while.

I'm In

My favorite magazine, Cloth Paper Scissors, announced a call for submissions on The Editor's Blog a few weeks back in conjunction with the Big Quilt Do in Chicago next month. One of the challenges was to make a 12 x 12 paper quilt with a Flower Power theme. The paper quilts chosen would be exhibited at the Quilt Show. I only decided to make a quilt last Thursday and the photos were due yesterday. My first idea was the sunflower quilt I showed you in the sketch yesterday. My second idea came to me last Friday at school. My Friday school is in the middle of a build-on and renovation. Since the holiday break, I have been in a temporary art room, with one temporary wall of bare sheet rock. Ug-ly. On the first Friday in January, my students wanted to know if we could draw on that ugly construction wall. I asked the principal and he said why not so I drew a huge garden scene on directly on the sheet rock and the kids colored, added details and drew more stuff until the wall was bursting with color. The wall is coming down soon (tomorrow, I think) so last Friday in art class, all my students drew the wall on a 12 x 18 paper and we talked about how some things just aren't meant to be permanent and how much fun it was to draw on a wall in school. So my second quilt idea, and the one I actually made, was inspired by that wall and my students. Here is a sketch of the wall.

I found out today that my quilt has been chosen for the show in Chicago. I'm happy.

Back to Good

That was last week's song, but this is NOT my journal entry. It's a sketch for something else I was working on from Thursday until yesterday afternoon. I still did my daily art, but as of Thursday, when I found out that a certain thing that I have been waiting to have resolved will not be even close to resolved for another month, I knew I had to get back to normal. Back to good. See, this thing that has been out there in the universe has had me in quite a state. I have felt frozen in my work, upset tummy, grouchy and not sleeping well. I guess I had a certain impression of things and then I find out that my impression is off base and I feel like an idoit. Not that feeling like an idiot is anything new for me. There are just some times a country girl with a delicate heart needs to be careful of getting her hopes up.

So the point is

I've gotta get my head outta the clouds or out from under a rock or wherever it' s been and make some good art.

And keep hoping that everything will turn out okay.

THE best fabric EVER invented

I got this fabric today from the friendly dude in brown. They are part of the Bohemian collection by Anna Maria Horner. Please visit her site and read her blog - such a talented girl. The fabrics are even better in person. The colors are so unusual, but spot on. I've never seen anything quite like them. Now I have to figure out what to do with them. I am sure some will turn up in journal covers.

It is cold and windy. Winter doesn't want to give up. It is less than 3 weeks until our Spring Break. We aren't going out of town or anything. Sometimes it's nice to stay home and in your pj's until 3:00pm and then kill a couple of hours at Starbucks and then rush home just in time to get dinner on the table and pretend like I was super busy all day. I will devote one whole day to cleaning the home studio and another day to cleaning the remote location. I need to throw away so much stuff. I should let my husband clean out the studios. He would throw stuff away!

This has been a strange evening - everybody was home and done with everything before 5:30! The girls only had track until 4:40 and just a dab of homework. We had supper done and mostly cleaned up before 7:00. Seems like it would be a great night to make some stuff and play in art materials, but all I want to do is go to sleep!

It's a Long Way to the Top

If you wanna rock n roll. Or run a half marathon. Or raise kids. Or have a successful career. Or make good art.

Have you ever purposely done something in public that you are not good at? Voluntarily let you weakness show in front of everybody? More than once in a year? I am the world's worst runner, yet I did a 10k yesterday and a 5k last month. Oh yeah, and next month we have a 10 mile and then the Indy Mini in May. What was I thinking back in October when I signed up for this? Why?

I will have to make myself a cute artsy t-shirt with something cool on the back to wear at the mini. No need to waste any time on the front, but I know I will get passed bunches, so the back should be interesting as a community service.

It's ab0ut 6 weeks until the Big To Do in Chicago at the Quilt Show with Cloth Paper Scissors. If you read Cheryl's blog last week, you already know I have a super cute apron to wear.

The Husband Test

As you know, my husband and I have two daughters. While they are many years away from getting married, I talk them quite a bit about the importance of picking a good man to marry. We are (only half jokingly) making a husband test. Question #4, for instance, is Are your teeth naturally straight or did you have braces? The latest question we have added is #6 - Do you have any aspirations of becoming a rapper? This is deal breaker. Look at Brit. We don't need any more good little Southern fried church girls ending up bald and in rehab.

My daily art from last week turned out icky. I think I shall staple the pages together so no eyes may fall upon it. I wasn't feelin it last week. Preoccupied.

Project Runway stars on other shows - Nick Varreos was on The Hills, teaching at FIDM - y'know the school where Heidi dropped out and that other girl goes to pout before working at Teen Vogue. ho hum. Emmett McCarthy was on What Not To Wear. He has a shop called EMc2 and the gal getting new threads went in there to shop and Emmett rang her up.

Blake is on AI right now. I really like that kid. The pic above is Court at the Spring Art Show last year in front of a quilt made by one of my fourth grade classes made of handpainted blocks with Matisse inspired motifs. Her shirt says Trust me. I'm a Blonde.

Whatcha doin' this summer?

Why don't you take a class at Arrowmont School of Art and Craft in Gatlinburg, TN? It's summer camp for grown ups and there are no top bunks, they do all the cooking and cleaning and you get to make cool stuff for a week. Cheryl Prater and I are taking the Printmaking Funhouse class the week of June 3 - 9. This will be my fifth trip to Arrowmont, thanks to the Robert Wilcox scholarship. I never met the man, but his gift has totally changed my life. I will turn 40 on June 9 and I can't think of a better place to end my thirties. Arrowmont has shaped me, what I make, how I think on a daily basis ever since that fateful June day in 2002. I truly love that place. I am always so excited on the drive down there and so exhausted on the drive back. I am going to try SO hard this year to have fun and relax and not take it so seriously and kill myself in the studio until midnight every night. I say that now, but we'll see.

The class I am taking looks like a perfect fit for a book artist. I expect t0 learn lots of new tricks. I think of printmaking as being messy, though, and I like clean hands.

My favorite photo

This is not a family member. She is a stranger. I saw this photo in my favorite local antique store one day, loved it and turned it over to check the price - $8.00! Outrageous. I would never pay that for an old photo somebody else threw out. That night, I dreamed about the photo, that someone else had bought it. The next day, on my lunch, I ran right over and bought it myself. That was in 2003. I have no idea how many copies I have made of this little face. She has a story to tell me and I am still listening.

I hate the new NBA eligibilty rule. I hate the one-and-done thing in college. College ball used to be fun to watch. You could get to know the players in four years of watching them. I have had my heart broken too many times by my college players going pro early. Jared Jeffries, for instance. When I hear IU has some big time new recruit, I don't even want to know the kid's name until he is a junior. I admit, however, that I think it's a little funny when guys to to the league early and tank. If they hire an agent, they can't go back to school , so they have to go to Europe and play or sell used cars. The Europe part is especially funny because soccer is their basketball. I haven't watched too much college ball, even my beloved IU, in the last few years. I know, kids like Mello and LB want to get PAID to play ball. Excuse me, have you priced a college education lately? Getting your bachelors degree for playing a sport you supposedly LOVE seems like fair pay to me, but then again, I believe in education. Does anybody know what ever happened to Luke Recker?

Courtney has decided to play AAU. We have a tournament this weekend. Her soccer thing in Illinois got cancelled due to field conditions from 13" inches of melting snow. Oh, well, it's still a ball and a net.

Last Week's Daily Artwork

Happy President's Day! We had school today to make up for one of our snow days. It's still a short week, though, for kids. They get out Friday afternoon and we have meetings. The art teachers are getting training on how to use our new smart boards! Exciting! Well, Rob and Amber came in first last night. Grrr. I think I like Joyce and Uchenna and Kentucky best. But the worst show is coming on right now - that horrid Wife Swap! I have to watch with my finger on the switch so I can change the channel quick when it gets too nuts. There is a real piece of work on there tonight - raw meat eaters. I ain't talking about steak tartar, either. I mean fermented chicken and beef. They love bacteria because God made it and do not clean the house. They brush their teeth with fermented butter. It's either a religion or some thang a woman made up to get out of cookin' and cleanin'. Amen, sister.

It's time for AAU basketball and the first practice for the girls is tomorrow night. Whit is playing for sure, but Courtney hasn't decided. Her school basketball season kinda soured her on the sport altogether. I am not sure she would spit on a basketball if it was on fire.

I love this color!

I bought these roses on sale for $1.99 at the grocery store. This coral -y orange might be my very favorite color in the whole world. When I have to wait in line at the grocery, sometimes I pick a long line on purpose so I can get caught up on my reading. I would never buy the National Enquirer, but I ain't too proud to read it while I'm waiting. I mean, how else would I know that Jessica Simpson is dating John Mayer - AGAIN! I am so looking forward to the issues coming out next week with the Britney-head-shaving episode. There was a terrible article about how she was trying to get Justin back but now he's BFF with K-fed and they were making fun of her. Um, someone needs to get that girl a memo that she has 2 kids to raise!

When I wrote K-fed, that made me think of Keds. I saw a super cute pair at the mall this afternoon. They were pink and brown stripes and had that deconstructed thing happening. We tried to find XS or S Colts Superbowl hoodies for the girls, but no luck - just XL and XXL. This was the first chance I have had to do any shopping in the last 2 weeks. We went to Wet Seal and I bought them a couple of things for Spring. That store always has so many cute, little, inexpensive things.

The Amazing Race all stars starts tonight. I hope Rob and Amber go home first. Enough of them already. I hope the Hippies are on there. Ta-tow! My American Idol pick is Brandon Rogers. He is my Chris Daughtry of this year. He's like Lenny Kravitz meets John Legend. I adore John Legend. He's on my ipod.

This week , so far and some stuff I forgot to blog about

1. I totally forgot to say anything about David Beckham playing in the States. Both Crew and Fire are within easy driving distance from my house and I WILL see him play. Also, if I ever get a tiny, yappy housedog, I will name him Beckham.

2. I do not like NASCAR, and now that the season is again upon us, I will have to see it, hear about it and know about it. Strangely, I did enjoy both Days of Thunder and Talledega Nights.

3. Bowling Green got ripped off last night. Why do I care? Bowling Green is coached by Dan Dakich, who was a member if the undefeated 1976 NCAA championship Indiana Hoosiers, coached by RMK. How 'bout those Red Raiders?

4. We went to an ODP soccer thing Sunday. Courtney has been invited to play for Indiana in a friendly vs. Illinois in Decatur at the end of the month. Kinda cool.

5. We had 2 snow days this week. I had a TON of stuff to do, so it worked out.

6. Check out the Editor's Blog at ClothPaperScissors and go the link about Make it U. Cannot wait!

7. Got my hair done yesterday - touch up the roots, highlights and a new cut. Doug did "the bangs" -au courant!

8. JR gave me an unusually extravagant Valentine - roses an an IPOD SHUFFLE!! It's like a tiny, pink tic tac of music! So cute!

9. Went to my ortho today - released!! He is sure this episode with the pinched tendon is over! and I am free from that brace!

10. Ultimately, I feel sorry for Anna Nicole and Daniel and Dannielynn. I know there are a lot of bad choices she made and maybe bad things she did, but we don't have the death penalty for confused and lost.

11. The book above was made in July 2003 in Dan Essig's class at Arrowmont. It's one of my favorite things. Probably not top 10, but 12 or 13, anyway.

Peyton Reads My Blog

My pal, Cheryl Prater, told me how to put that google analytics thing on my blog. I check it once in a while. Last weekend, I had a visitor from MIAMI. It was Peyton, wasn't it?

This week's pages are, of course, dedicated to the Colts' win. "Lord Help Our Colts" is actually a song. It started back in the bad old days when the Colts couldn't buy a win, and COLTS stood for Count On Losing This Sunday. On one of the Indy radio stations, every Monday a blues guitar player/ singer/ writer dude named Duke Tumato (sp?) would sing this sad song about the Colts latest defeat, changing the lyrics to retell the lowlights of the past Sundays game. The chorus was always the same - Lord Help Our Colts. But then Peyton came to town and the Tony came to town and the losses became few and far between. The song, however, lived on, as a continued prayer for success. It does work, apparently. The rings don't lie.

I am updating today because I will be tired tomorrow night. The girls have ODP soccer at Wabash college tomorrow, which is a little over 2 hrs drive each way. I will have about 4 hours of nothing to do. I could read a book, work on an article, work on stuff for Chicago, work on the skirt I started Wednesday - I don't know. I just hope I can find a nice warm spot by a sunny window to sit and wait. I have been so tired lately. I just can't shake it no matter how much I sleep. I think the lack of light has finally knocked me out. Spring begins NEXT MONTH.

You know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good

"Piece of my Heart" - I think one of the greatest songs ever concieved, written or sung. Except for Faith Hill's version. I read that she NEVER heard Janis's version before she did it. What? Didn't you have a radio growing up?

It is good to be me right now. The girls and I ran a 5k yesterday. It was 15 degrees and windy, so who knows what the wind chill was. WHITLEY won the womens race and COURTNEY was third. I finished. Not last. Ran all the way.

I saw a good doctor on Thursday about my arm and hand problem. I got a shot in my elbow and a brace I have to wear for 2 weeks all the time. Most movements are difficult with it and some are impossible. But the doc thinks this will fix it.

My Colts are up 29 - 17 with less than 2 minutes to go. AND our schools are on a 2 hour delay for in the morning because of the extreme cold. It will be 2 below in the morning, not counting wind chill and there are a lot of kids who have to wait outdoors for the bus. I have to be at school at 9:50 insterad of 7:50. Cool.

Oh, wait, my Colts just won. Tony Dungy is the first African American head coach to win the SuperBowl. And he coaches in MY state. Indiana really is the coolest place ever. I look awful in royal blue, but I'm getiing a Colts SuperBowl champs shirt.

Wanna see somethin' cool?

This ain't it, sugar. These are some mini books I made a while back, totally unrelated to my topic du jour. I just hate to post without a pic. Now for the cool thing. Go to www.quilts.com

Click on shows

Click on the Chicago show

Click on the catalog link

You will have to make a login and password

When you get to the catalog, click on Make It University

Ta-da

Toldja it was cool.

Every Little Thing...

is gonna be alright. Ot at least that what Ziggy Marley says. Who knows? Maybe he's right. I picked this song for this week because there are so many questions swimming 'round in my head right now. I got one definite answer back today -a resounding NO - ouch, that smarts. I don't even want to try again. My husband still says I want too much too fast. He says I was only on the cover a couple of months ago and I got my first ink a couple of months before that. What do you expect, he says. I expect to be successful. To prove it.

I have been struggling with an elbow strain - pinched tendon, right side - since December 11. I hope it will get better, but just increasing pain. It has gone from a vague ache and pain when I use my right arm and hand to now constant pain of a burning nature and shooting pains up my forearm. It is making me feel tired and out of sorts. It's my right arm, and I'm right handed. I was s'posed to see an ortho guy tomorrow, but he is too ill ( God be with him - it's VERY serious). My doc is sending me to another ortho, hopefully within the next week or so. I have been dealing with the pain and going to work and teaching art lessons and everything. I do have a small fear, however, of doing permanent damage and I have lots of years of art teaching and making ahead of me, so I want to get it resolved. Soon. Plus, I cannot do any type of exercise that requires weight on that arm - no curls, no push ups, no tae bo -nuthin. That will look great for short sleeve weather.

Don't worry about a thing

Don't you know

Every little thing

Is gonna be alright

Where'd my Kid Go?

It's really true and I have the handouts to prove it. Whit is starting high school in August. Tonight was the parent orientation and we register her for classes in February.

We had a little snow over the weekend.

Where have I been?

Did you miss me? I haven't posted in so long because every time I thought of something to write I became sickened by the sound of my own voice. I wanted to write about how these cold, dark days bring out the worst in me, how hopeless I feel and how far away spring seems. But everybody probably feels the same way.

Here are my pages from last week. The song is Wind It Up. There is an interview with Gwen in the current Elle magazine and she talks about putting a song from The Sound of Music to a beat. It's like music collage. She sees what she likes and puts it all together. Love that - fearless, letting all your weird hang out.

Both of the girls are now starting on their respective basketball teams. Whit has started almost all year. Court has just worked her way up and now some of the other girls on the team are mad at her. I don't ever want her to feel like she has to apologize for being good at something. I want her to be fearless.

I made this today...

while I was working on something else and needed a diversion. I started with an XL white sweatshirt, on sale for $4 at walmart. I dyed it a yellow-orange. I did the appliques by tacking them down with a bit of white glue and then machine stitching around them. I have used wunder under in the past, but it gives the appliques such a boardy texture. I am not sure how this will hold up in the wash, but it looks good for now and it's very soft. Next, I added the embroidery. I am sure I will figure out something else to add. I also dyed one pink. They are to wear when I go running. They are long enough to cover my fanny and the sleeves are long enough to cover my hands. I need gloves when I start out, but get too hot after a while. Now I can just push up my sleeves. I might as well look like an art teacher when I run.

This year's project

Okay, here are the pages I worked on every day last year and my pages for this week so far. On this week's pages, I painted them both with coffee on Monday, did the dots on Tuesday, added the NOWs on Wedesday, both with caran d'ache, and started filling around the dots with the song lyrics today. It's fun to see the compostion develop over 7 days and let my ideas evolve. I love the planning out phase of a project, and this journal project is letting me plan more than the "art bite" type projects.

I DID decide to go with the song idea for now, anyway, until it bores me (probably in about 5 minutes). Last week was the Talking Heads' "And She Was", which came out when I was a freshman at IU. This week, it's "Your Life is Now" by the (contemporary) Hoosier Poet, John Mellencamp, who I have seen in concert twice. His current/third wife is Elaine Irwin of the Almay cosmetic ads. The have 2 boys about the same age as my girls. They live up the road a bit. I have seen Elaine and the boys shopping at Hobby Lobby. I have seen Mr Mellencamp out in public and it's excting, like seeing a rockstar. I have been toying around with the idea of doing a collection of artist books/ narrative paper sculptures based on his music, which has been a huge part of my life.

I keep thinking about songs I want to use in my book. There will be some Janis, some Sheryl, some Gwen, some Lenny, some old, some new, all cool.

Cold, damp and dark

It was a gloomy day here. I need sunshine. I want to go to the tanner and sit in the bright light for half an hour. This is a picutre of a kitten we had, Santino Blue, which is now a cat my mother has. So cute. I think she is going to give him to my sister.

There is a BIG project in the works. I need all the good thoughts you can spare!

It's Saturday

One of my favorite places on earth - Hummingbird Art Camp in Jemez Springs, NM

Yesterday was report card day for the Crane sisters. All A and A+. We live in basketball country and as such the high school basketball games are minor social events. We have the same season tickets in the reserved seating section for the past 17 years. Somebody was sitting in my seat last night and wouldn't move. Hate that. All the jr hi kids sit in the upper level and talk the whole time. I don't care. The girls are where I can see them and it's cheap entertainment.

Please go get the new Cloth Paper Scissors magazine. The artwork on the cover is quite "humorous and inventive."

IPod Troubles Resolved

Mommy is a genius. The ipod is back to normal. Turned out I had to reset it. I have been working in my art journal every day this week and I already kind of wish I had done a different year long project for 2007. Oh well, there's always 2008. No, of course I'm not abandoning my big journal. It's way heavier than I expected, though. I am thinking about paying homage to some of the songs that play over and over in my brain like And She Was by the Talking Heads, Every Day I Write the Book by Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Copperhead Road by Steve Earl and Me an Bobby McGee by Janis ( or is it big brother and the holding company, I know for sure they did piece of my heart, which, by the way, I was thinking I would LOVE to hear one day recently while working in the studio and listening to the radio - AND IT CAME ON). There are just words from those - and other songs - that I love and would like to use them in my book as kind of a narrative to tell the story of this year, which I know will be in some way momentous.

That's my husband J.R. and our backyard.

The world was spinning

She was floating above it

And she was

I pod problems

In my last post, I asked about a specific book title and got the answer lickety-split - THANKS - so I am asking another question. My daughters IPod has "frozen". It was playing on the docking thing and then just stopped. It won't turn off, go to the menu or anything. Any ideas as to how to fix it? I could draw a picture of it or write a poem about it, but I cannot fix it. H E L P !

It's here

The first day of 2007, my last day as a CPS cover girl. On the up side, I am being replaced by Cheryl Prater and her supa cool Sixtyopoly game. I wanted to run tp the bookstore today and see my magazine one last time, but I didn't make it. We saw a movie today, as is our longstanding New Year's tradition. We saw We Are Marshall - SO good. I love a good sports movie. Matthew Mc was cute and goofy in this one. Hoosiers, OF COURSE,is the best, but then there's Rudy and Days of Thunder and Remeber the Titans and Talledega Nights and, for a laugh, Blue Chips. Oh yeah, and All the Right Moves.

RMK got the record today. The only thing I hate about that is that it's not at my school.

Yes, I am making art today.

Good Bye 2006

This is the last doll I will post. I will

continue to post my daily artwork here, 2 or 3 times a week, as time allows.

Last year I set some goals for myself. Some I reached, some I did not. I did get in a magazine (3, to be exact, but who's counting?), but I did not read a book every month. I read a few great ones, though. Saving Fish From Drowning, Valley of the Dolls, Night, March. I have Jan 07 and Feb 07 books ready to read. White Oleander and The Memory Keepers Daughter. Trying to work up the courage to read Lovely Bones. I got a good recommendation on something I can't quite remember the title of..it's something like Up Close and Really Loud - do you know what I mean?

Here are my goals for 2007

1. Get in a magazine

2. Write a book

3. Finish the mini marathon with dignity

4. Read a book every month

5. Add to my new, big art journal every day.

6. Turn 40 with style.

7. Get in shape.

8. No fussin - no fightin - no tears

9. Only happiness. I choose to be happy.

10. Be nicer.

This is SO doable. I'm beating UP on these goals in 2007!

Peace, Love and Paper,

Debbi