Reach For The Moon

"Reach for the moon,
and even if you miss you will be among the stars"

The upcoming PCAGOE challenge theme is History !
check out the amazing entries so far at
http://www.flickr.com/groups/1089891@N25/
Voting starts 5/1 http://www.pcagoechallenge.blogspot.com/
remember , great prizes to be won just for voting!!!

My entry commemorates Man's first walk on the moon !
Yes ,I am old enough to have witnessed that first small step for a man !
On July 20,1969 I sat mesmerized in front of my black and white T.V.
As mankind took that giant leap the world suddenly seemed smaller to me
Little did I know ,how it would seem to shrink as the years went by.

Once my only connections with Art were books ,museums or chance meetings !
Now I sit at my computer ,sip my coffee and connect with artists all over the world!!!
I can be inspired and amazed by every medium imaginable ...
and some I would never have imagined !
I can delight in the works of fellow polymer clay lovers.
I can see what new wonders they are creating .
So many AMAZING works of Art !!!

This wealth of Inspiration sometimes overwhelms me !
I think, I could never aspire to create any art like that!!!
But ...wait ....
Yes I can !
I CAN reach for the moon!
Perhaps I will even land among the stars!
At the very least ,I'll stretch my creativity and have fun doing it !

The wide world of wonderful Art is at our finger tips.
We can choose to let it Intimidate or Inspire.

I hope you choose to reach for the Moon !
Bead Happy , m.e. :)

Tiny Treasure

Memories make us who we are .
They make us feel happy, sad ,cautious , motivated ......
I've been busy this week re-purposing some teeny bottles into "Dream Keeper pendants ",
tiny pendant jars to store something very special.

I'm having so much fun decorating the outsides of these !!!
But, when it came time to take photos ,I wondered what people might choose to put inside ?
What tiny treasures would people pick to hold a memory close to their heart ?
What little note might motivate them or brighten their day ?

My personal pendant will include
Sand from vacations in the Florida Keys...priceless times spent with my family
Shells and coral from my Honeymoon in the Bahamas ...the start of a new life
for My daughter who works so hard at full time college and full time job ...a reminder to "follow your dream "

Our tiny treasures got us where we are and will get us where we're going!
It's probably wise to take time in our busy lives to sort out our memories now and then .
Choose which we need to keep close at the moment .
Which we need to store close to our hearts always.
What dreams do we need to be reminded of ?

What personal treasures would you choose for a dream keeper jar this week ?
Whatever you decide, I hope you
Bead Happy ,
m.e. :)

Growth... Choices and Chances

When Alice ate the Mushroom ,she had to make a choice.
Which side should she eat?
Alice remained looking thoughtfully at the mushroom for a minute, trying to make out which were the two sides of it; and, as it was perfectly round, she found this a very difficult question. However, at last she stretched her arms round it as far as they would go, and broke off a bit of the edge with each hand.
As artists we are faced with a choice every time we sit down to create.
Do I want to Grow as an Artist or do I want to Grow my Income ?
Should I create something that I can sell ?
or
Should I create for Arts sake only ?
For most of us ,the ideal goal would be to grow with complete freedom of creativity
and to have the things we create be marketable !

But, how do we achieve that balance ?
Which side of the mushroom do we eat ?
If we eat the Merchandiser bit only,do we risk loosing artistic integrity ?
If we eat the Art for Art's sake morsel,do we chance the loss of welcome income ?

Is the division really always clear or do we have trouble
trying to make out which are the two sides of it ?
I suppose we must just stretch our arms round it as far as they will go, and break off a bit of the edge with each hand.
Taking small bites from each piece in turns ,we grow a little this way ,a little that way.
Our goal should be to keep our growth at a balance we find pleasing and acceptable.
In the end, I think the important thing is that we...
Bead Happy !!!
m.e . :)
Decision Maker Pendants by m.e.
*mushroom photo by my daughter Annie ...I'm a proud Mom :)

Is Less More ?

I have to admit ...I'm a More is More type of person .
I like lots of "stuff " around me . Some people mistake this for being a pack rat !
NO!!! I prefer to say I am Very Visual person !
I am inspired by the tiny details in everything I see .
When I am in create or decorate mode I have to remember stop myself.
If I don't ,I just keep adding and adding .............and adding !
I get caught up in detail .Sometimes I don't even look at a finished work .If I ponder things too much I always think I need to add something! Is that the reason for evolution ? " I think those dinosaurs should be a bit smaller ...and maybe I should add some fur................."

the Art Bead Scene monthly challenges give me a chance to stretch my creativity
http://artbeadscene.blogspot.com/
I do admire free form and abstract .
This month the painting "Insula Dulcamara " by Paul Klee really made me step outside the box !
The bold shapes and texture seemed to call for a spare and simple design.
Can an Add More Mind be happy with a Less is More creation ?
I am!!!
A few beads and some simple knots made my new favorite necklace!
Easy to wear and light enough for the hot ,humid Maryland summer soon to arrive !
I still love lots o'stuff creations .But ,it was relaxing and refreshing to make something simple .
If you are a More is More type you might like to try something Easy Breezy this week too!
It's fun!!!
Bead Happy , m.e. :)

Bird Brained

I enjoy bird watching year round .
But ,in the Spring I really become a bird brain !!!
As the weather warms I awake every morning to their songs.
Outside there is a flurry of pairing up and nest building .
The birds that winter here are joined by the summer residents.
The budding trees and greening lawn are fulled with my feathered friends !
It's hard to stop looking out windows or sitting on the porch to enjoy the show
This year I've discovered there is some great bird watching on my computer too!
I am hooked on the live web cam featuring Molly and McGee the barn owls
I love watching them raise their babies !
http://www.ustream.tv/theowlbox

The photo above is a baby we helped raise last year.
The tiny wren fell from the nest too early .
We could not reach the nest and our neighborhood is frequented by many cats
So we decided to house the baby in a cat proof wire cage under the tree.
We would care for it if needed.But, we were hoping the parents would feed the infant.
Indeed they did ,making many daily trips with "baby food " a plenty!
They did keep an eye on us . But, they didn't seem to mind us watching them .
They even tolerated the photo session .
A few days after the photos, the baby flew off to start life in the trees.
Perhaps this year it will be raising a family of it's own near by !

Most of you knew I was "beady eyed"
now you know I am a "bird brain " too !
are you ?
Bead Happy , m.e. :)

a few Bird Beadies !!!