"La critique est aisée, l'Art est difficile. "
— Destouches

"Imgination rules the world"
— Napoleon Bonaparte

"Creativity is an act of defiance."
— Twyla Tharp

"Art is the only serious thing in the world. And the artist is the only person who is never serious."
— Oscar Wilde

"Creativity takes courage. "
— Henri Matisse

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." -Pablo Picasso

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
-Eleanor Roosevelt

“I believe you should live each day as if it is your last, which is why I don't have any clean laundry, because, come on, who wants to wash clothes on the last day of their life?” -Anonymous

“Believe in your dreams and they may come true; believe in yourself and they will come true”
-Anonymous

“Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail.” -Charles Kettering

“Run your fingers through my soul. For once, just once, feel exactly what I feel, believe what I believe, perceive as I perceive, look, experience, examine, and for once; just once, understand.”
- Anonymous

Add some fun to your boring letter stickers!

Learn how to add designs to plain boring letter stickers. Great idea!

I know what everyone's getting for Christmas....

Crazy Texas Lightning!

Be patient, it starts after 10 seconds. Watch the upper left corner. It really was much brighter in person. All the little flashes didn't show up. :(

My newest painting

The inspiration:

Oreo Cupcakes

Soooo.....

I made some super awesome cupcakes. We named them Oreo cupcakes because they tasted just like Oreos. The cake part was courtesy of Betty Crocker, the Triple Chocolate Fudge Super Moist Cake Mix. But the best part was the frosting HANDMADE FROM SCRATCH by yours truly. I know, I can't believe it either. Here's the recipe for you.

Oreo Frosting

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, room temperature
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk
4 crushed Oreo Cookies

1. Beat butter at medium-high speed until creamy.
2. Sift powdered sugar into the mixer bowl (right on top of the beaten butter). Beat to combine.
3. Add the vanilla and the milk. Beat until combined.
4. Frost cupcakes and top with crushed Oreo cookies!!

CAUTION: These cupcakes are super-sweet and super-addicting!

Etsy Dallas

I'm officially a member of Etsy Dallas, the group of crafty people who live in the DFW area and hawk their handmade goodies on Etsy.

Etsy Dallas Mission
The mission of Etsy Dallas is to promote the handmade movement, and to create an environment to buy and sell handmade goods in the Greater Dallas area.

Goals
To promote and sell each others’ goods by selling locally in the Greater Dallas area.
To promote awareness of the handmade movement and indie lifestyle, with a focus on Etsy.
To act as a cooperative resource and support network for each others' businesses.

I can't wait to get involved!

I caught them sleeping together!

So as much as Gibson and Bobby pretend to hate each other...

Take the Pledge to Buy Handmade! (I did!!)

Info courtesy of Buyhandmade.org

Why buy handmade?

Buying Handmade makes for better gift-giving.

The giver of a handmade gift has avoided the parking lots and long lines of the big chain stores in favor of something more meaningful. If the giver has purchased the gift, s/he feels the satisfaction of supporting an artist or crafter directly. The recipient of the handmade gift receives something that is one-of-a-kind, and made with care and attention that can
be seen and touched. It is the result of skill and craftsmanship that is absent in the world of large-scale manufacturing.


Buying handmade is better for people.

The ascendancy of chain store culture and global manufacturing has left us dressing, furnishing, and decorating alike. We are encouraged to be consumers, not producers, of our own culture. Our ties to the local and human sources of our goods have been lost. Buying handmade helps us reconnect.


Buying handmade is better for the environment.

The accumulating environmental effects of mass production are a major cause of global warming and the poisoning of our air, water and soil. Every item you make or purchase from a small-scale independent artist or crafter strikes a small blow to the forces of mass production.

I'm Back!!! (And the Memory Makers Masters 2009 Contest)

Ok everyone, sorry it took so long for me to get back to blogging.

On to the good stuff...



Memory Makers Magazine is looking for it's next round of Masters for 2009. Check it out here.

Memory Makers is looking for the best of the best –
10 savvy scrapbookers!

Submit your best work today for a chance to earn the title of Memory Makers Master and become an integral part of the Memory Makers publishing staff. Ten lucky scrapbookers will be awarded more than $2,000 in cash and prizes, and will work directly with Memory Makers editors, creating layouts and projects for the magazine for an entire year, beginning August 15, 2008.

In addition, each Memory Makers Master will also receive:

* A prize package featuring great products from our Memory Makers Masters Contest sponsors

* A full line of Memory Makers 2009 products, including a magazine subscription and books.

* Exclusive opportunities to create art and to be published in Memory Makers magazines and books.

* Payment for published pages.

* During your term, special recognition each time your pages are published in Memory Makers magazine.

* Your name on the magazine masthead alongside the Memory Makers staff.

ENTRY DEADLINE: July 31, 2008