Freckled Star

Friends, food, paper clay and solder.......

What more can a girl ask for?

This month I had the pleasure of attending Terri Brush's Art Camp in Lincoln City, Oregon.

To say it was a blast would be an understatement. 3 full days of eating, crafting, sitting on the deck and then repeat...........

The view was incredible.....

To my left....

To my right....

Our homes for the weekend......

Just incredible!!

My roommates for our stay.......

Yep 4 in a room and we got to sleep in bunkbeds lol!! Now that's camp:)

I was a little apprehensive at first but after we all got settled I really loved it. Being in close quarters really brought us all together and I was so happy for the experience. I have been friends with Cheryl and Terry for quite some time but the addition of Sylvia was just awesome. I always knew she was a very sweet talented lady but to really see it all first hand all weekend was truly a blessing.

Classes were all 3 days. We had a Snow Angel with Colleen Moody, a Halloween Hat turned Christmas Tree with Natalie Hansen and soldered frames with Terri.

I loved how the class structure was set up. There was no real time line. You were given instructions and just let loose. Those who needed help the instructor was available all 3 days not just 1. The Snow Angel took two days. The frames one and the "hat" took most of Sunday. If you wanted to work on one more than the other it was just fine. You had your own space and all your stuff as well as everyone else's everywhere all 3 days:) It really was fabulous!

This is my Snow Angel.......

I was over anxious about this class because it was working with paper clay which has not been my friend these last few months with those damn Santos busts I was working on, that now have found their way into a vintage lunch box that is tucked way back in my studio. Possibly never to be heard from again;) But........

Colleen was an excellent teacher and offered some really good advice on working with the clay. It was really quite fun and I was very happy with how she turned out. And the face painting......

Piece of cake! Even I can do 2 dots for eyes and paint a nose orange lol!!

The best part was dressing her of course......

All vintage bits and pieces. What was even more fun was seeing everyone else's! These are just from our table!!

Cheryl's (bling!!)

Terry's (look at that face!!)

Sylvia's (I am coveting that pink frill!!)

And Lonnie's (swoon and sigh, look at those buttons....)

These are the frames I made with Terri. I used some clip art and a couple old images of my mom and I on Santa's lap.....

That's my mom in the middle up there and me in the middle down here:)

Such a great project and I just love that image with the little girl's hiney showing hanging her stocking. So sweet!!

So since I was in the Christmas mood I just pushed on with making Natalie's Halloween Hat (which was adorable by the way) into a Christmas Tree. The best part of the whole thing was the light!! The thing actually lights up!!! It's awesome:) I have to say Natalie's kit was also awesome. Everything was provided, the light, the candlestick, the glass with scalloped tape, the cone all of it! I just used different paper and added some Christmas bling Cheryl brought and we had maybe one or two trips to the little Joanne's in town. Oh and Sylvia made that beautiful star on top. See why I love her;) 

Can't wait to light it up for the holidays!!

Really wonderful projects:)

Really wonderful friends old and new.......

It's always great seeing Lori she is such a charactor!! She had us all ready to pee our pants with her stories! She's so much fun. I wish Canada was closer.

And these girls.......

Well what can is say? It was truly a pleasure getting to know Lonnie, Colleen and Natalie. I am so happy I was at your table it was truly a blast! And getting to see everyone's talent on display all weekend was a true joy. Cheryl and Terry you both already know how I feel about you:)

I will always think of you both this way. Relaxed, care free and just fun........

My loves:)

So farewell Fall Art Camp 2013.........

Bring on 2014........

 

*last picture and pictures with the frames courtesy of Terri Brush

 

 

My love of dogs......

This morning I was wrapping this book for a sweet friend who shall remain nameless;)

                     

So I just randomly opened it to the middle and started reading. Then I read some more. And then somewhere between laughing and crying I started to think about my mom and my old German Shorthaired Pointer, Neiman who was 16 when he passed. Just a few months after my mom passed away........

I had a good mom. I mean a really good mom. The kind of mom that would let you keep strays. Good news for her I only brought home 1 cat, 1 kitten and a black retriever that ever stayed. The rest she'd help me load into her car to take it either home or all around the neighborhood looking for open gates.

She was a really good mom. Not a harpy mom. You know the kind.....

You want a dog?

Then you clean up after it, feed it, walk it and on and on in that Charlie Brown teachers voice........

That was not my mom.

She was a dog lover.

I love the quote "Every boy should have 2 things. A dog and a mother willing to let him have one." I think you could put girl in there too. Or even just children in general.......

I love dogs, my children love dogs. I grew up with a dog from the minute I arrived on this earth. My first was an Irish Setter named Mouse who had a bent tail because it got shut in a car door. My first faithful companion of many.

Of all my dogs I think Neiman my good ol' shorthair probably got the most of my crying attention. He was my dog all through my teenage years. Poor guy he was probably saying shut already!! But there he would sit while I talked on the phone all night, through history homework, through sleepovers with friends and later when Zachary arrrived and I had no idea what I was doing in the middle of the night with a bottle and a clean diaper. He was always there. He was such a sweet dog. I loved him.

When we got him he was already 4 years old. My Springer Spaniel, Molly had passed away at 14 and we were all devestated and needed a dog ASAP. My mom wanted a Pointer so after calling a few breeders couldn't find one we could have like that day so someone recommended she get on the rescue list. That same day a shelter in Los Angeles called and said they had one but he was in quarantine. So we loaded up in the car and took off. I remember she did say he is sick so we will have to see what the matter is when we get there. So don't get your hopes up too high back there. Back there meaning me in the backseat.

I left my parents as soon as they let me back behind the desk to find him. There he was with his front legs bandaged up. He had got them caught in a fence running from the animal control officer. But other than that looked in pretty good shape to me. I went up and put my fingers through the chain link and he hobbled over. After a quick sniff he licked my fingers and as I petted what little of his nose I could I whispered "you are mine".

And that he was for 12 years:)

That's only one of my dog stories. I have many. But that was what it made me think of when I opened that book this morning. Especially as my 14 year old Chihuahua, Bella dozed in her oversized dog bed all covered in her blankets except her nose.

Old dogs are the best dogs.