May 2009 wrap up

My May was fabulous! full of excitement and happy things!

~ my daughter being honored for her academic achievements by the State, the mayor, the board, the soroptimist club, oh my! you bet! I was all choked up and almost to tears to see and be part of these ceremonies in her honor.

~ a very pretty black prom dress for me, (fun, fun, fun prom night!)

~ proud to say that I voted in some of the special elections for my state

~ and with all of this busyness, (or maybe because of all the beautiful things happening to me) at the same time, I had all the time of the world to relax and do nothing but enjoy every single moment every day of this month of May.

What else I did accomplished?
~ I played with my camera more.
~ I journaled, and painted.
~ I layed down for hours in the grass and on the beach admiring nature, the ocean, and the sunny sky.
~ I smiled and laughed a lot!

I read:
~ The housekeeper and the professor by Yoko Ogawa, and
~ Metal craft discovery workshop by Linda and Opie O'brian.

And these are the movies watched and enjoyed:
~ I am legend (very scary!)
~ star trek, fun!
~ the soloist, I love Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr
~ friends with money, okay.
~ as good as it gets, i can see this one over and over again!
~ casonova, mmm???...
~ election, adore this one! yay for Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick
~ And I finished watching Season 4 for House and the office on dvd.

I am so ready for June, are you? LOL
hugs,
Carmen

p.s. Did I say that one of my biggest dreams is shaping and coming along real good.
I am getting educated about it and at the same time, working super extra hard to make it happen ;-)

More May wrap us? Check L-L blog!

Yes!

You are here to play and have fun!
You are born with the right to be happy and enjoy life.
You are not here to suffer.
~Don Miguel Ruiz

Can you tell I am having lots of fun and for sure enjoying life? Yes!
Also, I have been painting. I can't wait to show you more.
Yes, yes, yes!
Hugs!
Carmen

p.s. Thank you very much for supporting my wishes, specially for the wonderful energy I felt last night from all of you. Thank YOU!
I can't wait for my laptop!

Wishcasting Wednesday

Once a week, Jamie from starshyne productions hosts Wishcasting Wednesday where she encourages us to believe that there is great power in wishing together and on being our own maker of magic.

Today, she is asking:

What frivolous treat do you wish for?

I have TWO wishes. I really want BOTH of them to come true.
One of them, is VERY frivolous and am very serious about it. I think I have mentioned it here a couple of times in my blog, and for sure, my friends and family know about it. I am going to keep that one personal for now. But I am ready to share my other wish:

I wish (want and need) a light weight laptop personal computer.

And I do want you to support me by leaving a comment saying:

“As Carmen wishes for herself, so I wish for her also.”
It’s that simple. Yes?

Have a great Wishcasting Wednesday!
Hugs,
Carmen ;-)

p.s. Re: my second wish. I take care of my body, spirit, and soul everyday. I strive to live healthy, in touch with nature, simplicity and creativity, in order to become a better me.
I do have a VERY FRIVOLOUS wish and, at this precise moment, I am working very hard to make it come true ;-)

If you wish, you can be part of this or support other participants HERE

Self-portrait Wednesday

I found I could say things with color and
shapes that I couldn't say any other way-
things I had no words for.
-Georgia O'keefe

Because of her love of sharing her art, her passion, her blessed and full of purpose life, I am inspired to join mixed media painter, poet and an art instructor Misty Mawn in her Self Portrait Wednesday journey.



A day at the beach doing nothing but observing, watching my daughter playing with her boogy board, enjoying, relaxing, some reading, some writing, toes playing with the sand, and yes... some picture taking ;-)

+discovery
+self expression
+courage
+simplicity
+creativity
+me, myself and I

My favourite thing is to go where I've never been.
- Diane Arbus

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My queen of self portrait: Frida Kahlo

p.s. hugs,
Carmen

Choosing

- sillyness ;-) with camera in hand and my shadow

- gorgeous Southern California weather and cherries, yum!

- a colorful skirt and lots of bracelets

- time with my Morty

- playing with someone's laptop because I can and am special, LOL

- laughing and smiling,

- doing nothing,

- feeding and nurturing my mermaid spirit

- and wishing for more of this kind of days EVERYDAY.

hugs,
Carmen

Freedom

Thank YOU!

This is really good

And it is making me SMILE:

*all the awards and honors my daughter has been getting these past days

*my beautiful black prom dress

*the last picture in this post makes me giggle

*and also, this corsage handmade by me

*my blue eyes very handsome merman
"Cause every time I see your bubbly face I get the tinglies in a silly place" -from the song lyrics: Bubbly ;-) I love this song!

*the video and song I choose for this post, Bubbly by Colbie Caillat

*flowers everywhere!

I am off from work until Tuesday. Enjoy life! Have a great Memorial day holiday weekend!
Hugs!
Carmen

p.s. What’s making YOU smile ;-)
Please, if you wish, Make a list of what's making YOU smile, I would be very happy to hear from you here in my blog or leave me your link and will go to your blog and read all about it ;-)

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Experimentation

Let me tell you that this whole week has been full of unusual activities and engagements, doctor appointments, meetings, daughter’s new schools, celebrations, proms, etc, etc
So believe me I can’t wait for this coming long weekend to relax, play and cook and yes to start practicing all I have learned in the Layer Love class with mixed media artist and photographer Julie Prichard which by the way, for me and for being my very first online class ever, well, It has been an awesome experience! And so many new faces and hopefully new women friends.
I am also excited because Julie is from San Diego and we are planning on meeting some time soon, and I absolutely wish to keep taking more online art classes with her and other wonderful people and artists. Yes!

The next images are acrylics and collage on a pre-gessoed 9 by 12 matboard. I created it about a week and half ago, there is lots of writing on it. That writing is about my visions of my dreams and wishes so I decided to name it my wishes and dreams. And I am very pleased with this experimentation.
Hugs,
Carmen

Yes to suddenly born in colors!

No end, no end to the journey
no end, no end never
how can the heart in love
ever stop opening
if you love me,
you won't just die once
in every moment
you will die into me
to be reborn

Into this new love, die
your way begins
on the other side
become the sky
take an axe to the prison wall,
escape
walk out like someone
suddenly born into color
do it now
-Rumi




Wow!
I love this Rumi poem. You can see my favorite parts:

-how can the heart in love
ever stop opening

and

-Do it now

and yes to suddenly born in colors, too!

No end, no end to the journey
no end, no end never

Hugs,
Carmen

p.s. So many good things going on my life! and those good things are leading the way to some other great possibilities. And You bet I can’t wait to share my news! I can give you a hint, yes? ;-)
I certainly (and pictures show you about my experimentations) have been working on a not so new venture and in a brand new inventory, too.
Also, my curiosity has me playing again! After learning the Repousse technique, I wanted to try handstamping some metal ;-) Although sometimes I wonder why I can’t just stay with what I already know or with just one thing, but I guess it is part of my nature and wish to incorporate words and texts in my art and creations and of course, of becoming more me in more new ways ;-)
Well, I have been practicing and when one comes a little decent, I am planning on showing it to you here in my blog for feedback, yes? please?
More hugs!
Carmen

Everyday Magic

"Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint you can on it"
~Danny Kaye



* living creatively everyday
* choosing quiet peaceful afternoons
* and walks on the beach,
* water with lots of ice and a slice of lemon
* enjoying jacarandas and magnolias blooming ( the most lovely perfume ever! )
* blowing bubbles with my beautiful daughter
* second chances
* de-cluttering and packing
* no more dark colors, White and light yellow are my favorite colors today!
* and I am wearing skirts and sandals (happy toes saying hello)

It’s warm and delightfully sunny!
It is May!
Yay for May! And for wonder, and possibilities!

Today, Ab-SOUL-tely, I am sensing and loving the abundance and beauty of May.
I feel positively different, I feel ready for more fun, and all empower to start anew, I have a newer fresher vision of my dreams and wishes. They will come true.

Please Do share your magic with me, what’s been making you smile and feeling happy these days? What’s making you feel blissful and hopeful? I know you have noticed the wonder in your life, too, yes? ;-)

Hugs,
Carmen

p.s. the picture below is a magnolia petal.

Thinking out loud

I can tell you that when I am playing and creating I have the most wonderful sense of peace and contentment, I am in my mind thinking and dreaming, I am alone with my thoughts and ideas.
And yes, I do carry long conversations with myself.

You know, I dream of writing, oh yes! I love words and have this very strong desire of writing, of waking up one day and write of all the dreams and thoughts I had during my sleep.

That's why, I write everyday, and it is okay if the rhythm doesn't quite come easily mostly because of the brain thinking in two languages.
I am so glad that at least it seems to translate my soul's poetry into some form of visual art. My art.

En septembre



Lost



Between Summer and Winter



La puerta esta abierta=Possibilities



12 x 8 acrylics, collage (laser copies of images, recycled and reused coffee holder, scraps of handmade Indian paper, napkins, and tissue paper, vintage music pages and text from an old French book) on watercolor paper, golden matte medium, non toxic varnish.

I am very pleased with three of them, in fact, I love "En Septembre" very very much, and also "Between Summer and Winter" and to be honest, I am not happy with "Lost" although I love the background and texture. I think I may recycle it and see what new song my soul has to offer.
Hugs,
Carmen

Viva la vida, Viva el amor

"Gamble everything on LOVE if you are a true human being"
~Rumi

Let go of control. Enjoy life as it is, you will have a lot more fun if you do, Yes, I am having tons of fun ;-)
Heyy! It's all about LOVE, tell everybody! Hugs!



p.s. You must be wondering who is behind that hand making the LOVE sign, well, here she is and she indeed is the most beautiful hand model ever, and look at her pretty eyes! the smartest in her class!
(YES!!! I am her proud mama!)



Well, I want to wish you a very happy Mother's day this coming Sunday, I am certainly planning on celebrating myself and also, am counting the days for June 20, that's when my mother will be traveling from Mexico to see us and spend the whole summer with us, yay!!! I can't wait to see her and talk, and do things with her and eat her delicious meals.

Ladies:
Happy Mother's day!
and Hugs,
Carmen

p.s. #2 I LOVE this song! It makes me very happy! I think there is no better love song than this ;-)

p.s. #3 Indeed Love was my theme repeteatly this week! Love is in the air! And yes, This journal page is celebrating LOVE one more time, LOVE is the way to rediscover and see clearly the revealing of the right answers or understand that sometimes may not be an answer at all, and that's okay!

Yes, yes, yes!!!

Very Happy Mother's day!

Love

All I have to offer is LOVE beyond measure






May is beautiful!
Hugs,
Carmen

p.s. These pictures aren't great still I am very pleased with these works ;-)

To look, to listen...

Every day
I see or hear
something
that more or less

kills me
with delight,
that leaves me
like a needle

in the haystack
of light.
It was what I was born for -
to look, to listen,

to lose myself
inside this soft world -
to instruct myself
over and over

in joy,
and acclamation.
Nor am I talking
about the exceptional,

the fearful, the dreadful,
the very extravagant -
but of the ordinary,
the common, the very drab,

the daily presentations.
Oh, good scholar,
I say to myself,
how can you help

but grow wise
with such teachings
as these -
the untrimmable light

of the world,
the ocean's shine,
the prayers that are made
out of grass?

~ from why I wake early, by Mary Oliver

To look,
to listen...

Soul hugs,
Carmen

Joyful

How was your weekend? Mine was awesome! Very fun and super cool! I made three crowns, a pinata (which was donated to a school), collage and paint to my heart's content, blow some bubbles because is very in and chic, te-hee!, and I even cleaned my house ;-)

Hoping yours was like mine: joyful!
I still can believe how productive my weekend was...
Please share yours with me, I want to hear from you, too.
Soul hugs,
Carmen

p.s. I feel like teaching and sharing with you how to make those crowns, specifically the one with the Repoussé technique, I was surprised to realized how easy it is. Give me some time and I will do my best to write a tutorial, Would you be interested? yes?

Desintegration Phase Numero Dos

Do you remember my post and project involving nature and paper? Well, Today is the big reveal and phase number two. Seth Apter, from The Altered Page decided back in January, to embark on a project and invited all bloggers to participate, with a very special and unique big collaborator: NATURE.

-Please you can CLICK HERE to read more about him and his visions.

Just to tell you in a few words. The project involved taking paper of some sort and leaving it outside for a length of time (Mine Feb 11, 2009 -May 1st, 2009) to see how it changes from the elements.

These are my "before pictures" (February 11) and you will see how it looks right now, May 1st but you need to see first how my skies look almost everyday in order to see and understand my changes which are mostly decoloration, some rust, and curly edges from being outdoors.
Please know we have no extreme weather, I live in San Diego, CA, so my project shows the signs of the sun, and misty breezy mornings, I also notice that new leaves of my bugambilia grew around my project, and love this alot! also I notice some little stuff is gone because of the windy days we get almost everyday from both directions, mountains and ocean, but that's okay, my project was intended to send some mermaid wishes and prayers flying in the air for my own enjoyment ;-)





Can you see my Buddha of my garden?



And this is something I got last Sunday in the artwalk fest and wanted to share this message with all of you, so art on dear friends! enjoy whatever you do because it is art, LIFE is ART, a big canvas to play and create, make something fun or wild ;-)
Soul hugs,
Carmen