Birds of a Feather

There is nothing better than having play dates with like-minded friends. We study hard at the Wednesday Poker Discussion Group to perfect our game but once in awhile one needs an outlet to let off some stress and girls just wanna have fun! 

Karri's collage

Diane makes a pinwheel.

Yvonne's collage using citra solv and napkin transfers.

Our get together focused on techniques to be used in the making of a visual art journal. Full on experimentation that led to the idea of making this a weekly event. 

Journal page made by yours truly from collage bits of poker ephemera and napkin transfers.   

Yvonne's amazing sneakers made with the napkin transfer process.

Had a blast shopping for goodies at Blick's!

Tuesday is our day at the studio for our 'birds of a feather' group. All curious cats are welcome! 

Adventures of a Cat Nanny 2013 X's 4

When I get to cat nanny and house-sit for the fabulous MARY ANN MOSS she always leaves me little road maps of places to see and suggestions of eateries. In 2010 I visited ARLINGTON PARK which you can see the photos I posted if you click on the link. The first thing that amazes you at Lacy Park is the wonderful aroma of roses and fresh cut grass. Wish I could bottle it up and send it to you.

The beautiful Lacy Park in San Merino

This huge Sequoia was amazing!!!

Of course a day of walking in a beautiful garden requires a lovely afternoon nap 

with the fur kids. Took out my sketchbook and new water brushes (love!) and with 

some acrylic ink did a quick sketch.

The first time I came to Moss Cottage I was overwhelmed and inspired by the visual 

and travel journals hand made by MARY ANN MOSS. You just have to visit 

her blog and see for yourself. But make sure you have plenty of time and a 

nice cup of tea by your side. I was so eager to try my hand on a visual journal 

that I went to the nearest drugstore and picked up an everyday lined notebook. 

Which I have come to realize was a mistake. I spent too much time sewing pages 

together, painting and gluing to make it sturdier. But I have kept it and been 

working on it none-the-less as sort of a diary-for-when-I-make-a-real-one.

The four hours to make it back to the ranch gave me time to reflect and think about the 

future. Hope all is well where ever you are!

Theres Gold in them thar Hills

Moss Cottage 2013

After what seemed endless hours of driving through miles of  ribbon highways and low mountain ranges (I call them piles of ancient dinosaur dung) I arrived again at the enchanting Moss Cottage in the LA hillside. 

My job while here is to cat nanny the amazing wonder cats Wyatt and Ms. Corky (who happens to share my nickname). 

                                   As you can see this is very labor intensive. 

There are a few other chores for me while the amazing http://dispatchfromla.typepad.com is off to Amsterdam. Mostly I have plenty free hours to pour over Mary Ann's abundant and wonderful visual journals, catch up on my reading, do some sketching and of course an occasional nap or two. 

I am writing this on my I-Pad using an app called Blog Docs and I am not sure how it will look so I am keeping this short. Mary Ann and I connected yesterday via FaceTime and worked so well from probably more than 9000 miles that I am even more in love with this electronic gadget. 

One last photo before I go. They call this marine fog. This photo was taken in 2010 but is how it looked this morning. Santa Ana winds are scheduled for tonight.