2016 Documented Life Project: March

March 1

Still catching up on posting my spreads from the 2016 Documented Life Project: The unPlanner! I'm actually keeping up in real life, so it's fun to look back at previous months to see what I've done. Above is the first spread for March. That smaller green page was a piece cut folder in half to be two sided.  I created it at Albie Smith's workshop at An Artful Journey a few years backs. Still using up what I have in my studio!

March 2

I attached these little bird tags made from my postage stamp stash to the green page using eyelets. (I love using eyelets ... I should use them more...) This week was the week of our state basketball tournaments, so I was down in Ocala for much of the week and managed to get away one night to have dinner with my dear sweet friend Vanessa, who went to Boca Grande with us this summer!

March 3

If I remember correctly, the prompt for the page on the left was "doodle flowers." As I've mentioned before, I'm not exactly following the rules for this project (do I ever?). The prompts are for the "pocket art cards" which are described to be 3" x 4". I decided to carry out the prompts on the backs of my calendar pages instead. My Dare2Be for the month was "Noticer." Being a photographer long before any other types of art, I tend to be a "noticer" by nature, noticing little things here and there others overlook. My goal for this Dare2Be was to start doing more street photography, looking for faces. Still working on that!

March 4

Back side of my Dare2Be card here. Love this quote by e.e. cummings: "It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are."

March 5

The prompt for the page on the left was "underpapers." I love using my underpapers, so this one was a cinch for me. I added the bloom outlines with a stencil and some white paint.

March 6

This week was our Spring Break! I spent a day at our Jacksonville shelter photographing the pups, we went to the 100 acre wood and the zoo and the beach and just generally chilled out. Great to be home for a week!

March 7

I can't remember what this prompt was ... I very likely didn't follow it. I've had this piece of scrap laying around for a while waiting to use it. Yes, I said scrap. This was a lucky plop. This is the negative of one of my favorite star stencils. I had used the stencil with some spray inks and then flipped it over onto a scrap of white paper to dry up the inks. When I pulled it away, this was what I was left with! This week was back in Tallahassee, wrapping up with Easter Sunday. Normally, we would have been at the lake in Keystone with Benny's family for Easter Sunday, but since we had just been home the week prior for Spring Break, we decided to stay in Tallahassee. We went to a lovely little church down the street from us that had the most amazing choir. What a treat that was that added to a beautiful service. Glad we stayed to experience that. I included the church bulletin as a reminder.

March 8

The page on the left resulted from the layering of stencils, then adding more color with gelatos followed by some pen and ink work. The background green was another page of stencil clean up like the previous star page. Love those happy accidents. The List Ten for this month was Dream Destinations. Mine included Paris, Ireland, Gaint Sequoias, Greece, Australia, Scottish Isles, Hawaii, Bali, and most importantly HOME. Deep down, I am a home body. Just love being home. That's Sarah peeking out from behind the card. Below you see the full picture of her with Livvie and their friend Alexa. They went to see their friend Jill perform in the school play production on Cinderella. Jill was Cinderella herself! This week also included Springtime Tallahassee and a weekend visit from my dad. 

March 9

And that wraps up March! Click here to see more of my 2016 Documented Life Project and click here to learn more about the project itself. Click here for my 2015 Documented Life Project posts and here for 2014. Each year is very different! Thanks for stopping in!

Best Shot Monday: Siana and Louie

Siana

Meet Siana (above) and Louie (below with Sarah)! Siana and Louie are two of the Tallahassee Big Dog Rescue flood dogs that came to Tallahassee from Louisiana on August 20th after a 24-hour road trip. They were found stranded on a porch of a vacant and flooded home. When they were rescued, the porch was about to be underwater as well. Despite posted notices and return trips to the home, no owner could be found, so they became part of the refugee/rescue dogs that came to Tallahassee where foster homes awaited them.  Siana is a female terrier mix, about one year old and 15 pounds; Louie is a male dachshund mix, about 18 months old and 12 pounds.

In the picture above, it's like Siana is saying, "I just washed my hair, and I can't do a thing with it!" Both Siana and Louie have settled down nicely and act as if they were once beloved pets with loving owners. They both have pretty good house manners and are trying hard to learn even more. They have learned their new names, how to sit for treats, which they both take very gently, and come when called; we think they are smart little cookies!  They both play well with other dogs, are fine with cats and like to cuddle. They walk well on a leash and don’t mind being in a crate for short periods of time. Still, we want them to have a fenced yard of their own. Having a doggy playmate would be great, too (maybe even adopted as a pair!). Siana's wirey coat is the low-maintenance, non-shedding type that makes her easy to bathe and brush; Louie is a snap to bathe, and his short reddish/gold coat just gleams!

Both Siana and Louie are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, micro-chipped, heart worm negative, and waiting for their new forever homes. Might it be yours? Visit Tallahassee Big Dog Rescue here for more information on adoption. Both Siana and Louie are listed under "small dogs." In all, TBDR rescued 18 dogs and six cats from the Louisiana flooding.  *Note .... my daughter Sarah is not available for adoption, no matter how adorable she and Louie look together! :-)

Sarah and Louie

Best Shot Monday: Mia and Miracle

Mia-1w

First up this week, meet Mia! Mia is currently being fostered by Tallahassee Big Dog Rescue. She is a U.T.O.P.I.A. (“Undergone Training and Obedience in Prison to Increase Adoptability”) graduate! She completed this 8-week program during her stay at the Tallahassee/Leon County Animal Services Center (TLCASC) before she came to TBDR, so she is more than ready for her new beginning! Mia has a great personality and craves love and attention. She is housebroken and crate-trained. She loves to play--tennis balls and squeaky toys are her favorite--but is content being a couch potato, too. She walks fairly well on a harness-style leash. An active household with a large high fenced yard would be perfect for her. She gets along with other dogs her size but needs a home without cats or small dogs.

Miracle-1w

Next up is Miracle. This little sweetie got adopted shortly after I took her photo on Saturday, but I couldn't resist sharing her sweet face. Best news is that she was adopted by a family that lives two doors down from us so we can visit her! See all the dogs available for adoption at Tallahassee's Big Dog Rescue on their website here.

Coptic Stitch Books

purple and green books-2

I finished a couple more coptic stitch books. These are a bit larger than my little tea book! The covers are made from 6 x 9" sheets of water color paper folded in half for a finished book size of 4 1/2" x 6".

purple and green books-4

I started with the 6 x 9 paper flat and wet it with a very wet brush. Then I sprayed a couple different colors of inks and picked up the paper to move the inks around. Lastly I sprinkled some salt on them while they were still wet.

purple and green books-3

Once they were completely dry, I brushed the salt off and that leaves you with the cool mottled effect. If I remember correctly, I learned that little trick from Wyanne Thompson when she was still living just up the road from me in Amelia!

purple and green books-5

I sewed in six signatures of four folios each giving the books 48 front and back pages of mixed media paper, perfect for wet or dry media painting, sketching or journaling. I have two more ready to sew in different colors. I'll start listing these in my Etsy store and on my website soon ... once I decide I can part with them. That's been the challenge with my bookmaking projects. I never want to let them go!

Best Shot Monday: Proof

Proof

Proof.  That's what Livvie said this is.  Proof that she "flew and caught" at camp. Last week my girls participated in Florida State University's Flying High Circus Camp. FSU's Flying High Circus has been in existence since 1947 and was first started by Jack Haskin as an activity in which both young men and young women could participate together.  1947 was the year FSU switched from the Florida State College for Women to the co-ed Florida State University you know today.  And they do circus camp!  You can read more about FSU's Flying High Circus here.

I knew this camp would push my girls, and that's why I enrolled them. I feel like it's my job as Mama to give them opportunities to push themselves out of their comfort zones, and this camp certainly did it.  Olivia is typically far less cautious than Sarah, so she was all about the high flying trapeze and the cloud swing. Sarah preferred the challenges that were a little more grounded .... and that's fine. That's what both Sarah and I had to learn. Of course, as Mama, I really wanted to see her up on that flying trapeze, and while she did try it a couple times, she felt far more comfortable a tad closer to the ground.  I think we learned a lot from each other this week, Sarah and me.  She learned that she really is stronger and braver than she thought she was; she did get up there on that flying trapeze three times after all.  Even if all she felt comfortable doing was swinging from her knees, SHE DID IT.  SHE GOT UP THERE!!! 

The last day of camp, they did a showcase where parents could come see the different performing events their children wanted to show them. Olivia, of course, wanted to show me the flying trapeze, as did most of the kids there, so while she was waiting in line for her turn, Sarah walked me around and showed me her moves on the trampolines, the tight wire, the juggling ring, and the static trapeze.  She's a very graceful girl and she was able to demonstrate that grace with these initiatives. Click here to see a quick video of her on the static trapeze. It was very clear to me that she was very proud of what she'd accomplished in one short week. And that was awesome to see.  After Sarah and I walked around a bit, Livvie finally was able to make her way up the line and to the top station of the flying trapeze ... where she flew and caught.  Click here to see it.  Her excitement was akin to the first time she rode a real, adult-sized roller coaster and came off jumping up and down screaming, "That was AWESOME!!"  That's my daredevil. 

So what did I learn?  I learned that my girls have grown up so quickly and are reaching the stage where they are independent in their decision making, and that is something I must respect.  I grew up an athlete, my husband grew up an athlete, so naturally we have the desire to push our kids to try athletic things.  But in pushing, we are also trying to remember our boundaries ... and respect theirs.  And remember that these are two little individuals that, while made up of a combination of our DNA, are still individuals ... with their own boundaries ... and fears ... and expectations. The good news is that both the girls are excited to go back to circus camp next year.  Olivia is already thinking this is something she'd really like to get involved in when she goes to college at FSU.  Sarah?  She says she'd like to do circus camp for a few years, but she really has her sights set on being an FSU Marching Chief. And that's just fine with me. After all, I was a band geek too. :-)  (And I really wish FSU did circus camp for adults...)   

August Free Bling

August Free Bling

Welcome to August Free Bling Friday! Congratulations to Katherine from Jacksonville for being the lucky winner of July's Free Bling! This month I'm sending these little blue beauties out into the world. I created these with pretty little Czech glass briolettes topped with Czech crystals all accented with sterling silver. These are petite, the briolette being smaller than a dime in diameter. They hang approximately 1 1/4" from top of French wire to bottom briolette.

To get your name in the hat, leave me your first name, city and state, and a way to contact you in the comments below no later than midnight ET Friday, August 26. Share this post on Facebook or Twitter and post a separate comment with the link to the share for two entries! New to commenting on Blogger? At the very bottom of this post, under the "You Might Also Like" section, you'll see a post date (8/4/2016) and "comments" in hot pink. Click on the "comments" and a comment box will open. Open to U.S residents only. Please help me spread the word and share this post! Want a reminder of Free Bling Friday each month? Sign up for my monthly newsletter over there in the right column! Thanks for stopping in!