52 Photos Project / Week Thirteen / The table at meal time

A Nibble before dinner!
Photo taken with my Fascinate phone!

This weeks prompt was a fun one . . . to photograph and share something you have enjoyed at mealtime.  Could be from your own home, while at a restaurant, out with friends, just something that you wanted to share. Visit here if you want to see all of the photos from this week's prompt!  There is some great stuff happening over there! They are amazing photographers and I get to hang out with them weekly!

Summertime is so laid back, I know in my home there is not a lot of heavy duty cooking going on for my husband and I after working all day.  We have been enjoying the grill and salads, anything light and easy.  I think the days of meat and potatoes are over!

I was able to capture this shot while having dinner with my girlfriend Toni in the Outer Banks, of course, (my home away from home!)  There is this wonderful & charming place called Colington Cafe, only open for dinner in the summer and fall season  It is an old victorian house transformed into this charming eatery.  The food is delicious, the atmosphere is divine and the gardens and white lights outside bring you in.  So I decided to share with you my favorite nibble, even at home I love to create this dish.  I choose just the perfect plate to serve it on, have just the right ingredients, knowing that presentation is everything!!  How wonderful it is to enjoy the little things in life and to make even a nibble an occasion to celebrate.  I know I need to slow myself down in this life and enjoy those things that are surrounding me.  Take time to savor the moment!

Yummy . . . can you taste it?  Warm Brie, french bread, fresh fruit and apricot chutney. Even more better than that,  fellowship with my sister girlfriend!  Life is full of amazing moments to share!  We just have to choose to make them special and amazing!

To Etsy or Not to Etsy . . . that is the question???

Some of my mini collages

Recently I have been pondering the question, over and over again, if I wanted to open my very own little Etsy shop.  This is an online community where artists and creators come together, have their own private shops and sell their works online!  My son Curt heard about it when it first opened and wanted me to  sell my handwovens.  Obviously he was ahead of the curve and I was not ready.  I am convinced that we must do things when they feel right, they are not pushed into being and the heart and mind say yes at the same time. Then and only then, do I believe it can work!

I had originally set a goal for myself of July first, then I realized it was pushing it and I wanted to enjoy the lazy days of summer.  I didn't want to feel rushed, having to produce, produce and produce art at a fast pace.  Then it truly isn't art from my heart.  So I pushed the date, in my thought process, to August of 2011.  Here it is fast approaching!  I keep asking myself if this is what I want to do, am I ready and do I know what I am doing?

There is such a difference in creating art for the sake of creating ... enjoying the time in the studio, creating without a purpose, seeing what happens and letting things flow. When you begin to think of your work as a business, it does take on a different attitude. I have been there in the past with my handwoven items and being part owner in an art gallery co-operative.  I did that for three years and decided to get out of it, looking back now . . . I haven't woven a lot since my Blue Skies Gallery experience and I don't want anything like that to happen to where I am now in my mixed media artwork.  Each piece I have created this summer, I have had fun with and each piece has taken on it's own message.  I have truly had fun with all of it and now I have built up a good inventory.  The question I ask myself is "Am I really ready to take the Etsy plunge?" 

Found these fun colorful brushes!

I have been preparing for this decision for awhile.  I have been trying to come up with my store name and what artwork I would like to carry in it.  I have been taking pictures of my work with my new Canon and learning to reduce them to Etsy specs!  (That was a challenge in itself!) I have been thinking of a way to creatively package my work, come up with a cute business card, whoooo, a lot does truly go into this!  I think I am almost there . . . in my head (and heart) I mean.  I would love and appreciate any words of advice from you my creative and talented friends. Pros and cons, I will gladly take it all!

I am excited, I am fearful, I am thinking about it all the time lately, I am anticipating, I am loving the thought of it and I am slightly apprehensive . . . all at the same time.  I guess it comes down to that self confidence thing . . .  whether or not I feel it would work and if my work is worthy of selling.  I think it is now, it wasn't even six months ago when I look back.  I have taken several art courses, e-courses and tried a lot of different things.  As an artist, we take something from one experience, and add it to our own until our work finally begins to take on a look of our own.  I believe now I have found that perfect combination of techniques and my mixed media pieces are now my own.  We will see . . .

I choose to create and inspire others!

I plan to have a cup of tea over SKYPE with my wonderful friend Lisa Potoczak Gonzalez, of Happy Mama Artworks.  She is going to guide me through the creative steps, I look forward to her guidance and direction.  She has had a successful etsy shop for quite some time now, please go and check out her work, it is amazing.  Isn't technology a wonderful thing?  Two friends can sit with a cup of tea and talk with each other as though they are in the same room, yet they are states apart.  That is why I think the Etsy concept is a way for artists to get their work out there all from the comfort of their homes.  I love that and I think I am willing to try it!  I promise to keep you posted, because August 2011 is fast approaching . . . why do we set deadlines for ourselves?  I guess if I didn't, I might never get around to it and I think that would not be a good thing for me!  I am at least willing to try the experience and see where it all leads me.

                                                    Living my life creatively everyday!

                                                                                       Donna Lee

52 Photos Project / Week Twelve / A Summertime Treat

My daughter n law's surfboard

This was a fun photo project this week.  We were to capture a summer treat we take delight in.  For me it was easy, I took a picture of my daughter n law's surfboard.  When I think of summertime, I think of the beach.  Living in beautiful Virginia Beach, VA we as a family have always spent special times at the beach, both here and in the Outer Banks, not too far away.

Friday evening was my husband's 55th birthday and he wanted to spend it on the beach.  He, my son and daughter n law went surfing together after work, it was a beautiful sight to see them all together!  The only thing missing was my other son Curt and his wife being there!  They had to be in the Outer Banks.

My husband and our two boys grew up loving to surf.  I can remember my hubby having his two boys out paddling the waves when they were just little guys, so they would learn to love the ocean and never be afraid of the waves.  My son Drew now works at the Wave Riding Vehicle surfboard factory in the Outer Banks and his work on those boards is awesome!  He created a beautiful board for his wife for Christmas this past year and added girlie designs.  She too is learning the art of surfing.

When Lauren quit surfing the other night and put her board on the sand, I saw it as a moment to grab a shot of it.  She is an elementary art teacher and she has a very colorful and special third fin, perfect for her!  See there is artistry even in surfboards.

An artful fin

So yes, when I think of a summertime treat, I always think of the ocean, the sun, my boys surfing, obx vacations, special time enjoying the beach whenever we can.  It is where my memories of summer are held.  I never learned to surf, imagine that!  I do love time spent at the beach with my family, (usually you will find me with a pocket set of watercolors!)  Now I am enjoying capturing those moments in photos.  Me and my Canon, grabbing a picture whenever I can.  I love it, and I ask myself why didn't I learn photography earlier??? There is so much to see through the eye of a camera, I don't want to miss anything!

Wishing you a happy summer!

Creating something different

My paperbag book creation

For the past few weeks I have been working a lot on my collage work.  I have enjoyed creating them and having paintbrush and art stuff in hand.  I have been thinking long and hard about opening my own Etsy shop and I think that I have decided to do so.  I am excited and scared all in one!  I have been trying to build up some inventory but I needed to take a break from canvas painting and collage work.  So I decided to pull out all of my notes from my Paper Bag Book online class by Sara Whitmire, and began creating away. I had the pleasure of meeting this lady at Art and Soul this year.  I sure did have fun tea dyeing tags, adding all kinds of embellishments, beads, fibers, pictures, quotes, pockets and so much more.  I made it personal and tried to document my artistic journey. My book began to grow and develop into what you see here.  I love every page of it!

Having fun on every page!

Pockets, lace and butterflies

Dance, Dance and Dance some more!

The focus of my artwork has changed considerably in the past year and I am happy with where it has taken me.  I feel that I have soared and I have learned to just let go!!  I like the feeling of being free to create and seeing where it leads.  With this book I was able to play with all of my stuff;  from beads, to papers, to paints, images, laces,  to cut words (I have been cutting and collecting forever!)  This book was created from just three brown lunch paper bags, stitched together and I carefully decorated each page.  I filled the pockets with treasures of mine that I have been collecting from art workshops, notes from friends and my journal.  It truly has become a book filled with treasures of mine.

Fun stuff everywhere!

This is the back page of the book!  Love it!

Sometimes we just need to break away from our "Artistic norm" and try something new. You will grow in yourself and in your abilities. Now I have this awesome book in my studio to pick up and look at and hold, it reminds me that I can do anything!  I love art, I love the process of creating, I love it when I am in my "zone." When you are in your studio, music playing and you are alone with your creative self and your art work.   The time flies by so quickly and you have lost all track of the clock;  just creating and playing; adding one more word, one more piece of lace, one more color, one more . . . and then you know when it is finished and there is nothing more to add, you've done it! You step back to look at your piece and feel a sense of extreme satisfaction that it needs nothing else, it is complete.  I truly am in love with the piece I have just poured my heart and soul into! 

I love this page dedicated to my girlfriend Harmony Lenasbunt

www.feedyoursoulart.com

her work is amazing!

Now it is a new week, routine work schedule, obligations, appointments and so much more.  I have given myself a wonderful gift this weekend with my little book!  Now it is back to working on my collage pieces and each one has taken on a specialness of its own.  I encourage you to try something new, something out of your comfort zone, never let your art work become habit or routine.  There is no fun in that nor in your creative spirit.  Always be excited when you enter your creative space, see what the time you have has to offer.  Open yourself up to new possibilities, you won't be disappointed!  I leave you with a sneak peek of one of my future Etsy collage works, it says it all!

Create Art!

Sending you love and peace

Donna Lee

52 Photos Project / Week Eleven / In the Garden

My pomegranate just starting to turn red

This week's prompt was to go out into our backyards or community gardens or city parks and look around for nature's first harvest.  I knew I wanted to immediately go to my pomegranate tree!  I know it is not ready to pick yet, but watching the fruits harvest is exciting to me.  Each year the tree grows older, the more fruit it bears.  It starts out in early spring with the most vibrant orange blossoms and from that the pomegranate begins to form, the blossom will slowly disappear, it is so beautiful beyond words!

The flower blossom

I love this tree and it was given to me by a very special friend of mine when we had to put our precious labrador to sleep.  It was just a tiny little sprig when we planted it and has now grown into a full fruit producing tree.  I won't say it has been easy keeping it healthy, it is temperamental and requires much grooming and pruning to keep it healthy.  It does give me much joy every season! How we take the beauty of nature for granted, we count on the same beauty over and over again, season after season as that is the way it should be.  I consider this tree to be a constant in my life, something I truly count on.

Life is a lot like that isn't it?  We take things for granted, we have to nurture things to keep them going, we produce more knowledge and wisdom as we grow older, we produce more fruit!  With age comes wisdom, experience and heart knowledge.  I like the phase of life I am in now, it is truly beautiful!  I want to keep growing, learning and experiencing all this life has to offer.  I know that I still need a lot of pruning along the way!! Wow . . . all this heart thought from a pretty little pomegranate tree!

 And sometimes you get a double treat

May this week bring you renewal, happiness and all good things.  Look for the beauty in nature, it is certainly out there and don't take it for granted.  Not for one moment!  Look for a way to grow from inside out this week, challenge yourself!  It can be done . . . you are special . . . yes YOU!

Sending you love

Donna Lee

52 Photos Project / Week Ten / The Blue Hour

This week our photo prompt was taking a picture during "The Blue Hour".  That magical time when light takes on a blue hue from dusk to dawn.   The time right before the sun comes up or right after the sun goes down.  They sky changes into amazing shades of blue.  This one was hard for me and being a new photography baby, I was trying to find just the right setting with my camera.  My daughter n law Heather was helping me as well.  I had the opportunity to stay in Corolla with Heather and her mom this weekend, so it seemed like the perfect time to find a photo.  I tried the pool, flowers, landscape, my camera was giving me a fit.  Then I concentrated on their little shed on the property and there was my photo!

Seeing blue in Corolla, OBX

Of course with all of Bella's prompts, I try to apply the prompt to my life and really think about how I can write something about the prompt and see how it applies to my life.  Thinking of
blue makes me think of moods and how I feel at times.

(I know I am taking it way deeper, but that is how I do things!)


When I think of the color blue I think of the calm waters, beautiful skies, retreat,
nourishment, peace, the color of my eyes and painting with my watercolors.
When I think of what makes me blue I think of:
uncertainty
 my weight
finances
other people's attitudes
unforgiveness
weariness
draining work days
never enough time
restlessness
not being able to figure it all out

When I am blue it usually means that things are getting harder for me to walk through.  This photo was a hard one for me and I put these thoughts together.  I have such a long way to go with my photography and being able to understand settings, etc; but I sure do have the willingness and the desire to press on!  I love my new camera and it is teaching me a thing or two!  As far as when life is causing me to be blue, I am learning to take it one little step at a time, one moment and one thought at a time and trusting in God's grace and understanding. 

Yoga and the Outer Banks

Early Sunday Morning . . . the view never grows old!

This weekend I was able to sneak away to my favorite place, and hopefully, my home when we retire, the Outer Banks.  It is a place that I always feel welcome, peaceful and I love going to.  I decided that I was going to treat myself to a yoga class at Michelle Madden Smith's studio, Outer Banks Yoga and Pilates and I was not disappointed, I never am!  I took a class entitled Tai Yoga Latte, with Julia Daniel and it was a mixture of yoga, tai chi and pilates.  It has been over a year since I had taken that particular class and I forgot just how wonderful it was!  It was the beginning of a wonderful day for me.  I love taking my hot yoga classes at home, but when I come to Michelle's studio, it is like a breath of fresh air for your heart!

Looking upward from my mat . . . happy lanterns everywhere!

I have known Michelle for a long time and met her just by coming into her yoga studio many years ago.   Her yoga studio is a place that you immediately feel an overwhelming sense of peace and love.  We became friends over the years and every time I came into the OBX, I would try to see her or at least take a class in her studio.  She is so beautiful inside and out;  you are a lucky person if you get to have Michelle in your life!  She co-facilitated a yoga retreat in Hatteras many years ago that I was able to attend, and that retreat opened up a whole new yoga world for me.  Last fall I attended Squam by the Sea and Michelle was ever present.  This year she will be organizing the wonderful new Serendiptity Art Retreat, October 19-23, 2011, where there will be art, yoga and the sea! I encourage you to visit her retreat website and see the fabulous line up she has in store for those who are lucky enough to attend, it will be an amazing experience.

After taking a relaxing yoga class, I headed down to Corolla, NC to visit my daughter n law and her mother for some girl time.  Even brought my lace knitting for a little time of fellowship and relaxation. Patti and Rick Dietrich own the most incredible bagel shop in the OBX, called Lighthouse Bagels, if you ever have the chance to visit beautiful Corolla, make sure you stop in there, you will not be disappointed! You have to experience the French toast bagel just once in your life!  Rick and his son Ryan get up in the wee hours of the morning to start the bagels from scratch, by the time the store is open for breakfast, there is a line out the door!  My son also has a side business there creating smoothies from scratch and fabulous gelattos!  Family owned enterprises are the best!

Time away is always a good thing, my husband met me down there on Monday and we spent a day exploring for homes and watching and observing the area.  Of course we had time to relax on the beautiful beach.  The waves weren't there for my hubby to surf the waves but we did enjoy just being at the ocean and taking in all of it's beauty.   I asked myself, is this how it is on a Monday when I should be working?  I will take this anyday.  We had a beautiful dinner at one of my favorite restaurants and then we had to begin our journey home.  For me the Outer Banks is only an hour and a half away, so I can go whenever I get the chance and I do.  How wonderful two days away was for me.  I know I speak of getting away a lot, I think it is important to refresh the mind, body and spirit whenever we get the chance.  Grab renewal whenever you can and in any form that takes place.  Could be in your own hot bathtub with candles and soft music, doing something out of the ordinary for yourself.  When you are healthy and living in balance, those around you will benefit from all you have to offer them, I truly believe that.

Good thing the sign told me which way to go!

My yoga practice has taught me to savor the moment, to live mindfully and still my heart.  Whenever I put my feet onto my mat, I am amazed at how wonderful and invigorated I feel after my practice.  I only wish that I had discovered it when I was in my twenties and thirties.  No regrets they say . . . I have found it now and have been actively practicing the perfect amount of time meant for my life.  I am healthier, happier and in the best shape that I can be.  Whether I am practicing in 100 degree heat or the gentleness of another studio, yoga means the world to me, it has changed my life and my health.  I speak of yoga often and I will continue to do so, it is truly life changing.

My sticker for my Prius . . . and a little self reflection 

See you at the yoga studio!
Donna Lee

52 Photos Project / Week Nine / One Word

I am open to all that is surrounding me

The photo prompt for this week was to find one word that describes you.  It could be found anywhere

or we could create the word ourselves.  This was a bit of a challenge for me, I couldn't find

the perfect word to describe where I am in my life right at this very moment.  Turning 54 this summer, 

contemplating a life change as my husband retires

Then . . .

I found this sign Open

of course I loved the Sun with glasses, since I am an Optician

but the word Open spoke to my heart.

That is exactly where I am in my life right now, searching and Open

to what lies ahead!  So I share my heart thoughts with you!

I am Open to:

new horizons

new thoughts

what lies ahead

reaching new heights

learning new things

seeing what the future has in store

listening to my heart prompts

growing in different ways

trying something new

to loving more

to taking baby steps

to finding myself

deepening my art practice

to slowing down my thoughts

to possibilities.

Slowing down the pace

Peacefulness in the Garden

This weekend my husband and I traveled to Williamston, North Carolina to spend time with my n-laws and celebrate Father's Day.  I have been blessed in this life with two dads, my own who has now passed on and my husband's father.  I have been a lucky girl in life!  Every time we arrive in North Carolina, an overwhelming sense of peace and rest comes over me!  Life is always so full of demands and excuses are made as to why we can't travel to North Carolina; yet when we make the time to go, we love the time that is spent there.  It made me think about what I wanted to blog about this week!  Slowing ourselves down to a quieter pace of living, something that sounds easy, yet is not an easy thing to accomplish.

My n-laws live in a very quiet town, filled with beautiful farms and landscapes.  My father-n-law grew up there (and ironically so did my mommy).  When he retired, he always wanted to return there and so they did.  They have made a beautiful and peaceful life down there!   It never fails, when I go there and just slow down, I almost become lethargic! When you allow your body and mind to just slow down it is amazing the feeling of tiredness that comes over you.  I am so used to being home and running a quick load of laundry, painting a quick part of something I am working on, checking an email or blog, the phone rings, running off to work, etc, etc, etc.  Down there I had no distractions, just time to visit with my parents, rest, walk outside and slow myself down.

My parents have beautiful hydrangeas growing in abundance in their backyard, so incredible.  I was able to take the time to photograph them, thinking they would become a watercolor someday . . . and I stress someday!  I have been taking a photography course by Vivienne McMaster, You are your own Muse, and she has taught me to look for different opportunities to take a self portrait . . . I found one in the hydrangeas!!

Finding Peace in the Hydrangeas

My mother and I found time to play with paints.  I love to be creative with her.  She paints amazing acrylic paintings and has been wanting to learn watercolors, so I brought some of my paints down, we took over the kitchen table and painted on a Saturday afternoon. Playing, painting, talking and laughing!  It truly was a special time.  I always cherish the creative times I have with Jimmy's mom.  I had brought watercolor postcards with me and in that whole time, I only created one.  I enjoyed the time of drawing a flower and painting it, one by one.  That was a lesson I learned that day, it didn't matter how long it took me to complete just one little postcard, it was about slowing myself down enough to enjoy the process.  The end result was a beautiful postcard and when I returned home I added a top coat of Mod Podge sparkle!  It really was fun!  If I were home, I would have never taken that much time to create just one little postcard.  Now which lucky friend of mine will receive it in the mail???  That isn't that what art is all about, slowing yourself down enough to actually enjoy the moment of creating.

Flower Power!

I know that my weekend was a gift to me.  Special time with family is hard to measure.  I was able to see the beauty in the little things.  Attending church in a small town was a gift, painting with my mom, cards till almost midnight, reading in the quiet, resting, seeing the beauty in nature, spending time loving my n-laws.   Our lives are truly what me make of them. We choose to be busy or we choose to slow down and enjoy a slower pace. It feels as though I have written on this subject before, in a different way.  Perhaps it keeps recurring in my thoughts for a reason!  I carry that with me this week and my Monday begins at Gilbert Eyecare!  I am thankful for learning that lesson, yes, over and over again; but especially today, the beginning of a new week.  I wish you peace, I wish you all good things to come your way this week.

Donna Lee

http://viviennemcmaster.com/

52 Photos Project / Week Eight / Outside the window

My studio view

This week was a fun photo project.  I took all kinds of views from the windows of my home and I had a hard time deciding exactly which one I wanted to choose; until this one kept speaking to me.
It is a view outside my studio window . . .
First the things that are hanging inside my window
looking at me everyday
are things that give me joy
and they are significant to me,
gifts from friends
or bought by me!
I especially love my gold ornament
I purchased from my friend and artist
Stephey Baker of Marked by the Muse
It is simply radiant!
I knew exactly where I would hang it!

As I look outside my studio I see a very
large Bay Tree that I planted over
fifteen years ago!  I had tried to grow
several plants
and had terrible luck
until a patient of mine, Dr. Hubbard
brought me a tiny sprig and said to me
"Donna, you won't have trouble growing mine!"
He was right!  Every time I look out that
window,  I remember him.
 The tree is hearty, beautiful and still growing.
Just how I want my life to be!

This window has a special place
in my heart because
 my studio used to be the bedroom of my two
wonderful and amazing boys.
I made it MY room when they were grown
(all mommies want a room of their own)
so my creative space is filled with precious energy.
I even remember those wonderful Christmas Eve nights
when we would look out that window for Santa Claus!
Time passes so quickly
especially as I post today, June 15th
My baby boy Drew's 28th birthday!!

So yes this window has quite significance to me
and the view from here is truly blessed!

Donna Lee