Veteran's Day

We are all so lucky to have the men and women of our military protecting our freedom all over the world.
I am so thankful for all past, present, and future veteran's and their families for the sacrifices they have made so we can sleep peacefully at night.

Today here in Bentonville, the Crystal Bridges Museum of Art opened and I am so excited. There is over 400 million dollars of art in this museum and there will be showings as well.

Thanks to Walmart, admission to the museum will always be free. How fantastic is that!!!! Jonathan and I are going to try to go during the week next week. There is even a section where kids can look at what was used to create the art, they can feel the brushes and paint tubes and another area where they can actually create art. So great!!!!! http://crystalbridges.org/

On another note, I have a job interview Monday morning and I am hoping hoping that I will be offered the job. I will literally be starting over but I am excited at the opportunity.

Have a fabulous weekend
x0x0x
Madzie

Ok lets try this again lol

I just did a completely new post and blogger told me there was a conflict...so here we go again.

I have been practicing my whimsy girls again today. Once again I started on lined paper and ended up with my watercolor crayons in hand. Hubby said go tomorrow and get the right kind of paper, so I am going to hit Hobby Lobby and get what I need.

The first sketch I just lined with a permanent fine liner. Rocker girl. I will definitely re do her on the right paper and make her come to life with some color.

The second sketch is just a head but I love how she came out (except for the bleh linked paper).

I'm excited to see how different it will be to paint on the right surface.
Have a wonderful night and thanks for stopping by.
x0x0x
Madzie

Sunday, Continued =0)

I kept working on my whimsey girl. My only regret is that I didn't do it on water color paper but I am still experimenting so I am ok with it. My daughter loves her and I asked her what we should name her and she said "Faith"...
So...Meet Faith...

I am going to mod podge her onto another piece of paper (probably scrapbooking paper) and frame it and give it to my beautiful daughter.

Thanks for taking a look
x0x0x
Madzie

Sunday Sunday

We had some excitement here last night in North West Arkansas...there was a 5.2 earthquake in Oklahoma and WOW did we feel it here.
Being in a second story apartment in an area where buildings are not built for earthquakes, it was a little nerve wracking. I think that's the fastest I've seen my husband get up off the couch in a long time LOL.

We are both from California and have been through the most recent large earthquakes there but it is very unexpected in these parts. I just sat on the couch wondering if the big screen TV was going to fall over. He told me if it happens again I better get up off the couch and get downstairs. At the time I wasn't thinking that these buildings are not made for this kind of thing...

ANYWAYS!!! I watched some more of Tam's awesome video on World of Whimsey this morning and of course had my pencil and pad in hand...this is what I came up with...

I can't wait to be at the point where I am comfortable doing some canvas work. I think she needs a puppy so I am going to try to work that into this sketch.

Thanks for taking a look
x0x0x
Madzie

A bit of Whimsy

I found out that not only did I win a spot in the Life Book online class but I also got to pick one of Tam's other courses for free. How cool is that?

So anyhow, I chose to take her class Ultimate World of Whimsy.

Can I just tell you that Tam is awesome. I love her video's. The healing, the art, it's all very easy to listen to and take in. I will have some quiet time tomorrow to focus on the healing part of what Tam talked about in the first video and I am going to work on some stuff.

I started the second video and got through face shapes and eyes, which I have ALWAYS struggled with. The very few canvas' I have done with a figure on them do not have faces, just a face shape so I was really intimidated before. She breaks it down into the steps and it just is awesome.

Here is one that I just penciled out. I love her and I can't wait to practice and do more more more...this is just such a rough pencil sketch and I can't wait to keep improving my face skills. My mind is going wild with idea's.

Definitely head over to http://willowing.ning.com/ and check out Life Book and all of the fantastic classes. You will not be sorry.

Thanks for stopping by.
x0x0x
Madzie

My journals are up for sale

I am so excited to be able to post that my journals are now up for sale in my girl friend Lisa's etsy shop.

You can check them out by clicking the links below.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/84624251/fun-fabric-covered-handmade-recycled

http://www.etsy.com/listing/85097559/shabby-shic-handmade-spiral-bound-sewn

http://www.etsy.com/listing/85161339/the-good-stuff-handmade-spiral-bound?ref=v1_other_2

http://www.etsy.com/listing/85161599/darling-denim-covered-handmade-recycled

There is one more to be posted, and I have another one in the works.

Also be sure and check out the other items that Lisa makes...they are awesome!!

Thanks for stopping by

x0x0x
Madzie

Time Flying

Wow this week really flew by...I have been busy working on some journal pages for another journal that will be for sale on etsy soon. Also our Jeep broke down this week so between the 3 of us we have had one car.
That's always fun.
We won't have the jeep back in operation until probably Wednesday...

Ill post pictures of the junque journal as soon as I finish it.

Have a great evening.

x0x0x
Madzie

Baking Tonight

I picked up some fresh peaches at Sam's yesterday while I was out shopping.

My intentions were to have them for breakfast but hubby mentioned it would be nice to have some peach cobbler. soooo...I love him so much, and I love to bake so how could I go wrong making some peach cobbler. Now I get to take it to him at work which makes me very happy because I miss him when he's at work.

I use the Paula Dean recipe over at Food Network and it is amazing. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/peach-cobbler-recipe/index.html

Be sure and use Self Rising flour. Trust me I found out the hard way the first time I made it lol.

x0x0x
Madzie

Rockin the Orange

Yes...its Halloween, and yes its fall, but that's not why my blog is orange.

Recently, through Facebook, I have come to know an awesome young woman who is fighting kidney cancer. She is in for a big battle and having surgery this coming Thursday 27th of October.

The orange ribbon represents Kidney cancer survivors and warriors. Being a 17 year survivor of kidney cancer, I will be rockin the orange until my friend Jeri is better.

Thursday I'll be wearing orange in support of her fight and my daughter is wearing orange as well. I hope and pray and send strength and healing wishes Jeri's way every day.

 

x0x0x

Madzie

I feel like the luckiest girl!!!!

I won...I won the most amazing give a way.
A spot in the Life Book online course. Please click the link below and take a look, sign up if you can it is going to be AMAZING!!!

http://willowing.ning.com/page/life-book-2012-open-for-registration

I am so excited. I was in my room and I got the facebook message on my phone and I literally started crying. I know that seems a bit dramatic but I am an emotional person. This has been a very trying year for me, full of life's tests and sacrifices due to a very unexpected job layoff, and this class was something I truly only dreamed of being able to take and be a part of.

THANK YOU SO MUCH Tracy Verdugo... http://artoftracyverdugo.blogspot.com/ 
Tracy is one of the teachers in this amazing online course. Definitely check out her blog, her art work is fabulous and it's just such a happy place to be.

This is description of the course...I can hardly wait to experience all of this with all of the amazing teachers.

Join us for a WHOLE YEAR of amazing growing, art creating, personal development, joy, fun, laughter, friendship, art community, painting, painting, painting, mixed media, gluing, collaging, cutting, sticking things on, drawing, having crazy awesome fun!

And by the end of it, you'll have a beautifully bound journal (or Life Book) with gorgeous art that will have captured your special journey in 2012!

x0x0x

Madzie

Websters Pages give - a - way

Who doesn't love Websters Pages...and now an awesome give - a - way.
They are doing a staff favorites give - a - way and wow it's just all so awesome.

I don't know how they all chose just one favorite.

I think ANYTHING Websters is the Beez Kneez...hehe...

head over and follow the instructions enter to win. http://websterspages.typepad.com/webstershome/2011/10/wanna-win-websters-staff-favorites.html

Thanks for stopping by
x0x0x
Madzie

For someone very very special

I recently had someone friend request me on facebook and I am so glad she did.

She is fighting a battle with kidney cancer, and me being a kidney cancer survivor, I feel such a connection to her.

She is a warrior, brave and strong and full of hope and in need of a miracle. I pray for her so much.

She will be having surgery in the next week and I just felt like I needed to do something. I wanted to send her some brightness, some support, and a piece of me, of my miracle.

This is what I made for her today and I am sending it tomorrow.

God Bless Jeri. Here's hopes for a speedy and successful recovery.

Thanks for stopping by
x0x0x
Madzie

Halloween Canvas

Well...all of my Halloween decorations are in storage and I just can't get to them so I decided to do an 11x14  canvas so I could have something out for my favorite season.

I am not quite finished with it yet. I need to figure out what to do on the boots for laces. Black won't show so I'm contemplating....

Anyhow this is where I'm at with it today...I love it so far.

The background was plain orange then I did swirlies all over it with my darker orange pit pen. It's hard to see in the picture but looks pretty cool in person...

Thanks for stopping by

x0x0x
Madzie

AWESOME GIVE AWAY

Tracy Verdugo is going to be one of the teacher's for the year long course called Life Book 2012...this is going to be insanely awesome.

She is giving away a spot in the course and also one of her A M A Z I N G works of art.
Click the linky link below
http://artoftracyverdugo.blogspot.com/2011/10/life-book-giveaway.html?showComment=1318670796457#c5949276711770959406

I entered and I hope I win...it will be such an awesome year of sharing, growing, learning and creating.

Definitely head over there and click on the links to check out the entire course. Take a look at Tracy's art work all over her blog too...it is awesome stuff.

Thanks
x0x0x
Madzie

Beautiful Day

I completed the hand made journals I have been working on and got them off to my friend in Arizona who is going to list them in her shop on Etsy...I am so lucky to know such a generous person.

Here are some teaser pictures of them..
They should be up for sale sometime next week...
Ill post the link to the shop as soon as they are listed...

Journal Covers

Miscellaneous inside pages...

Thanks for stopping by

x0x0x
Madzie