Mr. Darcy and Lavender Morning

How much fun can one lady have in a week? Lots! Let me tell you...

 I like big books and I cannot lie...

These two lovely ladies are my adventure buddies, Diana and Dana. We got all foofooed up to go to the Heritage House Museum for "Tea With Jane"

It was about 150 ladies in hats drinking tea and talking about Jane Austin.

 We rode in style in Diana's neighbor's vintage Plymoth, "Penelope"

It was delicious.

 I'd recovered by Tuesday enough to meet the lovely Annie Rugyt at "Lavender Morning" a super flowery tea shop in downtown Tustin. We both like to write and it was a good chance to catch up on what we have been working on and to supplement our diets with dried rose petals.

My 60th birthday is coming up next month so I'm starting the party early.

Wishing you a creative week!

Marilyn.

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Put it on the Calendar...

Hello you,

I have this hazy half baked plan in my head to not post on Facebook so much and rather spend time on more productive activities. So I've put "Blog every Tuesday" on my calendar, so we'll see how that goes. :-)

 I can't promise anything witty or legendary, more a rambling dump of cluttered thoughts that are stomping around in my head. Here's a peak into the inside of my brain...

Yesterday I made a bunch of little charms out of Sculpey. The owl and leaf necklace was for my yoga instructor. We get together with some of our neighbors to do yoga once a week.

Last night's theme was Italian food and I made a focaccia. Next week's theme is "Stuff your mom used to make". Tuna casserole and deviled eggs were mentioned, as was Beans and Cornbread, SOS, Spaghetti-ohs, Sloppy Joes and Jello salad. What did you eat growing up that has fallen out of food fashion? 

Spring is on the way here. 

My 87-year-old mom is still my dedicated lunch buddy and shopping cart pusher. I'm working on getting her house decluttered so that she can find things easier. (Handy Tip = Notice the pink tape so she can find the door handle.)

 Below is the closet AFTER I had taken three trashbags of stuff out. When I went back the next day it was like it grew back overnight.

 

I spent fifteen bucks on some nice hangers from Target and after another trunkful to Goodwill it was more manageable.  There are still a lot more closets to get to; she has a big house but I figure if I do a little bit along it will get more organized.

Finally, I'm working on a new color palette because color is awesome.

Anyway, that's what's bubbling up in my world. How about you?

See you next week,

Marilyn.

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There is an old Sanskrit word, lila, which means play. Richer than our word, it means divine play, the play of creation, destruction, and re-creation, the folding and unfolding of the cosmos. Lila, free and deep, is both the delight and enjoyment of this moment, and the play of God. It also means love. Lila may be the simplest thing there is– spontaneous, childish, disarming. ~ Stephen Nachmanovitch

Art Snacks

 Hello friend! 

Things have been super busy but I've been trying to do little "art snacks" in lieu of bigger art pieces. 

How's your Spring going?

Best thoughts, Marilyn.

 "Invent your world. Surround yourself with people, color,

 sounds, and work that nourishes you." 

 SARK 

#Inktober Part 2

Inktober is winding to a close. It's been a fun challenge. Here's the next ten doodles....

This last piece is an oil painting, a collaboration with my awesome friend Barbara Malley. The word of the day was "deep".

More on the way!

Best thoughts,

Marilyn.

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"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." ~ Pablo Picasso 

Inktober

Hello and hello!

This year I decided to participate in #Inktober. 31 Days 31 Drawings.
Every October artists all over the world take on the Inktober drawing challenge and do one ink drawing a day the entire month. 

There's a prompt list with a "word of the day" that has been helpful. The sketchbook is from the dollar store. Here are the first ten days. 

It's been a fun brain teaser and good practice. More to come! 

Marilyn.



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 The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne.

 ~ Chaucer

Avalon

Twenty- six miles across the sea
Santa Catalina is a-waitin' for me

My awesome sister and I spent a lovely Saturday visiting the tiny seaside town of Avalon on Catalina Island. It was drizzling in Newport Beach when we left and windy. We decided that the sea air was "brisk". (The first rule of traveling in our family is "no grumbling") The ride was only an hour so we arrived ready for adventure and a warm meal.

After a hot lunch of burritos and drawing in our sketchbooks we were much revived. The sun came out and we made our way to the Catalina Island Museum. There was a Chihuly glass exhibit on display. I had seen photos of his installations but was not prepared for the mesmerizing beauty of his work.

There were explosions of color around every corner. 

 There were also bits of Catalina tile everywhere.

We took a leisurely stroll down to the casino, an art deco landmark from the twenties, then wandered back in to town and in and out of shops. It was a completely pleasant day, over too soon. Grey clouds were rolling in as we left and the ride back was shorter and colder.

I'm looking forward to returning to Catalina again soon.

(Note to self, take a warm jacket for the boat ride)

Marilyn.

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"There is nothing--absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."
- Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

Avocado Toast and Too Many Books

Sometimes it is nice just to go out on a Sunday for brunch. The hub and I did just that today at a local place called The Outpost. They have the best coffee cups and great sourdough toast.

We had a good time talking about summer and books.

Now I have a Kindle I can read again. I dug up my college reading list and want to go back and reread the books that I missed. Heck, I want to reread the whole thing. Most of the books that I read when I was in school I really didn't understand at all. What do you know about life when you're twenty?

I also found this website that estimates how many books you have time left to read based on your reading habits. I'm going to have to up my game from average to voracious. 

What's on your reading list?

Marilyn.

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“Books are a uniquely portable magic.”
~ Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft