I'm a Lucky Gal.

Such a beautiful day.

I did a weight workout in the afternoon (a previously unheard of time to workout - motivated by my husband who also worked out in the afternoon doing both weights & the eliptical). Upper body. I'm feeling it. I feel so strong.

I purchased and subsequently used Gesso, a material I've been reading about for eons but never used. (Economy bottle - I'm totally cool with going the inexpensive route!) I've primed a journal page and am dreaming of what it will turn into.

I watched Who Does She Think She Is? (http://www.whodoesshethinksheis.net/), a wonderful documentary I picked up from the library on women artists & balancing motherhood & societal expectations. At points it felt a bit judgmental (overly feminist), but was overall tremendously inspiring. I LOVE that I can pick up something for free and get so much out of it.

Speaking of, I listened yesterday to an interview between Connie (at Dirty Footprints Studio) & Jamie Ridler (jamieridlerstudios.ca). I absolutely ADORE Connie, her work, and her energy...and found a new beautiful person to admire as well in Jamie. You can listen to the interview at Connie's website here. (Live On PURPOSE.)

I also played around yesterday with a journal page. I'm getting a bit bolder in mixing media, letting go of the pristine nature & perfectionism I'm so used to pursuing. I'm fairly happy with the results though I know that the struggle between trying to clearly & organizationally express myself (after all, I love organization!) and fully make use of wild exploration is evident...and as a result, the page is neither all me nor all not me. The tension keeps the page from being all that it could. I LOVE though that I can constantly revisit this and examine what makes it not all me....and make the next one even more so ME!

I played with paints, a printed photo digitally altered (thanks to Connie for her inspiration!), stamps, ribbon, Mod Podge, & glitter. Here's the result:

(Step 1 - painting the background)

We just spent a bit in the hot tub to ease sore muscles (and it once again shut completely off...eventually we'll get around to contacting the electrician). We stayed in until the temperature of the water dropped significantly, but I'm still dreaming of the stars out there. So I'm going to leave the computer and go watch me some stars!