KEYS 4 ART

WOW!!! What a wonderful WONDERFUL event we had! I have been so looking forward to this for so long! You know how it is, you look so forward to something and sometimes it just doesn't live up to your expectations but this lived up to and BEYOND my expectations!!! Everyone had their own beach bag with goodies inside and they all came bearing gifts!! So much to talk about!

I had contacted Mario to invite him and Tim to stop by and visit us but it was a long shot!!! Those two are not only way too famous for Key Largo but way too BUSY!! Mario did send some goodies for everyone though and all the girls appreciated it so very much! He is such a wonderful, generous man that it's a pleasure to call him a friend. Anyway I will see Mario in October on our cruise so it's all good!

From left to right on the balcony picture we have: Jacquie Valdespino, Sue Young, Marita Kovalik, Linda Davis, Juliet Arrighi, Eileen Bellomo, Jennifer Daniels, Patty Hogan, Valerie Brincheck, Elena Vigil-Farinas, Gina Goodling and Lillian Mederak!!!

We had an incredible time! It started with Val coming in a day early (Tuesday) which was amazing because I got her all to myself for a night!!! Then on Wednesday morning, Jacquie picked up Lillian (Canada), Gina and Marita (Oregon) who flew in early morning. She took them to her apartment on the beach and gave them a beach tour! I picked up the afternoon arrivals, Sue (Illinois), Jen (California) and Eileen (New York).

From the airport we went to dinner at Versailles Restaurant (a five star Cuban Restaurant in Miami) where Jacquie treated us all to a wonderful WONDERFUL dinner! We had the spanish equivalent of Mariachis singing to us and it was just wonderful. From there we came to the Keys (about an hour and half away) and everyone found their "nests" and got ready for the rest of the weekend!

I have TONS of wonderful pictures of that first day that I hope you will all enjoy! I will post them later when Blogger is in a better mood since it's not letting me upload right now!

MY NEW STUDIO and other STUFF!

My new studio is up and running!!! Woo HOO!!! Took me two weeks to put everything away. TWO WEEKS!! I will admit to you - though NEVER to my husband - that I really had no idea I had so much of, well, EVERYTHING. I mean, hell, I'm not blind... I saw that i had a lot of art supplies but I never really realized the EXTENT of my addiction until I had to take it all out and put it all back together again! I only have to put up the curtains now and I will be done. I will post pictures so you guys can see how awesome it looks!

THE KEYS FOR ART 2010!! Next week!! I am so excited about having all these wonderful ladies in my house for 3 days! I foresee a lot of fun, laughter and art! There are SO many things we all want to do that I am not sure there will be time to bathe, eat or sleep but we will figure that out as we go along! Val Brincheck flies in on Tuesday and the rest of the ladies on Wednesday. We are going for a tour of South Beach on Wednesday evening and then dinner at Versailles, one of MIami's best Cuban restaurants. From there it's down to the Keys!! Friday night my brother is hosting a pool party for us. So much to do ..... so little time! Of course I will post pictures and i am sure that the others will post pictures on their blogs as well!

Back tomorrow with some pictures!

STILL TRYING TO GET THIS ORGANIZED!

My GOD!!! I had no IDEA how much STUFF was in my studio!!! My cabinets were installed on Tuesday and they are FANTABULOUS!!! The putting everything back is proving to be an exchausting challenge! But at the same time, it's been fun! I have come across things I had forgotten I had and am making sure that everything is being sorted and put away in a way that makes sense! All the paints in one place, all the mediums in one place, all the watercolors (liquid, pencil...) in one place... well you know what I mean! I should have my scanner installed this weekend and will post pictures!

The Keys Retreat is getting closer and closer and the plans are more and more wonderful! So much to do.... so little time!

HELLO EVERYONE!

Happy Monday to everyone! Saturday we celebrated a baby shower for my daughter Kristina. Madelynn is expected at the end of April/early May. Can't wait!!

I have emptied out my studio! It actually ECHOES in here!! LOL!!! I have pictures but can't upload them because everything is disconnected! I can't BELIEVE how much STUFF was in this room!!! My entire family room is crammed with stuff! I will post pictures of it when I can.

TOMORROW THEY INSTALL MY CABINETS!!! Woo HOO!!! Can't wait! It is daunting to think of putting all that stuff back in here but at the same time it's exciting to know that everything will be in its place!

April 14 is drawing nearer and nearer! The FIRST annual Keys Retreat! Don't you love it!!! My buddy Valerie Brincheck created a logo for our reunion! I am still putting it together but it should be a lot of fun!!! There are 12 ladies attending this retreat at my house for 3 days of art and fun! I will be personally meeting 9 of them for the first time! They are coming from Canada, New York, California, Michigan.... so very cool! I have lots of little surprises planned! I hope to make this a yearly event. We'll see how it goes!

Another Kreative Blogger Award!!!!

Okay, now I'm truly humbled! Kim Owens , a wonderful lady and owner/moderator one of my favorite online groups, Blissfully Art Journaling gave me another Kreativ Blog Award!

Thank you Kim!! I am so flattered that you would do so!!! I owe both you and Rita answers and will be back to give them!

NEW BLOG AWARD!

My friend Rita awarded me this Blog Award this weekend. I always love to get these because it is so great to have someone acknowledge you out of the zillions of blogs we all visit!!!

Thank you Rita!!!!

I have to do seven things as part of the award:
1. Post the image of the award.
2. Thank the person who gave it to me.
3. Link to the person who gave it to me.
4. Tell you seven things about myself that you wouldn't know.
5. Choose seven great bloggers to give this award to.
6. Give a link to their blogs.
7. Leave them a message on their blog.

Parts 1-3 are done! Have to come back for parts 4-7! LOL!!! I HATE it when work gets in the way of the more important things in life don't you?

MARIE JOURNAL ON ITS WAY!!!

Our 4th and most ambitious cooperative journal yet has started it's journey! This fourth journal is about Marie Antoinette and it promises to be fabulous!

There are all kinds of themes for these journals. For example, Sex and the CIty (In Versailles)! I will leave that to everyone's imagination! The theme for my journal is Dearest Diary: one page for art and one for journaling. This will of course require some research but the idea is for it to be challenging right?

Other themes are: Marie's Closet (clothes, shoes, etc.); a Marie Antoinette Scrapbook; Fashionista Coutre Marie; the Loves of Marie; The Abundance of Versailles... there are 15 artists with 15 amazing journals!!

The pictures here are some of the journal covers for the journals! If these are just the covers... can you imagine the art that will be coming our way? I'm so excited about this project!

The artists are: Sue Young, Sarah Walker, Marita Kovalik, Lori Otto, Lillian Mederak, Lee Hynes, Jennifer Rogers-Daniels, Jacquie Valdespino, Tracy Kaufman, Daisy Cooper, Dianna Marquardson, Eileeen Bellomo, Inge Bekaert, Valerie Brincheck and yours truly.