Hmmmmm....

What's it gonna be.................

Stamps, camera, ACTION!

Just thinking about all the wonderful toys in my art room and which way the day is going to take me.

Hope that you are feeling that creativity today and everyday!

Hugs from the Bugs!

Laura Anne and Bella Boo

Dog Daze of Summer

August - the Dog Daze of Summer...too hot to cook, too hot to clean, too hot to trot.

The brain and my senses are dulled by the weight of the humidity and sometimes senseless acts by humanity.

Good thing Bella knows how to color. She keeps me on my toes as we take our daily walks  - or what I call our "meet and greets".

The best part of being a dog owner is that you meet others who love animals and almost always acknowledge your pet with a smile, "beautiful day" or dog comment.  Sometimes they even stop and tell you their story.  I never really know what prompts them to stop and start a conversation with us, but Bella and I graciously listen and learn the lesson(s) that we somehow need to hear from that person who needs to talk.

A few years back we met a man on our daily walk who was busy going about his day but wished to share a pet and hug with Bella. He also shared his story.  His wife was and is very ill and maybe, just maybe, he needed the comfort of all our ears that day.  Either way, it was a hear-warming story.

*His parents were immigrants who were proud to call themselves "Americans".
*He was orphaned as a pre-teen.
*His much older sister and her husband took him in. The husband was physically and verbally abusive to him and this soft spoken man stated that he had no use, then or now for his brother-in-law. No anger or hate in his voice, just matter-of-factly.
*He became an emancipated young adult and joined the military at 16 years old.
*He served in Vietnam at 16.5 yrs old when others were in high school, dating, driving cars and drinking milkshakes at the drive-ins. Left the service when he was 21.
*He was determined to make a better life for himself and not become the victim of his loss or abuse.
* He married. Has 2 daughters of whom he is extremely proud of and now a granddaughter who is the apple of his eye.
*Built his own business and did very well for himself and in all our conversations has never really spoken of his financial success and good fortune, but because of the area and the housing in that area, I know this to be true.
*He says it is his "duty" to give back to the military from which he took so much from.

 "The military opened their doors to a homeless boy and then became my family and raised me to become the man I am today," is how he so eloquently states it.

*He volunteers 2x a week for the USO at one of the largest airports in the nation, he counsels young military men who are struggling and he gives them his undivided attention during their stay at the nearby military base. He also volunteers at a naval museum close to his home.
*He does this with a very ill wife and no regrets about his life choices. Most of all, he speaks quietly with a profound joy that shines in his eyes..

Everytime we see him, he smiles.  Stops to chat. Pets Bella Boo and wishes us a kind day.

So today, after a weekend of angst and sorrow caused by inconsiderateness, I saw him, we spoke of the day ahead, the warm sun and we both reflected on what was truly important in life and then we went on our way.  Only this time, I forgave myself and those who continue to hurt me and found an inner peace for being so lucky to have stopped and listened to this man's story.

I am truly blessed.

"Hope I grow up to be like him, yeah ... I wanna be like him..."  (Cats in the Cradle)

Make your day count... sing, dance, play, paint...whatever it takes to keep your spirit "full" on a hot summer's day that drains you.

Laura Anne and Bella Boo


 

Where Are You Going?

Where are you going?
Where is your creativity going?
Where is your artwork going?
Are you going solo or with a friend?
Are you happy?
Are you tired?
Are you frustrated?
Are you true to yourself?

Great questions to ask on a spring day that keeps peeking in and out of the clouds and the raindrops!

Over the years my artwork has grown into more than I ever dreamed...still, I try new techniques and find myself frustrated by the feeble attempts of ink to paper, needle to fabric, or strums to ukulele.

"KEEP TRYING!"  I tell myself. This is what going for the "gold" is all about

Travel down the road less taken, the pencil less used, the paint brush of fear, the blank papered wide eyed stare down and pack your creative self into a chair of discovery!

That is where I am going today...to all of the above places with none of the guilt, calories, or self deprecation - only kind words today as I pull out my stamps, my journal and finally my ukulele. 

Spring is here.  New beginnings.  New ideas.  New energy! New! New! New!

Bunny Blessings to all this holiday season!  

You are the carrots to my cake and the jelly to my beans!

Laura Anne and Bella Boo

 

 
 

Play it again, Amma

Here I be's...strummin away the days, stamping away the nights...dancing through the leaves, walking Bella and painting walls, cabinets, doors, windows....whatever...

It is sunny with a chance of Pizza in my life today.  

It will be sunny with an even better chance of painting the kitchen cabinets tomorrow...

Wondering where I ever found the time to run a business...

Strumming my uke with my fingers, wondering whatever happened to the diet...

Laughing away the days with the "3 Amigos and 1 Little Lady...

Wishing I could make Paris whole again...

Life has changed drastically these past 20 years...let's hope our World Leaders put away their private interests, Wall Street puts some integrity into their investments so our economy can grow again and that Kindness becomes a fashion statement.

I am all over the board today...and that's OK.  My friend finally received her transplant.  My family is healthy.  My bills are paid.  My puppy is as sweet as ever, what more could I ask for?

Be creative today.. Feel blessed.  Color everything bright.  Have some Pizza.

Bugs and kisses!

Laura Anne and the ever present, Bella the Boo

 

Happy Birthday to ME!

Yep.  This is where I am ... again....

In two days I will be 61 years old and still feel like I have made no progress in my life. And at this age, I am beyond worrying about it.

I understand.  I appreciate.  I love.  I give.  I give again.  I give more. Maybe I give too much.  I am tired everyday. Somedays I give up but I never give in.

This is the song of my life. 

So, no offense but I am going to celebrate my day regardless of whether or not anyone else can find the time to because I am glad I am alive to smell the rain, walk the dog, babysit the grandchildren, paint the house (inside and out), clean the toilets, wash the floors, play my ukulele, laugh, cry or do whatever I can to make the sun shine on my insides. 

Regardless of my weight, I AM going to buy my own birthday cake and have a piece of joy and find the sweetness in my day.

If you are anything like me, and find yourself wondering  - just know that you are worth more than you ever dreamed of and that happiness is on the inside, disappointment is a part of life and that the choice in how you handle it is all up to you.

So, excuse me, but I need to go and put my party panties on and blow my out my candles.  Time to celebrate!

Happy Birthday to me!

Laura Anne and Bella Boo

Welcome to Our World!

Welcome Little One! 

Meet the newest, most fabulous Bugawump in my life, Miss Maya Faye.  Born on June 8th to a very happy but tired Mommy and Daddy and very active big brother, Sean.

Amma (that's me) and Papa (grandpa) are thrilled to have a girl in the mix of three little boys, all three years old this year, whom I fondly refer to as the "Three Amigos".

Little Miss Maya came home in the dress, socks, bonnet and blanket that her mommy came home in just shy of 38 years ago.  What a thrill to see that dress worn again.  Great memories from a long ago lifetime...glad that I kept those memories in a box and in my heart...glad that she is healthy...glad that my daughter is healthy...gratitude fills my eyes with tears of joy that roll down my cheeks and onto Bella Boo who sits at my feet and wonders what all the hub bub is about.

A friend once said to me on the birth of her first grandchild, "Such infinite potential is born with every child." 

I am feeling very thankful for that friend and all the blessings that have been bestowed upon me these past 60 years. 

I ask for nothing more. I just wonder what is in store the next 60 years of my life and of all those I love. Somehow I know it will be good!

Wishing you all a day of new found blessings and the refreshed spirit of creativity as I answer the call of the "Three Amigos" asking me to come and paint with them as Little Maya Faye sleeps on.

Laura Anne and Bella Boo

Happy Birthday Boys!

Here they are just one month old!  Time passes so quickly...
Babies are born.  Toddlers.  Three Years Old. 
 
When did this "Amma" get so old...

All in all, closing my rubber stamp business was the best choice for everyone. I have had three years of being with them on a regular basis.

Ryan - top left, is fun loving, kind, thoughtful and just full of energy.

Colin - right side, is quiet, a real thinker, book loving, little old man who loves to run.

 Life is good.

Wait - Life is GREAT! 

Being "Amma" to these guys and their cousin, Sean, who will be three in August, is the best job I have ever had.

They are teaching me to truly love life, color outside the lines, run in three directions at once and most of all, to eat McDonald's again!

Today these two turned three.  I remember the sun shining off the newly formed puddles from an early morning rain on the day they were born.  The birds chirping and their parents glowing as they finally got to meet their sons. 
 

I remember holding them and thinking I would break them. They were sooooooo tiny.

I remember the look on their dad's face as he introduced them to all of us as their mother looked on.

TWO!  TWO little dynamos that changed ALL of our worlds with their first heartbeats, their first cries, their first smiles.

Here they are now.  Standing tall at THREE.

I miss ALL my customers.  I miss ALL my road trips and shows.  I miss the friends I made who also had booths at the conventions. 

BUT - I am so thankful I did NOT miss this!

Happy 3rd  Birthday Colin and Ryan!

Amma will see you both tomorrow with your cousin and we will celebrate with cupcakes, candles, and prizes.

Love you to the moon and back!

Amma Laura Anne and Auntie Bella Boo

 

Innovation, Creativity, Perfection and Time

Not so Long Ago...

Oh my....not so very long ago, the very little feet of three very little men, came into my life.

 

It is now 2015 and they are ALL turning three very soon.

 

So, time for "Amma" to get going; tobe creative, to color, to draw, to experiment, to laugh, to love, to enjoy her creative side with these little men and soon to be new addition.

 

I have learned so much from all of them - Colin, Mr. Quiet Patience, Ryan, Mr. Bliss, and Sean, Mr. Twinkle (or I Have a Joke).

 

The next generation of innovation.  The next generation of creativity. 

 

Somewhere in my past, the very idea of creativity and freedom to let the colors or the stictches land where they may was driven out of me by the adults who felt "perfection" was more important.

 

Well, I am 60 now and I realize that without the freedom to express one's creativity, there is no innovation.  Perfection is something that one works on in one's "creative works". It takes time, patience, twinkling sparks of ideas and humor.

 

 

I am stalemated not by my ideas but by the time I know it will take to bring them to fruitation in the light in which I see them. 

 

Therefore, I will make a pledge to myself that I will not get caught up in "perfectionism" that I was taught and rather concentrate on creating whatever it is I see before me while bringing it to a place of bliss and humor with patience. 

 

This will be difficult.  This is not in my nature any longer and I must fight the demons of perfection out of my artwork.  My artwork needs to stand alone as it is and be what it can be.  I need to get out of my own way and begin again. 

 

There are still colors to choose.  There are still songs to be sung (out of key, of course). There are still words to be written that need to be said...and there are still people who will understand whatever it is I need to do to find, capture and live my creative life.

 

There is still time....

 

May you find your spirit renewed this year.  May your colors be bright and bold. Most of all, may your creativity be sparked by the smallest of things, real or not, and that you find the energy and time to bring your ideas to fruitation.

 

Creatively yours in 2015!

 

Laura   Anne, the "3 Amigos" and Bella Boo

 





 

MERRY CHRISTMAS from all of us at Bugawumps!

 

Yes, the fun here is still going strong! 

 

Three little men and another little bundle on the way are making smiles everywhere we go.

 

How Blessed we feel. 

 

Wishing you and those you love, many wonderful memories of holidays past, present and to come!

 

Laura Anne and Bella the Boo, the Christmas puppy

 

 

 



The Beauty of "IT"

There is an inherent beauty in all that touches our lives which gives us the ability to create beautiful, interesting lives, black, mudslinging down in the dirt lives, or worse yet, grey, it doesn't matter anymore or I don't care anymore lives.

The strongest of these lives, is the first one.  It is the one I was born with.  Trust me, I did not come from a "beautiful" place and life has been anything but easy for me.  I was born with a soul that needs the light, the truth, and realistic simplicity.  No sugar coating here, just tell me like it is; let me see you for who you truly are and then my friend, let us go from there to see where we can find some common ground because I truly want you in my life.

I was born to dream.  I was born to create.  I was born to help, to nurture, to heal, to hug, to love, to laugh and to make this world a better place than the one I grew up in for the generations to follow.  I was born an old soul 60 years ago and now I finally fit into my wrinkled, freckled, grey haired body with such ease that I love it more than ever.  I am ready to move forward without worrying about what you think of me, my life or my art.

This has truly been a year of struggle for me.  I have felt like I have been living an out of body experience watching this year pass by as the people I have loved for so long and the world in general, lose their ability to be understanding, much less kind. 

I worry that the path I have chosen will be wide enough for my grandchildren to navigate through  and that the weeds of destruction so many others are sowing in order to create chaos out of the joy and beauty in an ordinary day will quickly cover up all the good seeds I am throwing down. So much jealousy, so many small hearts. 

Is there a hug much less a paintbrush out there that I can purchase that will be big enough to cover all the black mud that I fear is sucking us all into a dangerously apathetic society? 

This year, I have had to let go of those who have never been able to see my colors much less my worth as I pray that they find their way down their own paths without me cheering them on.  I realize they don't need me...

... and maybe, just maybe, I am their problem. 

Maybe I have held them so long and so tight, that they can't stand alone and see how strong they are....maybe I have loved them too much...hopefully someone else is waiting for them who can show them the light, the coIor, the beauty of their life and their own worth as they forge their path into the unknown as I let go and move forward. 

I recognize that I do not have the answers anymore. Or is it that I do not ask the right questions? 

I can only open my arms and my heart wider each and every morning as I hug my children, grandchildren, friends and family into my small world so they feel safe, secure and confident when they leave me to go out and create a world that they wish to live in and also leave behind. 

I wish that on this day and the days that follow both you and I, that we not only see the beauty before us, but also create a better day so that as the sun fades our colors become brighter, our words truer, our love stronger and our hearts bigger.

Open up and come on in for a hug!  There is one waiting for you to step into it!

Laura Anne and Bella Boo, the puppy with the biggest heart and a colorful personality

Teach Your Children...welll...

Art Classes have begun!

3 boys, lots of paint brushes, colors, and energy!


The only way to teach children is with an open mind and an open heart!

DO NOT expect perfection - well at least in the way you saw the project being completed.

Children are like little sponges.  They want to learn.  They want to create.  They want to have fun.  Most of all, they want to PLEASE!

Make sure you have everything ready, set and then GO with the flow.

What you had in mind, may never happen.  What they see, what they are capable of, where the student's ability is, where their maturity is, where they are socially and physically will all play a part in how the project pans out.  It is not up to you to finish it for them.  It is up to them to take part, create, enjoy and then take ownership of their artwork.  There is no right or wrong in art.

My three grandsons had a vision on this wonderfully sunny afternoon that I did not.  They painted their feet, their hands, one another, the dog (poor Bella), rocks, flowers, grass, the drop cloth and finally the paper on their easels.  They ran; they jumped; they hid in the flower beds all while I took photos.

Once I realized that children learn from us and how we perceive the world to be, I learned to giggle with them while I worked with them! I have always wanted any child or adult I have taught to ENJOY being creative regardless of the outcome.  If the student enjoys the process, they will keep working on the product or the projects until they master the concept.

Remember - their artwork is not a reflection of you - it is a reflection of them and what they are learning from you.

Have fun!  Teach your children well and your children will thrive!

Laura Anne and a very colorful Bella Boo

Colorful Wheelies!

Colors, colors everywhere...

Ever wonder how to make sure that you are coloring world perfectly?

Well, here's a simple primer that will ensure you keep those colors bright and vibrant!

First, get yourself a color wheel at the nearest craft and hobby store or go online and pull one up form some obscure sight!

Now - take a close look at those colors....the ones that are right next door to each other - those are "FRIENDLY" colors.  Put em together and you have another bright color!  Put them next to each other, and you have a pleasing piece of artwork. 

WHY???? Because they work together.  They share the load.  They mix and match beautifully.  You can even hop a color over and still have great results!

Choose the darker of the colors to shade and WA LA! A very pleasing effect indeed!

NOW....if you are seeing "mud" it means that you are jumping across the street and bringing with you your dirty feet. 

Colors that are across from one another on the color wheel, are considered complimentary colors. 

They look wonderful NEXT to one another. Used sparingly, they make the elements of the picture really POP!  Too much and you have caused major mental confusion.

Blend them together and most of the time, they make a dirty brownish grayish mess.  Sparingly, they can make beautiful deep shadowing on your images.

These are the rules of color that I live by when working on a project.  Nine out of ten times, knowing "Friendly" vs "Across the Street" makes all the difference.

Try thinking about these two simple rules when you go out there to create!  I think you will be amazed at how much better your end results will be!

Happy splashing through another colorful day!

Laura Anne and Bella Boo

Happy Father's Day, Poppa!

There are father's and then there are "FATHER'S" and eventually, "POPPA'S"!

Two years ago we were on the brink of a baby explosion and now we are full force into the "two's" with the "3 Amigo's".  Who would have thought....

Our family motto is
 "You call it Chaos, we call it, 'family'". 

Life is good!  No, wait, Life is GREAT!

HAPPY FATHER's DAY Poppa!  

Thanks for being the kind of husband, dad and grandfather that takes it all in stride and changes diapers without a second thought!

Love to all on this special day designated to dads everywhere.

Laura Anne and Bella Boo
 

Change is in the Air

Here is where I stand today...on the brink of the first day of spring on a path I did not choose.  

Life's reflections are always changing, just like the seasons, just like minds, just like children and grandchildren.

Life is change. 

Change is not always easy or easy to accept.  Still, that is what "IT" is all about.

Bend like the willow tree or break.

This winter was harsh in many ways.  I am hoping for a kinder, softer, more colorful spring with surprises that await me beneath the icy piles of snow that sit outside my front door.  Thank you 80" of snowfall in Chicago for gracing us with your beauty if not your ice damns on my roof!

I have begun to work on another piece of artwork for a gallery in Northbrook, IL.  It is almost ready to be turned in and I am excited to let my colors and my imagination take me on a journey that I haven't visited for quite a while. 

Pens, Pencils, Chalks, Paints and Masking Fluid fill my desk as paper and ideas tumble onto the floor in hopes that I will find myself.  As sunlight dances on the floor and the songs of Carrie Newcomer (check this lady out on YouTube) play in the background, it reminds me that 
ALL is good as long as I stay true to who I am and those I love and those who love me for me. 

Time to come home and enjoy who I am and those who love me.  Time to create.  Time to play.  Time....Time to grab what I can and leave behind what I can't change.

I want to see clear, crisp, vibrant colors in all that I see, do and those I love as well as those who love me.

I am thankful for the path I didn't choose but one that I obviously needed to go down.  It has taught me to be strong, forgiving and kind.

I hope the path you choose does the same for you and that your colors are true, honest and kind as well.

Welcome to Spring!

Laura Anne and Bella Boo (all of us are bit muddy and wet behind the ears and still here!)

Sunshine please!

A little sunshine please!  

The weather here in the outlying suburbs of Chicago has been cold, snowy, cloudy and windy.

My patience, my sanity and my creativity are slowly diminishing as the days drag on and there seems to be no end in sight.

How are you all doing?

Longest winter in decades!  Longest cold spell ever!  60 inches of snow and now water damns backing up into my house and leaking in the ceilings in my foyer and living room...

Creative measures need to be taken...pots, pans, boots, umbrellas...and most of all chocolate!

I am sure you know how I am feeling.  Even poor Bella has not had a good walk since Christmas!

Hang in there.  The sun will come out...if not today, maybe tomorrow.

Spring is around the corner.  Hugs are on the way.  

Stamping conventions are starting to show up in every state around the country for those of us who need  a fix of friendship, fun, and frivolous spending!

Hang in there....hang in there....hang in there, I keep telling myself.

Hang in there....

Laura Anne and the Bella Boo, hoping for better days and a long walk soon!
 

Wonder "Full" Holidays

So here we are, the end of one year, the beginning of another. 

I can't believe how much  my life has changed nor how much our three grandsons have grown in one year.

They are walking, beginner talking little wonders with big smiles, big hugs and most of all, big personalities.  They are my joy, my bliss, my creative muses.

They are just like their grandma.

They love to color, paint, and throw their sippy cups on the kitchen floor.

I love to color, paint and throw the ball to Bella, my puppy, on the kitchen floor.

As they continue to grow and change, I am dedicated to making more fun, more art, and even more music.  

My stamping has slowed down as has my time, but this year I am dedicated to making sure that more creative time is put aside so that I have time to play and dream and make.

2014 is the year!  Take the vow, make yourself a promise that you will find time to do what you love!  

Life is short, so make it wide!

Happy New Year to all my friends, family and acquaintances!  Thank you for being a part of my life!

Laura Anne and Bella Boo, the cutest puppy in my home

Wedding Wishes for a Wonderful Summer of Memories!

So, What is your summer looking like?

Ours is one of travel, wedding, travel, wedding, travel, wedding, travel, wedding, and on and on and on until the weekend after Labor Day!

You got it - we are on the road for weekend weddings from June through mid-September with only two weekends unaccounted for!  That is only because we will be on vacation those weekends...this schedule is worse than my business convention schedule ever was!

So my workshop has been busy with making wedding cards for all the brides and grooms along with sewing rompers for the "3 Amigos" so they have matching Disney Wear when we hit Main Street USA !  Grandma sure likes to keep busy :)

If you like this card, it is about as simple as they come:

Pick a color and run with it.  I chose a light lavender cardstock for the card itself. 

Cut your cardstock to 5.5" x 8.5".  Score down the middle of the card at 4.25"

Cut another piece of white cardstock - you choose the size*** as long as it is smaller than the 4.25" x 5.5" folded cardstock that you just did.  ***mine was 3" x 3".

Stamp your pretty little image - I chose a brown dye based ink.

Copic markers colored in the small flowers.  My Pink Pan Pastels did the outer edges of the dress and I used a Blue Pan Pastel for the edges of the white cardstock and some of the outer edges of my lavender cardstock.

I then used double stick tape and layered the stamped card onto the lavender cardstock.

GLITTER GLUE!  The best invention yet! 

Insert a piece of wax paper between the fold of the lavender cardstock and using your lavender, blue or crystal glitter glue tube***I used crystal on the white and blue on the lavender, outline your cardstock on the edges.

Let dry. 

WALA!  You are done and ready to put on your party dress and eat cake!

Hope this helps all of you to remember that keeping it simple, in cards as well as in life makes for a happier life!

Good words for the bride and groom as well, don't you think?

Hugs until my tires wear out, my dancing feet are worn out and my tummy is full of cake and happy memories of beautiful brides, handsome grooms, toasts a plenty and smiles for all.

Laura Anne and Bella Boo, the puppy who loves to dance to her own tune

When Do I Get My Cookie?

Happy 4th Birthday to Bella Boo!

What a good puppy she is, the best ever!  She puts up with my long photo shoots, my long nights stamping, my grumpy moods and still, she wags her tail at me as if I am the best thing since sliced bread.

Wish I could be more like her...

My patience has been at an all time low these days as my creativite space has been inhabited by nonsensical gremlins of various sorts.  I am beginning to name these invisible time killer gnomes so that I have someone to blame when I can't do what I want to...you know them as well I am sure...  "Errand  Go Bad", "Casa Dull Dirt", "Laundry Be Done", and of course "Dishes Do Mount" to name just a few.

So for today, Bella and I will put away the dish towels, the cleaning rags, the vaccuum cleaner, the lawn mower and whatever else is trying to sap our energy and we will play, eat cookies and hug.

Yes, ladies (and gentlemen), I am turning off my cell phone for the weekend, telling the grown-up kids that I am busy, the hubby that I am off the clock, and all the others who "need" my attention but really don't (you know who you are), that I am busy celebrating the puppy love of my life! 

Once she falls asleep, I will creep downstairs into my studio and create something worth while or not, but I will create something that will heal my soul, make me smile and is worth a cookie for both Bella and I.

Bella and I have waited long enough to share those cookies of friendship. 

We have waited long enough. 

Today is our day.


Here is hoping that your day is worth celebrating, your heart is worth healing and your puppy is beside you sharing in your joy as you create a life worth living!

Happy Birthday to ALL,
especially Bella Boo, who has taught me to eat the cookies of life slowly and to remember to enjoy my life regardless of what comes my way.

Laura Anne and Bella Boo

K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple Silly!



If you are looking for something simple and wonderful and don't have a lot of time, this is your lucky day!

I love making circular pictures or cards!  Not quite sure why - maybe it is because I am always running around in circles and feel like I accomplish little if anything...LOL

So here you go - this is a 16" x 20" pastel (chalk) picture that I taught my students to do years ago.

It is a lesson in color theory.  Hot vs Cold. Color opposites.  Color analogy. If you don't have a color wheel, this would be a great time to get one so that you can truly understand what I am saying in this post.

Anyways, Here we go!

On any size paper that you would like,

1. Draw circles with a light blue pencil, stopping at the points of the circle(s) where they overlap to give your peice some dimension.
2. Now choose  two "friendly" colors - they are colors that are next to one another on the color wheel -these are your "friendly colors".  i.e. yellow and orange, green and blue.
3. Now pick another set of "friendly" colors.  This time make sure that if you chose two warm hues, choose two cool hues to help set off your composition.
4. On one side of the circle, use one of your "friendly colors" and color in 1/3 of the circle.
5. On the other side of the same circle, color your other "friendly color".
6. Blend the two colors together towards the center of the circle.
7. Continue coloring all the other circles in the same manner using different combinations of "friendly colors". Make sure that you don't put two of the same friendly color combinations next to one another. 
8. Once all your circles have been colored in, color black in all the surrounding areas that you have not colored in yet.
9. WALLA!  You are done!  

I like to use a little aerosol hairspray on my chalks to set them so they don't smear or come off on my hands at a later date - but I will leave that decision up to you as to how you want to finish your piece of.

Warm vs Cool - spectacular color choices when making a greeting card.  Use one for the images and the other for the background or vise versa.

You can't go wrong using this color theory!

Have a creatively great day!

Laura Anne and Bella Boo                  

                             

 

 

Cloudy weather, storm front approaching...

I am seriously hoping that there is a silver lining behind the clouds that seem to be hovering over me.

My creative energy has been sapped - well at least for now.

Clarissa Pinkola Estes, a well known psychologist who has written many self-help books, states that when one is having difficulties in their life, that is not the time to work on the hard stuff, but rather the time to sit quietly and wait until you feel healthy and ready to step out again. 

So, this is where I am - sitting inside of myself, hoping that the chaos and turmoil that surround me because I am unable to continue doing what I have always done finds a resolution on its own.  While others around me try to change my stance, I am the only one who knows what my limits are, physical as well as emotional. 

I am not always as healthy as I would like; I am not always as giving as I would like to be; I am not always able to say "yes" to all who need something.  Still, I give as much as I can and try to see the beauty within all who pull at my heartstrings.

Life changes.  Priorities change.  Hopefully people will change as well - to grow, to learn, to understand that what once was, is no longer a viable option.  Responsibility lies within each and every one of us to be our own advocates, our own friend, our own master.

So as the day continues to grow cloudier and darker and the storm front gets closer with loud thunderous booms and the lightening strikes with an angry force that cannot be denied, I will hug my children, my grandchildren, my husband, and my puppy with strong arms, a true heart, and the conviction to move my life forward in hopes that when the storm is over, I will be on the other side of a rainbow that proves how true my colors were to those who were not only truthful, but also true to me.

Listen - the rain is not far behind.......

Hoping that tomorrow is a brighter more beautiful day for all of you!

It will be for me as I am the maker of own life.

Laura Anne and Bella Boo, the most wonderfully warm puppy on this planet