Tag Archives: Art

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Shiny Happy People Part 3

Welcome to the third in my series of “25 Things That Made Me So Happy I Want To Pee My Pants” – this week has been a really tough one for me, with some long, hard days at work and some stressful disappointments away from work, so I need the joy that comes with making one of these lists BIG TIME. :) Without further ado, let’s do this:

 

Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee (they just opened a new store right near my work and I honestly don’t know if it would be possible for me to be any happier than I am. My dear friend picked up coffee and a Boston Cream donut for me yesterday, and, in that moment, I think my heart actually swelled and I loved her even more :-) )

Acronyms like FUPA, because they are hilarious and foul :-)

Yorkshire Terriers and my Wee One – look at this picture and tell me that life isn’t pretty damn great sometimes :-)
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Willie Nelson – he turned 80 on Tuesday, and I celebrated with beer in his honor. He’s just as cool as ever – may we all be as hip when we’re 80! :-)
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“Silver Linings Playbook” – released on DVD/Blu-Ray on Tuesday, sitting on my table waiting to be watched as I type this. I looooooove this movie so much and can’t wait to watch it! :-)
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The Rain – it’s been raining in San Antonio this week, and things are looking green and gorgeous! :-)

Time Capsules – I’ve never been part of one of these, but my darling friend in Canada has, and I think it sounds like awesome good fun! :-) Now.. what shall I put in mine????! Ideas and suggestions are gratefully accepted! :-)

Mindy Kaling – everything she is and everything she does fills me with joy :-) I love her! :-)

The fact that there is one month left of school! :-) Bring on summer! :-)

Panera’s Fat-Free Superfruit Power with Ginseng Smoothie (Superfruit power puree blended with organic plain Greek non-fat yogurt and boosted with ginseng)  - this thing is AWESOME!!! :) So delicious, and it tastes like a happy spring party in your mouth! :) What an awesome way to commence your day! :)

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The VH1 show ‘Off Pitch’ – this show has me totally dazzled…it’s both awful and absolutely cheese-tastic and fabulous, all at the same time! :-) I loooove it!!! :-)

Spring Flowers – I bought these for myself last weekend and they’ve made me happy all week. :-) It’s the little things, friends. :-)
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Red VW Beetle Convertibles – I want one. Badly. Anybody fancy giving/loaning me $10,000? :-)
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People with good intentions who say what they mean and mean what they say – and they don’t blow smoke up your arse, either. Love those people. :-)

Canadian Model Justine LeGault -and the fact that her simply STUNNING self is on the cover of Elle Québec…and she’s a size 14/16. Gorgeous! Read about her here. Yaa!!! :-)

The Comedy of Amy Schumer – her new sketch show ‘Inside Amy Schumer’ premiered on Comedy Central on Tuesday, and I quite liked it. Check it out! :-)

The pride that comes from standing up for yourself and doing what’s right, regardless of how hard it is. Go on with yo’bad self, friends! :-)

 This video on YouTube – this guy’s wife got drunk one evening and decided to tell him a joke. He recorded it and then animated it…and it’s a riot! (of course, it’s a ridiculously corny joke – exactly my favorite kind!)

A pouffy petticoat like this one (courtesy of my spirit animal Betsey Johnson) to wear under my dresses, and around my house (because what better idea is there than swanning around mi casa in this fluffy thing??!):

BETSEYS PERFECT PETTICOAT BLACK

 

Jimmy Choo Perfume – it smells like I imagine sex with an angel to smell…and that sounds like a hell of a good time, don’t you think? :)

Jimmy Choo Eau de Parfum, 3.3 oz

 

 

 My office at work is full of paintings done by the AMAZING Texas artist Linda Calvert Jacobson (who also happens to be my friend and one of the loveliest people you’ll ever meet!) – it is impossible to be anything less than EXTREMELY HAPPY when you are working in an environment full of these: 
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My Wee One made this picture for me…and, during a week like this one when I’ve decided that nobody loves me and everybody hates me and I will die alone in a shanty-town shack with a pot-bellied pig as my only friend – there is nothing better than this. :)
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The sight of little children holding hands

The smell of movie theatre popcorn. And bacon. Mmm….

This picture of cuddling panda cubs :)

Panda cubs cuddling with each other

 

 

Making this list has helped – I would like to share with you a list of things that are currently pissing me off (it would be rather long and spirited, as people have been really shitting on me this week), but…that kind of defeats the whole purpose of accentuating the positive. So…in that spirit – I will end on this good note: happy Friday, my beautiful friends…even if you don’t make a list of all of the things that make you deliriously happy (and in need of adult diapers), that you at least think of those things and recognize the importance of them in your life. :) Being happy = AWESOME!!! :)

xxx

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Hard Day

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Today will go down in history as the worst, most stressful day of my professional career. Despite my very best efforts, things went horrible awry, and I suspect that I will be dealing with the fallout from today for many days to come. The situation that transpired was absolutely NOT my fault (thank the lord), but it is certainly my problem – and, since I’m a person who advocates taking responsibility, that’s what I’m doing. I’m happy to announce that I don’t think I will be fired (things weren’t looking so good this afternoon, let me tell you), but there will be repercussions. It has been hard. I don’t know if you’re a praying person – but think a good thought in my direction, will you? I need it. Bad.

One final thought before I go (I will have to write more tomorrow – I’m a shattered mess at the moment)…I can’t stop thinking about “The Perks Of Being A Wallflower” (I watched it on the weekend, remember?) – and, in particular, I’m hung up on this idea: We accept the love we think we deserve. This is SUCH a loaded statement for me, a person who suffers from chronic self-loathing and doubt, who figures I deserve nothing. Perhaps, amidst all of the chaos and misery and drama that is my existence, there IS love, the good kind of love that I somehow DO deserve. When I first watched that movie, that line made me feel really awful about myself, as if all of the hard times that I have had (and continue to have) are because that is what I deserve – hard times and misery; however, I’ve had a change of heart, and realized that even in the darkest of moments, I DO have love around me….even if it doesn’t look like what everybody else has, and I’m not a total  loser. I choose to believe that I AM loved, not despite my flaws, but because of them. And that’s okay with me – I’ll take it. :)

I hope that you’ve had a good day, friends…one that is full of love. :) Keep thinking good thoughts for me, okay? I need ‘em.  :) Je vous aime. :)

xxx

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I Wanna Grow Old With You

I had a mini-meltdown on Monday over something SO stupid. I got a letter in the mail from the pension administrators for teachers in my part of Canada, letting me know that my meager contributions that I made during the six years I taught up there would result in a whopping $240ish if I collect at age 65, and a thundering $135ish if I draw this money at age 55. Woohooo!!  Going places with all that coin!!! I was completely and utterly depressed – I pay into a pension plan here in Texas, but it is by no means a great plan…so I supplement with a wee bit of money that I put away in an investment account each month. It’s not a lot, sadly, but when you are paid as poorly as I am, every little bit is a lot. The plan from Canada is currently giving me the option of withdrawing that money and rolling it in to something here in Texas – I’m exploring the options, and trying to determine the best way forward. However, I spent Monday morning obsessing about this (and didn’t sleep a wink that night, fearing that I would be destitute and living beneath an overpass in a cardboard box!)- I’ve already resigned myself to the fact that I will need to continue working past the age of 65, but…when faced with some bitter realities and depressing numbers this week, I think that I will be between 72 – 75 before I can retire. That strikes me as absolutely insane. The thing is that I have no other pensions or money to fall back on – this is it, it’s just me. And that is flippin’ scary, friends. :(
I always assumed in the stupid, naive part of my brain (i.e. ALL of it) that I would retire sometime between 55 and 60, live a comfortable life, travel and enjoy the rest of my years, and just generally be awesome. I never thought much about how I would fund that fab life of mine, but…I just kinda hoped it would take care of itself. However, over the years, reality has begun bitch-slapping my stupid ass around (thank Christ) and I’ve been taking steps towards planning some kind of a future for myself, but I’ve still got SO far to go. I don’t know if it’s the fact that I will be 40 next year (Yaaa!) or the pension fund letter this week or what, but it has really been hanging over my head lately. I’ve been thinking a lot about the financial side of things, of course, but…I’ve also been really contemplating the kind of life I want to have. I have been imagining where I want to be 25 years from now – and, just as importantly, where I don’t want to be. Let’s start with that, shall we? I want to have moved on from Education – this industry that I am working in today is NOT the one that I signed up for years ago, and the changes that have happened have not been good. I don’t know that I have the heart, patience or stamina to do this for the rest of my working days, I just don’t. While this year has been monumentally better (best year of my career, no joke), I still don’t know that I want to do this ’til I drop dead. I feel that there is so much more out there for me…and I want to do it ALL. :)

I want to take more painting classes, because the one I took last July was hands down one of the most awesome and pleasurable experiences of my life…it was AMAZING! :) Here’s my picture if you haven’t seen it before (and yes, I am extremely proud – I’d never painted before until this!) :

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I have studied Art History quite a bit, but I want to do more of that…it fills me with impossible happiness. :) I would like to spend time playing the piano more – I play as a form of stress release these days, and it does the trick…there are few things that can take the edge off a shitty day like banging the ever-loving shit out of the ivories in the name of Chopin or Liszt! I want to take up golf again, and not give two shits about whether or not I suck at it…who cares??! It doesn’t matter! :) I want to travel and see some more of the wonders of this world – and I am damn well going to finish ALL of the things that are on my ’50 Things To Do Before I’m 50′ list…and I’ll probably make a new list to see me through the rest of my life! :) I just know that there’s SO many things that I still want to do…I just need to figure out some way to finance all of these great ideas of mine! :) Suggestions are gratefully accepted! ;)

A lot of people that I know in Education have side businesses – a few of them are real estate agents who sell homes in their off time, others are professors at local colleges, one works part-time at a title company…there are so many options out there! One of my friends at work this week shared details of her side business with me – she’s a baker! :) And one hell of a good one, let me tell you! :) Here are some of her treats:

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Chocolate-Covered Oreos :)

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White Chocolate-Covered Oreos :)

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Cake Pops make me unreasonably happy :) Just FYI :)

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Almond Bark is so pretty :)

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Mice - Adorable and Yummy! :)

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Mice – Adorable and Yummy! :)

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Chocolate-Dipped Fancy Fortune Cookies :)

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Gingerbread Marshmallows! :)

Delicious looking, eh? I know!! I sampled some of her wares yesterday (that sounds like a lesbian orgy, but it totally wasn’t, I swear), and my word but they were DELISH!!! Scrumptious! :) If you happen to live locally and be interested in purchasing some of her goodies (cake balls, cake pops, cakes, handmade candy, cookies of every shape and flavor,  cookie baskets, marshmallow, almond bark, caramel corn, chocolate-covered Oreos which look like HEAVEN…girlfriend does it all!), please let me know and I will happily put you in touch with her – not only is she an AMAZING baker, she’s one of the best BEST teachers that I have EVER seen (seriously, she’s magic in the classroom), and she’s a really great person! :) I envy someone like her – she has this awesome talent, and she’s found a way to turn her favorite thing into a side business…SO SMART! :) I’ve been thinking of this for years, and I can’t seem to get anywhere with it. Sadly, nobody is lining up outside to pay me to write (which is a damn shame, because if they did I believe that I’d have found nirvana - no, silly, not the Nirvana with Dave Grohl, although that is one seriously awesome and funny dude, so I’d kinda like to find him and hang out for a bit), and I have yet to figure out a way to get paid for my immense and mildly impressive knowledge of popular culture, so…I haven’t had a lot of luck with the whole side business thing. I don’t have many talents that are marketable, which stinks…I really need to get on that and get something going for myself. The idea of being a crazy old lady with 27 cats in my cardboard box living under the 1604 underpass is getting more and more frightening…yikes! :(

 I hope that you’re having a happy day, friends! :)   I love you a bunch! :)

xxx

 

 

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Guilty Pleasure

Last night, one of my favorite guilty pleasures ended its first season – yes, I’m talking about Bravo’s “Gallery Girls” yet again. I hate-watched the season finale last night, and was left with some very interesting feelings and conclusions about the whole series.

I continue to really like Kerri, and I thought that her storyline was one of the most realistic. She was working a full-time day job, and working on an internship in the art world on the side. She regularly acknowledged the difficulties of juggling both positions, and was realistic about the fact that eventually she was going to have to make a choice – and, for her sake, I hope that her choices work out. She seemed to be a nice person, concerned with her work and doing the best that she could, and dammit but that girl worked hard. (plus, her Mom was adorable – she should get her own show. Do you hear me, Andy Cohen??!) :)

 

I liked Liz quite a bit – although I found her attitude to be somewhat off-putting from time to time. The tantrum and pout that she threw at Maggie and her boyfriend in Miami was ridiculous…Liz seems like a hurt little girl most of the time – which totally makes sense when you see her interactions with her father and realize how badly she wants his approval, and how his lack of relationship with her has affected most every area of her life. However, Liz seems to have an impressive knowledge of art, and I feel that if she applied herself she could really be successful in the New York art community, but…she needs to do a serious attitude adjustment, stop relying on her father’s name and make her own way. She’s got the means (and the support of a very awesome mom – she could do with her own reality show as well, come to think of it) – I hope that she can find her way. :)

 

The End of Century girls – Claudia, Chantal, and Angela – were really, really something throughout the series. Claudia seemed to be the most sensible, but why she allied herself with a raging dumbass like Chantal and went in to business with her is absolutely beyond me. Claudia will have learned some rough lessons throughout this whole experience, and I bet she found it painful to watch these interactions on television. I am interested in knowing what she’s doing now – hopefully it’s something good. :) As for Chantal…eh, whatevah. That girl and her attitude irritated the ever-loving shit right out of me, so…in the spirit of being positive, I will just say that I hope she finds her path and makes herself happy. (Bonus points if she can manage that without being a right bitch to everyone around her.) Angela – she’s so talented, but is in dire need of a serious attitude adjustment and a priority realignment. If she wants to be an artist, hopefully she will focus on that – and leave her “It” girl aspirations alone.

 

Finally, the story with Maggie and Amy took such an interesting turn last night. Amy has acted like a spoiled brat (somewhat) throughout the show, but her father gave her a wakeup call by selling the apartment she was living in and telling her she had to find herself a paying job and support herself, so that seemed to give her the kick in the pants that she so desperately needed. Amy is knowledgeable about art, and could very likely have herself a great career in the industry, once she stops acting like she’s entitled to every opportunity that’s out there. I was really happy to see her secure a position for herself last night, and she approached the interview/trial run with such a positive, enthusiastic attitude – it was awesome to see! :) Good for her – I hope she finds her happy! :) The funniest part was that Maggie was also in the running for the job, and I completely agree with the gallery owner about not hiring her, because she seemed positively bored and blasé about the entire thing. There is absolutely no way I would hire someone who wasn’t thrilled to be there – screw that! I found Maggie’s attitude when she was working for Douche-King Eli Klein to be ridiculously unenthused, but I had always chalked that up to the tension between she and Eli, but after last night, I’m not so sure. She had SO much riding on the interview/trial….and she wasn’t even enthusiastic. Perhaps that’s her way, but girlfriend needs to give her head a shake. I imagine that the experience of losing the job to Amy was incredibly humbling, and watching it all play out on TV must’ve been humiliating as hell. Oh well…hopefully she learned something from it.

 

I think that’s why I kept watching “Gallery Girls” (although I totally hate-watched it, just FYI) – because there is SO much potential for these girls to learn some valuable lessons about life, and hopefully those of us (hate-) watching at home can learn a little something, too. I haven’t heard if Bravo is going to continue with this show for another season or not, but…as ashamed as I am to admit this, I totally hope that they do. I’m not done learning from these girls (even if some of them are pretty idiotic, there are still things that we can learn there) – plus, I’m curious to see what will happen next. Aren’t you? ;)

xxx

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Love Me Do

I’ve had a lovely long weekend thus far…how about you? I hope you’ve been enjoying the last hurrah of summer as much as I have :) Today I lazed around and had some yummy coffee in bed, did some research and writing, went to Whole Foods (which ought to be renamed Whole Paycheck, no joke), rearranged my bedroom furniture, had a very nice bite to eat from Pei Wei…and watched a fab ‘Sex and the City’ marathon on the Style network. :) It doesn’t matter how many times I see that show, I still love it. :) One of the episodes I watched today was the one where Carrie read a poem at a wedding…do you remember it? Here’s the poem:

His hello was the end of her endings,
Her laugh was their first step down the aisle.
His hand would be hers to hold forever,
His forever was as simple as her smile.
He said she was what was missing,
She said instantly she knew.
She was a question to be answered,
And his answer was I do.

Don’t you love it? I totally do…although life rarely works out so easily and beautifully, but…it’s nice to dream, isn’t it? :)

I’m trying to make sense out of so many things these days – I’ve hit a roadblock with my research and writing, which is causing me more grief than I can possibly tell you. I’m finding it hard to strike a balance between the writing that my professor is asking for and the writing that comes from my soul and reeks of me and my voice. This is vexing my spirit. As well, I don’t have enough time to do all of the things I want to do – which is totally nothing new, but…I just need more time. I know, I know…who doesn’t, right? :) Finally, the fretting has reached epic proportions lately, and…something has to be done to stop it, or I will completely drive myself nuts. (Short trip, I know) Sooo…when I go to sleep tonight, I am going to whip up some voodoo magic, and see if I can’t possibly chase some of my fret away. I think I know what is causing the fret – I lack faith. I have a hard time trusting, and my faith has faltered. That’s a wretched thing to acknowledge…and I need to do something about it. I need to imagine that I am standing on the edge of a really, really high ledge, with my toes curled tightly, and just leap. (Knowing me, I will probably do a 3 1/2 in the pike position with a full twist, but…only because I’m fabulous like that ;) ) I need to quit worrying about my writing – and JUST DO IT. I need to quit fretting so much about the people in my life – and JUST DO ME, and not worry so much about everything else. Anyone have any voodoo spells that they’d be willing to share with me?? I think I’m going to need the big guns to make all of this work out – wish me luck! :)

Before I go for this evening, I wanted to remind you that Fashion’s Night Out is this Thursday, September 6, 2012 – here in San Antonio, there are events happening at La Cantera: The Shops at La Cantera proudly celebrates Fashion’s Night Out on September 6 from 6 pm – 9 pm in Center Court. We’re rolling out the red carpet for San Antonio’s style mavens to kick up their stilettos for some serious shopping and so much more.

Join us for fabulous in-store events, live fashion shows at Neiman Marcus at 7pm and 8pm, a beauty lounge sponsore by DermSA featuring Project Dior Beauty & Fragrance presented by Christian Dior in Center Court, swag bags for the first 200 guests, stylish sounds, tasty bites, giveaways galore and much more! Plus dress your best and show off your style in the Macy’s ” What’s Your Style” Contest – Guests of the event will have an opportunity to strut their stuff to show off their style for a chance to win a $500 Macy’s Gift Card. You’ll be judged by local media celebrities.

 

If you live locally, be sure to check it out! I went to last year’s event and it was FANTASTIC (the margaritas at the Betsey Johnson shop, the champagne in the courtyard, the divine shoes that I bought on sale at Nordstrom…a looooovely time was had by all, especially ME :) )…some year, I hope hope HOPE to be able to attend the events in NYC (click here for all the details) – I can’t even wrap my head around how freaking AMAZING that would be! :) Yaaa!!!  Some day… :) As I said above, it’s nice to dream, isn’t it??! :)

 

I wish you a beautiful rest of your evening, a lovely Labor Day tomorrow, and a great start to a bright, shiny sparkly week ahead…may all of your dreams come true. :) Hey – please think a happy thought in my direction, okay? I can use all the help and good vibes I can get! :) Je vous aime! :)

xxx

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Paint It Black

I did the most AMAZING thing yesterday, and I can’t wait to tell you about it! :) I FINALLY attended a painting class – and it was AWESOME!!!! :) A number of months ago, I told you about an artist I had met named Linda Calvert Jacobson – she’s an amazingly talented artist, and she also teaches evening painting classes. I have wanted to go to one of her classes for ages, but was always too afraid of being unteachable and stinking up the joint with my complete and utter lack of artistic ability. However, I finally sucked it up and went last night…and I am SO GLAD I did!! :) I loved it beyond words, and found the entire experience to be AMAZING!!!! Here’s the finished product that I painted (I can’t even believe it myself!!!):

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Not too bad, eh???! I have never painted anything other than a wall before, so…I’m pretty pleased. :) I can’t take any credit for this myself – Linda is an incredible instructor, and I can’t wait to attend one of her classes again! :) If you live in the area and fancy going some Friday evening, please let me know – I’m desperate to go back!! Yaaaa!!!!!! :) I found the entire thing to be so relaxing and fun – I want to do more and more and more! :) My parents were laughing at me last night because I was positively giddy with excitement (sadly, I guess that’s not an emotion they’ve seen out of me much in the past couple of years) – yaaa for happy me!!! :)

 

As I write this, I’m on a plane on my way to New York for the week – yippee! :) I am planning on finding lots of time to write, to walk, to eat my favorite foods and even try to relax a bit…clearly I need it! :) I hope that your weekend is off to a good start – happy Saturday, my beauties! :)

xxx

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Express Yourself

This morning, XOJane featured a piece on using affirmations to keep your spirits up throughout the day. I’ve never been one of those people who bought into that kind of thing, but at the moment I’m about willing to try anything. They featured some cool affirmation-type art from Etsy – here’s my favorite one:

Isn’t it lovely? I don’t know where I’d hang it if I bought it (perhaps I could work out some sort of a halo-harness thingie and hang it in front of my face all day to ensure that the message makes its way into my thick skull), but I kinda love it. A lot. Anything that includes the idea of moxie is a-okay by me. We don’t acknowledge and celebrate the importance of having moxie (and spunk) enough :)
Have a happy morning, friends! :) I’ll be back for more Pretty Things later! :)
xxx
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If You Ain’t the Lead Dog…

…the scenery never changes, or so they say (whoever they are). I’ve been thinking about this A LOT lately – this past year has been extraordinarily humbling for me. I had a great job that I really loved – and I lost that (budget cutbacks). I am STILL working on my Doctorate (which is going well, actually – my grades are great and I’m getting closer to being finished…WOOHOO!!!) – it sometimes feels as if the end will NEVER come, though.  I continue to struggle with making female friends here in San Antonio, which is hard (I don’t get it – I’m a GREAT girlfriend, but for whatever reason, the ladies of this town just don’t get me and have zip interest in trying) – I miss my beloved girl friends from Canada & England so much. My personal life is pretty nonexistent: I work all day, I spend time with my Wee One (not nearly enough damn time, though, let me tell you – I hate that and wish we could be together more often), I work on my research and my writing all evening, and I sleep about 3-4 hours a night. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

This cycle has to change – I need to get out more, find more time for myself and do some things for myself…because, quite simply, I fear I’m losing myself. And that’d be a crying shame – because deep down inside, I still believe that my ‘self’ is pretty damn kick-ass. I’ve decided to do two things per week that are strictly for me – I will shut off my phone (hold yourself – you heard me correctly…I, who is NEVER more than 6 inches from her phone, is going to shut the damn thing off), put all of my mountains of work aside, and just do something for me. Whether it’s as simple as reading a mindless magazine, watching crappy tv shows (I’m queen of that – and Mob Wives is back on, much to my incredible delight! I loooove that show – Drita is where it’s at, baby!!!), or sitting down and doing some writing that has nothing to do with research and is nowhere near APA-style format, I think I need to find more time to take care of myself, for I fear that I won’t be much good to anyone else unless I do.

I am still trying to fix the work situation of mine, although I don’t seem to be having much luck. All I need is for one person to take a chance on me – it only takes the one. I try to remain hopeful that my time is coming.

The point of all of this is that I need to take control of my life again, because it seems to have a pretty damn tight grip on me at the moment. All of my life I have struggled with control, and my incredible hatred of not being in charge and in control. I envy the people who are able to “give it up to God” or whoever they believe in, those who can put their lives in the hands of a higher power and just let the cards fall where they may. I envy their ability to have ‘faith’ – I suppose I’ve been let down so many times by so many that my faith is waning. It’s time to fix that.

So….one of the things I want to do is take an art class. If you happen to be someone who knows me in real life, go ahead…laugh. I’ll wait. There….are you finished? I know that I can’t draw a stick man to save my life, but – I want to paint. I always have. I’m passionate about art, and it’s something that I’ve always wanted to try. A few years ago, I met a woman at the airport here in San Antonio – she’s an artist who has a studio in nearby New Braunfels. Since we met, I’ve kept up with her via Facebook and her website, and I’ve visited her shop a number of times – I’m mad for her paintings of Texas wildflowers, and I think her talent is magical. I have a number of her pieces in my home (as do most of my friends and relatives) – I think they’re beautiful. Please visit her site and check her out! :)

Anyway, she does painting classes for all ages, and she has these really awesome evening things called Art-2-Gogh (I love the name) – here’s the class description:

ART-2-Gogh Painting Parties are the newest thing to hit New Braunfels! Scheduled on Friday and Saturday nights at Casa de Linda Art Center, these parties, each lasting about 3 1/2 hours, help bring out the artist in everyone while having fun with friends, making new friends and learning a little about art along the way.

How does it work?

Classes are taught in a “Paint Along” style by Linda Calvert Jacobson, a professional artist who uses her years of teaching experience to make the evening as informative as it is fun. Linda has especially developed paintings just for the ART-2-Gogh projects, including her exclusive series of local images featuring New Braunfels, Gruene, Canyon Lake and the Texas Hill Country. Linda is assisted by her partner and husband, David, who will keep your water bowl clean, your brushes washed, your wine glass filled and your palette loaded with paint!

I have wanted to attend one of these since she first launched them, but I felt like an idiot going alone, so I never have. However…this has to change! I think this would be amazing good fun, and I can’t even imagine how awesome it would be to have a piece of my own art work on the walls of my house! Wooohooo!!!  I promise I’ll post pictures when I go – look out, Van Gogh….I’m coming for you!

Anyway – I do apologize for the gloomy tone of this post (at least I provided you with some beauty in the form of Linda’s site!), but I’m hoping this will be a turning point for me. It’s time for this lead dog to start changing the scenery – enough of the same old same old!

Have a wonderful evening – huggles and kisses to you, my dear friends! :)

xxx

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Work of Art

Bravo has a new program called ‘Work of Art’ – it’s basically Project Runway for artists. The premise, while nothing new, is interesting – because what people consider art is so subjective, it makes for interesting interpretations. I’m really looking forward to where they will go with this program this season (if it lasts a season) – if nothing else, it’s always beautiful to see some art work on television. Here’s a picture of the cast:

The second episode will be on tonight – you should check it out. Just FYI – Sarah Jessica Parker is one of the producers of this show. :)

Happy Wednesday!

xxx

PS: Oh! Nearly forgot!! Top Chef returns to Bravo tonight!! Yaaaa!!! They filmed this season in Washington DC!!! I LOOOOOOOOOVE Top Chef!!!!! :)

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Dream Job

Oprah recently did a show about people’s dream jobs – she featured the Executive Creative Director of J.Crew, Cake Boss Buddy Valestro, and Jeff Leatham, the most AMAZING florist from the Four Seasons GeorgeV in Paris.  I was mesmerized by the florist, and completely inspired by the people featured…and it got me thinking: what would be my dream job? My ultimate dream job would be writer for a magazine (like Sassy -  you know I’m obsessed with them, even though they no longer exist…or Rolling Stone)…or fashion buyer for a major department store (surprising because I’m not exactly a label whore – but I could be, if I had the funds!!), or a curator in an Art Museum.  Compeltely different from what I do in my day job in Education, right?  I wonder what that says about me…

Sassy Magazine Cover

Galleries Lafayette Department Store, Paris

Les Nymphéas, Painting by Claude Monet

Cover, Rolling Stone Magazine

                

What’s your dream job?

xxx