The River of Life

I’m visiting mom tonight and we watched the movie “The Bishop’s Wife”. I think it’s dated 1947. If you haven’t seen it…it’s one of those old black and white “feel good” movies that makes you think back to your childhood days. There’s a scene where the cab driver, Sylvester, gets out and goes ice skating on a pond. Of course, he’s an excellent skater, but at first, he can’t skate at all.

Growing up, there was a creek that ran through Grandpa’s farm…a whole half mile long. I think it probably did have some deep parts in it, but for the most part…just about a foot deep. Slow moving most of the way. Would freeze like a sheet of ice in the winter. Dad would go down and shovel off the snow and our church youth group would come over for “skating” parties. Mom would always have hot chocolate and cookies for all the kids when we went back into the house to get warm. The creek was probably about a quarter mile east of where we lived. Close enough to walk….far enough away to get freezing cold on the walk home.

The creek was enveloped in huge old trees along the banks. Protected by hills on both sides, it was always warm when we were skating. Dad would build a bonfire so there was light to see….and we never skated into the dark as you just didn’t know what was there.

I was never a good skater…but I could go a distance without falling down. My dream was to skate good enough to be on TV. Well, so much for childhood dreams! I like to think I’ve transitioned that dream into my art….to be good enough to be on TV and I’ve met that goal a couple of times.

Funny how we dream one thing as a child and transition those dreams into something else as adults. Of all the dreams that I ever had, none of them were of being an artist!

But I think my sister, Colleen is the “real” artist in the family! She painted this scene which reminds me of the creek behind our house….I wrote a poem to go with it and then scrapped it.



Her painting is in the upper right hand corner. I scanned it, enlarged it, then printed it 4 times on watercolor paper. Each layer is cut a little more until the top layer is a shell....and then the 4 layers are stacked using pop dots between them. Gives a dimension that a photo just won't show, but if you look closely, I think you can see what I've done.


“The river of my life flows freely through my day
Following its path slowly along the way.
Winding between the the rocks, falling over boulders
Resting in quiet ponds, sleeping under shoulders
Not once does it go back to start the journey new
Yet it will take a turn and show a brand new view.
I believe that I know where this river ends
But I plan to enjoy all the twists and bends.
And when I reach that end, Jehovah’s hand will be
Waiting by my river and reaching out to me.”


From childhood dreams to today’s art….my life has been like a river.

Barbra sang.....

Do you ever sit and listen to the words of a song and get your inspiration from it? I do. I think songwriters are beyond amazing! In one of Barbra Streisands songs, the lyrics read:

"I say we each choose roads to call our own but none of us is traveling through this universe alone. And this circle just goes on and on, it began before us...it will be here when we've gone. And this circle goes on and on connecting our humanity, joining me to you and you to me. Seasons keep spinning on the wheel of time, we stand, we fall, we struggle up the mountains we must climb. Different dreams may colour what we see ahead but our lives are strong together, on a common thread, and this circle just goes on and on."

I pick the songs I like based on their words. And from my favorite songs often come some of my favorite projects. One of my first projects was an album titled "The Closets of My Life". It's been shown on PBS Scrapbooking & Memories as well as on DIY. I picked a closet from each decade of my life, reconstructed it, filled it with memories and just giggled the entire time!




In 1958, we were still living in our little house on the corner of my Great Great Grandpa House's farm. Very plain closet. But I made little pockets around the door that open and contain all kinds of memories of my childhood. Candy that dad brought home in his lunchbox, boardgames that we played....fun little things!



On the back of the closet door, my journaling reads: "My Sister's Closet...Just one tiny closet, and one tiny bedroom, shared by all 4 of us. Not many clothes, but a whole lot of games and books. Not many things, but our Bibles, our Bible study lessons, and our Sunday hats and shoes. My memories have faded over time. But when I look at these pictures I can still feel that summer day when we created phones out of tin cans, we buried our dolls in the sand, and tickled our cats tails. I can still see the swingset that dad built and hear our laughter and our screams when we swang too high. I remember playing with Grandma's jewelry on her bed, swimming in the horse trough and wading in the creek. Our lives were rich with love, with family, and blessings from our Lord. Most of all, we had each other!!! Where has time gone? If I am left with nothing but the memories of my youth, then I will cherish my thoughts of those summer days, playing with you, the innocence of our youth, and all those wonderful memories that I have of growing up with you in our little house on the corner of our Great Great Grandfather's farm."



And then inside the closet, tiny paper-pieced outfits that spin on a wheel, dressing a photo of me in the style of that generation.



The seasons of my life keep spinning on the wheel of time.....this circle...just goes on and on... connecting our humanity, joining me to you and you to me.

More Moore Stuff

Once upon a time, there was a young woman who started having little girls..almost one every year! Although they didn't have much, they liked to keep what they did have. Because it was their "stuff"! That was "once upon a time" and this is now and those 4 little girls are all grown up and boy! do they have stuff! They have 50 + years of stuff these days! They have so much stuff, they trade stuff, share stuff, give stuff away and sell stuff!!! OK, they are getting ready to sell more of their stuff on ebay!! I think once they start selling their stuff, you will have fun looking at their stuff because you never know what kind of stuff you might need..you might need their stuff...no one can have more stuff that the 4 Moore girls....they really have some great stuff!!!

LOLOL!!!

But first, a bit more about the Moore girls (that's their maiden name) and why they have so much stuff!!!

The oldest Moore girl grew up, got married, had 2 kids, got an MBA degree, owned an antique shop, collected way too much stuff, retired, became an artist, collected even more stuff, made stuff, altered stuff and now needs to sell stuff on ebay!!!

The second Moore girl grew up, got married, had 2 kids, helps her husband build 10,000 SF houses, creates wonderful stained glass windows, became a jewelry designer, collects antiques and stuff, has a house so full of stuff it's about to explode!!! Oh, you should see her attic...stuff is stuffed in there so tight...well, you can't begin to see the stuff for all the stuff in it's way!


The next Moore girl grew up, got married, owns a computer business with her hubby, works full time, and spends all her money on her stuff. This sister is really good at finding stuff that all the other sister's want! Her stuff is so good, her sisters borrow her stuff and it never gets back home. But then, there's so much stuff at her place we think she doesn't miss the stuff that we have that's really her stuff!


And then there's the little sister, the cutest sister, the one with the cutest stuff. We all want her stuff because we think it will make us young like her! Cute sis, cute stuff....so much stuff these 4 Moore Girls have!!!

Of course, we blame it all on mom! She taught us how to shop, how to use coupons, lay a pattern on the fabric to save room, wash windows with water and newspaper...yep, we learned it all from her, including how often to change shoes so you can shop a little longer!!!



Somehow, we all survived each other and are pretty happy with all the Moore stuff we have today. But mostly, we are thankful to have each other. Every now and then, one of us decides to sell some more Moore stuff on ebay, but then we always check to see if one of the other Moores wants our stuff first! We swap clothes, household goods and even furniture. It's called the Moore migration. The more stuff you have, the more often you can do a Moore migration!!!

When we start our More Moore stuff sale on ebay, I'll post a link here. I think that having so much stuff is one of the reasons I create so much stuff...I need to use my stuff in new ways!!! But that just gives me more Moore stuff to sell on ebay!! OIY!!! Just know that we know that no matter how much stuff we have, family and friends are more important than our stuff. It's just fun to be a Moore....and have more Moore stuff!

LOLOL!!!!!

Don't cry for me......

Today, my youngest son turns 24 years old. So I thought I would write my story about him.

This dear, sweet child was born perfectly healthy and at the age of 8 months, he started having grand mal seizures. Out of the blue. For no reason at all. Other than it was 24 hours after his first DPT shot. Of course, back then, we didn't know there was a risk factor with these shots....and kept giving him his series of shots. And his seizures increased. He would have as many as 7 per day. He would seize, go into a coma, go to sleep, wake up, have another seizure. Because he was sleeping so much of the time, he did not develop, he did not learn. And he acquired a long list of additional disabilities because of this.

He never had the "epileptic spike" in his brain waves and was never diagnosed as epileptic...so none of those agencies would support him. He was 2 before he took his first steps. At the age of 4, he was still not talking. We communicated with sign language. They put him in special ed with kids in wheelchairs and he would come home at night and mimic those kids.

I cried myself to sleep so many nights. My sweet, sweet baby. When something was wrong, he would scream at the top of his lungs because he couldn't tell us what hurt. It tore my heart out. I tried the best I could to comfort him, but some nights he would scream and cry all night long as I held him in my arms and loved him the best that I could between his seizures.



Today, he is 24 years old. He still has seizures. But he lives on his own, works hard, and is a good young man. Because of his disabilities, he functions at the level of a 6th grade student. Of course, I still think he's the smartest 6th grader on the block.

Life was not easy raising this child. But he taught me so much. He taught me how to love unconditionally. He taught me how to be prepared for the unexpected. He taught me how to face my worst fears. He taught me how to be a better mom than I ever would have been. He is my sweet, sweet baby, who turns 24 today, he is the angel in my life that I worry about the most.

Don't cry for me.....I would not be the artist I am today if it were not for the journey this child took me on. He continues to push me to do so much, simply because there is so much that he cannot do.

Oprah said....

that we should reconnect with our spirit....the people, the things that make us who we are. I think she was mostly talking about our childhood. And I couldn't agree more.

But there is so much more that makes us who we are...not just our childhood....but the people we meet along the path of life. Yesterday, I reconnected with a very important part of my creative soul, my friend Liz. We probably haven't been in touch in at least 3 years, and it was sheer joy to hear her voice on the other end of the telephone! I don't think she has any idea what an impact she had on my creative life, so here's my story about Liz!

I need to go back a bit in time and explain that both of my sons were quite ill most of their childhood days. I worked full time and spent my free time taking them to doctors, taking care of their medical needs..and I just did not get to play for several years. OK, so I forgot how to play. In 1988, the doctors told me that my oldest son would be dead in 2 years. I refused to believe them, took him out of the hospital against medical advice and "ran away" to San Diego, and went to work full time at trying to get him into reasonable health. (It must have worked...he's almost 29 years old!!)

About 1991, Liz hired me to work for her. We were working in health care administration. Hey! It paid the bills! She made porcelain dolls. Wonderful, beautiful, gorgeous porcelain dolls. And the most exquisite costumes you can imagine! I wanted to be just like Liz!

She got me started in doll classes. It was my first venture into anything creative....for me. Oh, I did the usual mom/craft stuff with my kids....I even had a business where I made mohair teddy bears before the boys got so ill.




But this was the first time that I was creating something that I loved, for me, just because I wanted to do it. What joy! What sheer joy!!!

The first doll that I ever made is the second to the right.

Once I started making dolls, I started repairing and restoring dolls (another topic, another day) but here's a photo of a couple of dolls that I restored. Just love them!



From making porcelain dolls, to repairing dolls, to selling rubber stamps in my antique shop, to scrapbooking, stamping, metal repoussee.....and then to art clay silver and dichroic glass....wow! I guess we can say that once the creative door was opened, I sort of went crazy!

The moment I heard Liz's voice on the phone yesterday, a flood of memories came back to me. I guess I should tell her that it's all her fault that I play the way I do today! It's all her fault that I got my creative juices flowing again after years of nothing. I guess it's all her fault.....oh! It's so good to have friends you can blame yourself on! LOLOL!!!

Thanks Liz!!! - by the way....it's all our fault!!!

Bringing life to childhood photos!

I'm not very good with animation, but I had so much fun the very first time I tried it. And I just thought..oh! if there were more pictures of us as little girls, I could bring us to life! I don't think anyone has any videos of us as kids....but this is a "second best"!

In the mid 50s, we played with tin can phones, our dolls, and kitty cats. We really didn't have much stuff back then, but we sure did have fun!!!


















In this layout, I took mini cans, added a rope and created our original tin can phones on top of the photo.

I have always loved lumpy, 3D, textural projects. This is one of the very first Layouts that I created and I think it's a good indication of where my style started....and how far it's come. Not very far! I still like lumpy, 3D, textural projects....I just tend to make more of my own background papers these days.




The background on this more recent project was created by painting Ranger's new one-step crackle paint on chipboard, heating it, then adding layers of distress ink over it. The very same process was used on the wood frame on the left.

If I can't animate a photo digitally, then I will "animate" it on the layout by adding texture, dimension, depth....notice the little car sitting on the wood frame? "I said, don't smile"....such a fun, fun project!

Angels

On the sheet of stamps with the angels, there are a couple of sayings that you just can't see:

"Some angels come for a second and leave a mark that lasts forever.
Other angels stick around forever an leave their mark by the second."

"She looked out the windows of the airplane and there on the wings sat her angels....laughing at her worries! Right before she landed they grabbed hands and walked into the clouds, never bothering to look back. If you look, you will se them everywhere."

What do you believe about angels? Such a thought-provoking question...we all have our own individual answer. Regardless of any religious beliefs, I like to think that every person I meet has the potential to be an angel in my life. I try to listen to their stories, to learn the journey their life has taken them on to date, and to (hopefully) help them take a bit of time to play as they travel along their path.

This stamp is perfect for cards of any type....but I created it to use on cards so I could tell the angels in my life how I feel about them!




Here are snippets of things I have written about them in past scrapbook pages:

She walked up to me one day and said, “I like you. I want to be your friend.” And she has been ever since. Her daily phone calls get me through whatever it is I need to get through! She is the angel on the phone.

This angel’s son ran out into the street in front of my house and was hit by a passing truck. He died instantly. She said, “It’s not your fault, it could have happened anywhere. Don’t spend your time asking ‘what if’. It’s not ‘what if’…but it is ‘what is’.

The day she got engaged, her fiance's ex-wife showed up at their door and tried to shoot her. He stepped in front of her and took the bullet and died. Her courage through all this, her ability to go on in the face of such sheer devastation showed me that she really is an angel…here to show me how to survive anything that steps in front of me.

Cancer reared its ugly head and this angel denied it permission to grow. She told it to stop and it did. That was 10 years ago. Then she adopted her 10-year-old twin granddaughters because they had nowhere else to go. Amazing things these angels will do!!!

I’ve known this angel for 40 years. We met when we were 15. We live 1000 miles apart…but when I think of her, she calls. When she thinks of me, I call. She is definitely a telepathic angel!

When her youngest son was born, she found out that all 3 of her boys had Cystic Fibrosis. She put a smile on her face and said, “Well, I guess I will just get up in the morning and dress for the doctor’s office.” And that’s pretty much what she did every day of her life. Most CF kids die before they reach 12. Her boys are in college now. What an inspiration this angel is!!!

The godmother to both of my sons, this angel was my pastor’s wife for years. She is the angel who loves my children as much as I do.

The angel who got me through graduate school! Without her sitting by me in every class, working with me on every project, and studying with me for every exam, I never would have made it!

One look at this angel and I just know she’s going to tell me a great story and make me laugh. She can find humor in anything and everything. She has eyes that brighten my world!

My angel from Pakistan. I am her children’s “white” mom and she is my son’s “brown” mom. Together we have taught them to see past the barriers of color.

Just when I thought I was getting too old to have any more adventures…in popped a brand new angel to show me that life happens every moment of every day!!!

She sent me an email one day and said, “would you like to play with me?” I never dreamed I could play so hard at this age!!!
This angel comes to play all the time.

28 years ago this tiny angel was born to me. The hardest thing I’ve had to do was to learn to let this one fly on his own!

My sweet baby son, my sweet joy. Now 23, he is the angel I worry about the most.

What would you write about the angels in your life?



Both of the angels open up and pull out with pop-ups within each "book" filling the pages with photos and stories about the angels in my life.



There are angels everywhere
You don’t have to look for them.
They touch your life with a smile
Their presence will fill the air.
In the darkest deep valley
When your life seems on the edge
They pick you up; dust you off...
Set you back up on the ledge.
Angels are everywhere,
And we are so unaware
That they are always right there

Art is like dancing....

Yesterday, I wrote about Lucy's stamps. On the sheet titled "Lucy Dances" is one of my favorite sayings:

Art is like dancing
There is a beat,
there are steps and moves
and you create
a NEW form of music
for the world to hear.
It has the passion
of a great orchestra
and it has the quiet sound
of a single piano key.
It can take you places
you never knew existed
It an make you feel
right at home.

I NEVER understood art until I retired and started creating. Oh, I thought I did, I even took graduate level classes in art appreciation in college. But I truly never understood what art can do for your soul until I started creating my own art.

When I was in my early 20s, I was an Arthur Murray Dance student. My partner and I were good enough that when we danced, everyone else sat down and watched. The beat of the music dictated the steps that we took. The audience watched and listened as we swept ourselves across the floor. I could lose all sense of time, place, existence and surroundings when I was dancing with him.

Art does not require a partner and I find it is just like dancing. Although I don't "hear" music when I am creating, I know that is is the same process. I "hear" the beauty of what I'm doing. Sometimes I hear myself giggling at what is being done. I think my feelings about the process of creating art is perfectly summed up in this stamp. It is truly allowing the right side of the brain to consume yourself....to start at 8 am and not even have a hint that it's now midnight....to completely let yourself be consumed by the process of creating something that might bring joy to someone else.

Even my stamps, Lucy Dances, came from that phase of my life where I went ballroom dancing night after night!

Giving back

On my 40th birthday, someone gave me a card that had the "when I am old I will wear purple and red" saying on it. Something was wrong with that...something just didn't fit - for me. Several years later, I wrote my version of it and put it on a card to mom because it was really me saying the things I thought she was thinking at that time.

"When I am old, I will wear green and blue to match my bruises. I will laugh loud and long, and I will have drama in my life. When I have time, I will sit in my garden and paint my flowers. My friends will come for coffee and I will make them biscotti. I will take long, slow trips and wander through art galleries and take pictures of old doors, old mailboxes and old houses. When I fall down and get bruised, my children will come and take care of me and then they will tell me that I have to go live with them. But I shall say no and live alone and sit with my cat in the shade and laugh at my grandchildren and not be afraid. I will play with the child that's still inside of me. My bones will shrink and I will get short and my hips will get wide and I will buy a pound of chocolate and hide it on the shelf. I will read my Bible and tell the angels they were wrong when they take my children before they take me. I will keep my bags packed in case you want to go somewhere and start my car every day just to make sure it still runs. When I am old I will wear green and blue to match my bruises, I know they will be doozies!!!"

I always wanted to have a rubber stamp of that saying. So a year ago, I was working with Linda Hanson at After Midnight Stamps and things just evolved to where she and I decided to produce a line of stamps for Lucy McGoo. My sister, Colleen, did most of the preliminary sketches of Lucy...she is just so talented!

Lucy as art:


This sheet is dedicated to my sister's granddaughter, Anna Lee. Anna was born with only two chambers in her heart. At the age of 2, she has already had 10 heart surgeries. As soon as she weighs 30 pounds, she will undergo a heart transplant at Stanford Hospital in California

10% of the price of this sheet of stamps will go directly to the Anna Lee “Little Lucy” Heart Fund at Stamford. Your purchase will not only bring you joy in the years to come, it will help keep Anna (and other children needing heart transplants) alive.

Anna needs a new heart. You need new stamps! Together…we can spend our money to make everyone happy!!!

Lucy as an angel:


This set of stamps is dedicated to Israel. One million five hundred thousand twinkling lights is what you will see when you enter the Children's Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem. 1.5 million tiny lives that were never given a chance a generation before most of our lives began. In honor of each of these children, 10% of the retail price of this sheet of stamps will be sent to Israel. Lucy wants to be an angel to all children, young and old! May you find your angels everywhere you look!!!

Lucy Dances:


Lucy can’t begin to fathom life without her hair!
But all around her, more and more of her friends and their friends are getting cancer, undergoing chemotherapy, and losing their hair. Joyce has survived 11 years now. Nola has survied 5 years! Janis starts chemotherapy in 2 weeks.

10% of the price of this sheet of stamps will go directly to the Susan G. Koman Cancer Fund in the hopes that one day, none of Lucy’s friends will be lockless. Together, let’s keep Lucy in lots of locks!!!

To date, over $600.00 has been sent to these charities. OK....I guess I have to confess that just a bit more than 10% is being given away! I am so blessed by my art that most of what I receive is simply given back through these charities in the hopes that someone else will be able to play just a little bit more.

If you would like to purchase any of Lucy's stamps, just click here.

We are working hard to bring you more stamps in the near future!

Spare me

Sometimes, I even wonder myself where my ideas come from, and this was one of those projects. A fabulous store called "The Artist's Nook" in Ft Collins sold bowling pins and invited us to alter them. What a challenge! So, when you look at a bowling pen..do you see a dressform? I did! I had my brother-in-law saw the the thing in half vertically. Then I soaked it in water for about a week. It took some doing, but I was able to peel the plastic shell away from the wood. OK...it was actually one of the more frustrating things I've ever done. No idea what kind of glue is used....but I sort of think the plastic shell is somehow heat set into the wood.

I then took linen and decoupaged it to the outside. Great fabric...will give and stretch to conform to the shape of the pen. I added hinges down the side, a wood spindle to the base and build a chipboard dessform skirt, inked with Ranger's Distress ink. Of course, I had to add a piece of vintage lace for the skirt and from there....she just developed beyond a dressform into a "person"! A few beads and flowers in her hair....and she was near perfect! LOLOL!!!



Notice there are stamped images on the linen and buttons all down the front and across the back.

For the inside, I decided to go with a sewing theme and added inked chipboard shelves after decoupaging patterned paper to the inside of the shell.



I made tiny little dressforms from friendly plastic and UTEE to add to the "shelves":



When I had her all done, I had to give her a name (you do know that every piece of art needs it's own name?) So I sat there looking at this silly mess of things that were from my past, my present, my stash of stuff....and just let out a big sigh and said, "Oh spare me!"

And then I realized that "spare" was a bowling term....and the name stuck!



I find that when I get in the midst of a project...I'm in a "zone". I lose all track of time and just have the most fun creating. Often, I just don't know when to quit. But when I said, "Oh spare me!"...I knew she was done! She was on display as part of a show in Ft Collins for about 3 months and now she is back home. I think I should donate her to the local bowling alley...but then I'm not sure bowlers would appreciate how I altered on of their bowling pins! And how does this tie into my past? All that fabric mom kept on hand, all the sewing that we did, and grandma's button box!

Jeneaolgy - Jen's Genealogy

I belonged to a high school history club and we had to present a family tree. My Great Uncle Tad House gave me a copy of the "House" line. I was 17 years old and filled with every possible teenage hormone at the time. So you can only fathom how furious I was that MY name was nowhere in his tree!

He explained to me that only the men with the surname "House" were of any importance! OK..that was about 1967 in central Indiana on the farm where men at that time had that kind of values. BUT NOT ME!!! LOLOL!!! I remember being so furious because my cousin who was male, with the right surname was in the tree, but my brother....was not! I vowed right then and there to spend the rest of my life hunting down the women and inserting them into the tree. And I've done just that!

It has been an on-again, off-again love/hate relationship searching out my ancestors. I have come across some incredibly famous female ancestors who just MUST be part of the family tree. And of course, I've added my dad's line, the Moores. Through this research, I have learned that in my family, it took less than 50 years and only 2 generations to completely lose a native language! Gives me new meaning to the expression "time flies". No one has stories of the Civil War, much less the American Revolution. They barely talk about the Korean confict. No one discusses either World War. It is past, done, and forgotten. So you can imagine my struggle at reviving family lore!

Through the efforts of fellow researchers, I have linked one of my lines back to the Kings of England. Yes, I always knew I was a princess! Har! Har! But it did inspire this layout titled "My Royal Tree and Me", detailing the flow of my family and where we split and came to the US and declaried our allegiance to this country. This LO was published in an F&W book, "Family Tree Pages for Scrapbookers".



The bottom corner pulls down and shows the entire family tree with photos of past Kings and Queens in that line.



Somehow down the lines I am the 23rd cousin 3 times removed to Queen Elizabeth...think she will invite me over for tea?

This line also links back to Jewish ancestors. That is the only connection I have to any Jewish blood in me...I'm pretty much gentile through and through. But I do have an inate love for anything Judaica and it inspires a lot of what I create. To me, the Star of David is simply a symbol that I am seeking the Messiah's return. Knowing the Messiah will return again is the most beautiful thing on earth....quite personal, but inspires so much of what I do when I play.

I used to make dolls. And at one time was quite heavily involved in that "world". I started making a line of Jewish Peddler Immigrant Dolls....simply because mom asked me to make her one. They were quite in demand, each one standing about 24" tall. They are hand made down to the Arba Kanfot. They each have a hand made, embossed leather T'fillin, a Yarmika, and are just about as authentic as you can get.

My hubby requested that I make one for his 50th birthday. Meet Kerpholtz Ephrian Lowenbert from Coldounlaws, West Wemyss, Fifeshire, Scotland. Did you know that Scotland is the only country that has never killed Jews? His ancestors had lived there since the late 1600s and most likely immigrated from Germany. Most of his ancestors were Masons. His father had worked in a coal mine. Jews were not allowed to own land in America, so many became peddlers.








He has a letter in his pocket that he wrote to his wife last night, his immigration documents, his passport and this doll is peddling pots, pans and books. Even his wool hat was hand made. Oh, his wife's name is Jenena Lenit Moher....I still need to create her!

Just so much fun to create....and inspired once again by my love for Israel, for keeping history alive, for creating art that has meaning.

6 Degrees

It is said that we all know someone who knows someone who knows someone...and by the 6th degree...it comes back to knowing the first person.

Today, my sister met a young man from Israel, Ran Damari. I've not met him, but I have met his music and I think he is amazing. You can hear it on his myspace site, be sure to listen to the 4th song "tal song". Wow! What talent!!!

It brought back memories of my trip to Israel with 2 of my sisters in 2005. When I visited the children's holocaust memorial, I was inspired to write this poem:

Longing for Israel
(the children’s memorial in Jerusalem)
©Jen Lowe 2006

This is where my heart is
Where my soul lives today
A place I never knew before
Just listen as I pray

A million shining stars
In the firmament around me
A million flickering lights
Dancing everywhere I see

Infinitely dark and somber
A shofar blows a tune
A child’s name rings out
My tears come too soon

All the Jewish children
Who died for no just reason
I bow my head in shame
For it cannot be undone

A generation before me
Took a million lives and more
But I still have to question
What was it all for?

Why do you hate the Jews
My heart seems to scream
They did not kill your Saviour
It was the Romans great scheme

Israel is where my heart is
And I long to return
A place I never knew before
I have so much to learn.

and to write the words below to go with one of mom's paintings:



A few months later, I wrote this song of praise as I was once again, looking at the photos of the Sea of Galilee.

Jehovah Y’shua Messiah
I worship you today
I am Your humble servant
In every possible way

Jehovah Y’shua Messiah
My heart sings out to You
Feed me with Your Holy Word
I hunger for more, it’s true

Jehovah Y’shua Messiah
You are my only light
The Menorah is but a symbol
Of my earthly plight

Jehovah Y’shua Messiah
Star of David as my shield
One day soon the truth
Will surely be revealed

Jehovah Y’shua Messiah
Bring Your Kingdom to earth, I pray
Bless Israel and all of Her people
Let their hearts be softened today

Jehovah Y’shua Messiah
Hear my song of praise to You
Thank you for letting me believe
Each thing the way that I do.

My dream is to one day live by the side of the Sea of Galilee.

This trip also inspired new art that will be published in an upcoming book by F&W Pubs called "Flip, Spin and Play"...to be released shortly. And continues to inspire the jewelry that I create:


So there..I have just discussed 6 things and am hoping that you will share with someone who will share with someone who will share.....until it comes back around to me!

That's 6 degrees of art!

Lucy McGoo and Lindy Lou!

One day, my dear friend, Torrey Scott, and I were having one of our creative play sessions and we decided we wanted to create our own little company. We needed a name. She and I both love to do "plays" on words and I think about a hundred possible names were tossed around...but Lucy McGoo is what stuck.

We decided that I was Lucy....a young girl who resides in an old lady's body. I love to play, but my body and my mind don't always cooperate. I'm also getting a bit blind as I age and even though I can't always see what I do..it somehow ends up looking just fine!

Torrey is known as the MacGyver of scrapbooking. That's where the "Mc" came from. Just like the real MacGyver, Torrey will try anything on a scrapbook page. She experiments in her labora-torrey and has her own terri-torrey where you never know what might catch on fire next! Her pages are fun, funky and textural.

You are the GOO! You are what keeps Lucy McGoo going. You are the creative inspiration of who we are, the reason we keep striving to find new and creative ways to play. You are the reason we have so much fun.

Together, we are Lucy McGoo.



We now have 2 e-books, a line of rubber stamps, and a product called Wonder Goo. More on those in the days to come!

But right now, we are adding Lindy Lou to our product line! The inspiration behind Lindy Lou is Linda Peterson. Check out her blog! She is my guru, my inspiration, and our dear, dear friend!

Torrey and I first met Linda on a cruise - all of us were teachers. She does product design for Amaco...and we just had more fun than anything on that cruise. We have become great friends over the years and shared in so much of our lives. I figure that anyone who will pose with a monkey for me....must be as crazy as we are!!!



Linda and I are planning a creative weekend together in the Ozarks. I can hardly wait to see what happens...I'm sure there will have to be a Lindy Lou stamp or two. I can already visualize the poems forming in my brain...

Lucy McGoo and Lindy Lou
Oh dear! What will they do?
Come scrap and play the Lucy way
And clay with Lindy today!

Lindy Lou is going to play with clay - up to her elbows with molds and such! I think her full name is going to be Lindy Lou McGoo!

This is going to be a whole new era in the life of Lucy McGoo. Who knows...maybe there is room for a Laney, Lottie and Lola!

I'm on the cover of Altered Arts Magazine

The November/December issue....so look for it on the newstands sometime soon! The project is titled "Art is the Key". It's an altered perfume box and was one of my entries for the Ranger Design Team contest.

My first cover...I'm beyond excited and still can't believe it!

Belle Armoire and Belle Armoire Jewelry

Yesterday, we were in LA at 8:30 am and I met with Jenny Doh at Stampington! Hang on to your hats!!! She took 19 pieces of jewelry and ordered 10 more pieces to do a total of SIX articles for upcoming magazines!

WOW!

I think I'm still on cloud 9....I just can't believe it!!!

My deadline for all those pieces is October 15. I am going to be so busy the next couple of weeks...I don't know where to start...my head is just spinning! But I'm sure that once I sit down in my studio...it will all just fall into place!

Jenny asked me how long I had been a jewelry artists...and I said, "Oh, I'm not a jewelry artist at all...I'm a scrapbooker and altered artist!" Hmmmm....maybe I will have to change and be a jewelry artist....it really is so much fun! But I seriously doubt I could ever give up my love of playing with paper!

Today is a day off from creating. Kerry is having foot surgery. So it's a day to take care of him and make sure that he is on the road to recovery before I head back to my studio for a creative blast! I'm sitting here in the surgery waiting room, sketching out thoughts for more jewelry, how to take the tools I use for scrapbooking and stamping and altered art into a whole new world! What fun! What a great way to play!

Tattoo Girl

A couple of days ago, I posted a picture of Tattoo Girl...she's on page 15 of the November 2007 issue of Rubber Stamper Magazine. She just makes me giggle when I look at her. I am not a stamper! But I sure used loads of stamps on her to create her "tattoo" effect. But let's start at the top and work our way down. She is a "work"...not sure it's "art"...but she is fun!



Her hair started out as raw mohair. Comes in a skein. Very fragile. I pulled it apart, laid it out on freezer wrap, spritzed with water until it was soaking wet. Strands were about 3' long. Then I sprayed colorwash on the strands. Cranberry. Stream. Lettuce. Butterscotch. I then wrapped the wet strands around drinking straws, taped the ends closed and set the straws back on the freezer wrap to dry overnight. When dry, remove the straws and just let them drop down. I glued them to a doll pate that is then glued to the center of her head. For the bangs, I simply tore pieces of mohair about 8" long and curled them on very narrow, thin straws. Truly fun to make your own wig for a doll!

Her face is porcelain. I used to make dolls and repair dolls. This is a face that had been fired just a couple of times. So I used alcohol inks on a cotton ball to dab color onto her skin. Cranberry for her cheeks...Butterscotch for a touch of tan...just play around and then let that air dry overnight.

Her mask is a Spellbinder die cut and embossed in pewter then painted with Posh Impressions metallic ink. Notice on the right...there a stamped image on her cheek...painted with a posh impressions metallic marker.

Look closely and through the film on her bodice, you can see a stamped chest.

Her necklace is melt art and the instructions are in Belle Armoire Jewelry 2.




In this image, you can see her stamped arms. I used a little bit of just about every product Ranger makes to color in the stamps. Notice on her left wrist...a mini bottle cap bracelet...flattened the caps in my Wizard! Her waistband has elements made by mixing UTEE and art glass and pouring into a mold.



For her shawl and her skirt and bodice, I took white silk and lace, laid them on freezer wrap, spritzed them with water, then spritzed them with colorwash. On the ribbons, I stamped images and then stitched the ribbons together in the center back. Notice the crystal rhinestones set into the silk ribbons....I had so much fun!!!





Here'a s closeup of her leg...all stamped. It's a wood artist's mannikin with a porcelain head attached. The shoes are shown so well in the magazine, there's no need for me to repost them here. They were made by cutting out thin chipboard to get the shape, then covering them with a mix of UTEE, flex and vintage art glass. I guess I need to start a link section to all of my favorite vendors....oh dear...that could be forever long! :o)

I just love creating things that make me smile when I'm done! She's back home from the magazine, sitting in a place of honor on the family room fireplace!