Storytelling Sunday: "It's easy, mom!"

Clara: "Can I have your old camera mom?"
Me: "Yes you can, once you learn how to use it."
Clara: "I know how to use it mom.  It's easy. See?"
Yes, my love, I do.
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This post is offered as part of Sian's Storytelling Sunday Year 2: Pictures (and just a few words). For more great stories, check out this link.
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P.S. I posted my April stamp give-away a day early. But it's not too late to put your name in the draw. For a chance to win a set of very rare and quirky stamps, click here and leave a comment.

April Stamp Give Away

Once a month, on the first day of the month, I post a couple of new or gently used stamps to give away. This month I'm offering a quirky set great for cards, art journals or collage work. (I'm also posting a day early because on April 1, I'll be posting to Sian's Storytelling Sunday.)
If you want a chance to win this pair of rare stamps, leave me a comment by 10:00 p.m. Sunday night, April 1 (California time). and let me know. I'll pick a winner by random draw. The sentiment stamps are both from Club Scrap. The girl on the left is Laurel Burch by All Night Media.  The girl on the right is from Portfolio.

Good-luck!

Miss Universe 2007 dress up

Miss USA

The contestants in the Miss Universe competition have been showing off some bizarre dresses
designed to reflect their country's culture.
Thousands of spectators packed the Reforma Avenue in Mexico City to watch the striking, beautiful and in some cases strange costumes, worn by the hopefuls to win the beauty pageant, which will be held in the Mexican capital on May 28.
The loudest cheer was unsurprisingly for Miss Mexico, or Rosa Maria Ojeda, whose dress was decorated with images of Mexican food, including corn on the cob and tropical fruit, alongside symbols of ancient Indian cultures.
Miss USA, or Rachel Smith, showed the United States' love for rock and roll, dressing in an Elvis Presley-style white suit and holding an electric guitar.
A dreadlocked Miss Jamaica, or Zahra Redwood, the first Rastafarian to compete for the beauty prize, went for a reggae theme with a T-shirt of singer Bob Marley.
There was some protests, with one group of women wearing white dresses covered in fake blood trying to draw attention to towns or states in Mexico where women have been raped or killed, in some cases with alleged involvement by police or soldiers.

Miss Spain

Miss Switzerland

Miss Tanzania

Miss Thailand

Miss Ukraine

Miss Norway

Miss Poland

Miss Puerto Rico

Miss Russia

Miss Serbia

Miss Italy

Miss Jamaica

Miss Korea

Miss Mexico

Miss New Zealand

Miss Finland

Miss France

Miss Germany

Miss Greece

Miss Honduras

Miss Colombia

Miss Croatia

Miss Czech Republic

Miss Dominicana RepublicMiss Estonia


Miss Albania


Miss Angola


Miss Antigua and Barbuda


Miss Aruba


Miss Canada

11 Things You May Not Know About Me

A while ago, my friend Carrie of Rosalind Revival tagged me with eleven interesting questions. I thought today was a good day to answer them because it is also the day to post my self-portrait for Urban Muser's "In the Picture" challenge. The theme for March's self portrait is black and white.  I took the picture above on my back deck.  Now, on to Carrie's questions and my answers:
1. What is the last concert you went to?  New Year's Eve, 2012.  We saw a funk legend called Maceo Parker. It was so much fun!
2. How many rooms/bathrooms are there in your house and who do you share your home with? We have three bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, plus a living room, dining room, kitchen and laundry room. I share them with my husband Paul, daughter Clara, son Henry, cat JJ and dog Gypsy.
3. If you could listen to only three CDs for the rest of your life, which three would you pick?
Grateful Dead, American Beauty
Avett Brothers, I and Love and You
Who, Quadraphenia
(Yeah, I know these are seriously dating me)
4. What is your all-time favorite movie?
Philadelphia Story - love Jimmy Stewart, love Cary Grant, love Katherine Hepburn
5. If you could have dinner with one person, living or dead, who would it be?
I'd have to say my dad.  I miss having dinner with him - enjoying good food and drink and listening to his stories.
6. What is your favorite number? Any particular reason why? 31.  It's followed me around adult life.  Our first apartment address was 316 Torino, followed by 3316 Brittain Avenue, and now we are at 331 Avenue Granada. Freaky, huh?
7. What is your all-time favorite song? This is a really hard one - it might be "Dancing in the Dark" by Bruce Springsteen.
8. Did you participate in any extra-curricular activities in high school?
I was heavily involved in speech and debate.  Qualified for the national tournament twice and the state tournament three times. Traveled all over the state and country. It was a great experience. Totally nerdy, but you know what? Shimelle also did speech and debate!
9. What are your favorite pizza toppings?  Cashews. Yes, seriously! But they're hard to get.  If I can't get them, then either sausage and mushrooms or Hawaiian.
10. What is your favorite retail store to shop in?  Nordstrom's.  I'm perfectly happy to pay people to be really nice to me when I shop.
11. Where is the coolest place you've ever visited?
The Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland. Or possibly the northwest corner of Wales. Or maybe Edinburgh Scotland. No. It was Isla Santo Espiritu - an island off of La Paz, Mexico.  We kayaked and one night we went out and splashed around in the bioluminescence. Magical.  And definitely cool.
I'm probably supposed to "tag" someone else with these questions. But I try to avoid doing that sort of thing. But I'd love to hear you answers to any or all of these questions -go ahead, pick one and answer it in the comments!
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p.s. if you're looking for my PPF post, check this link. I posted early this week b/c of meme overload.

Amazing Yakuza Tattoos On Arm Ideas

Yakuza Tattoos On Arm Designs

Yakuza is large organization in japan which fomous in the world, Many people in japan also know this organization. They have tattoo as a symbol for their organization, We call yakuza tattoos designs. Are you looking for yakuza tattoos ideas ? Maybe this tattoos designs ideas can give you inspiration, because i think this yakuza tattoos on arm will usefull for you.So please enjoy this yakuza tattoos.Thanks. . .

More "Wild" Art and Thoughts on Scale (PPF!)

Here's another art journal page I made in the "Art of Wild Abandonment" class.  It was such fun to cut leaves from various patterned and textured paper and also to make little houses to hang on my branch.  I liked it quite a bit. On the other hand. . .

I wasn't as crazy about this page. I painted vellum and the cut it up to make the butterfly and the poppies. Made some mushrooms/toadstools out of old sewing pattern paper.  I think there's something "off" about the scale of everything.  It feels huge and a little clumsy to me.  Maybe I'm just more comfortable with small, detailed things. . .
What about you? Are you more large scale or small scale?
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p.s. edited to add that I'm linking this Thursday post up to Paint Party Friday because I'm posting my monthly self-portrait on the last Friday of the month. Confused? Don't be. Go to this link to see lot of other painterly goodness for PPF!

Operation Write Home Cards

Cards are a great way to de-stash and use up patterned paper. Ali Manning has been running this challenge focusing on doing just that this month, and here's my last submission for the challenge.  I used a variety of patterned paper to make these cards which I plan to donate to Operation Write Home.  If you're a card maker who likes making cards for a cause, check out this link to learn more about a terrific organization.  They even run cool challenges - right now there's one open for masculine/Father's Day cards.  Check it out here.

Paris Hilton