the biggest mistake

Never

give

up.

xoxo

Mimi

Linking up with Texture Tuesday...some color editing in Lightroom, then a quick layer of Kim's coolgrunge texture (Soft Light 75%, brushing just a bit of it away on the leaf with a layer mask). It was kinda fun to search through my font collection with one that looks like Erin's handwriting.

empath

I made these scrapbook pages for Kelly a few years ago, inspired by an email she had sent me about something she had read on the internet. "Mom, this is us!"

I just now googled empath and found the link Kelly had sent me...these are her own excerpts from that article:

Empaths experience empathy towards family, children, friends, close associates, complete strangers, pets, plants and inanimate objects. They are highly sensitive, have a deep sense of knowing and are often compassionate, considerate, and understanding of others. Generally, those who are empathic grow up with these tendencies and do not learn about them until later in life. Empaths often possess the ability to sense others on many different levels.

Empaths are often poets in motion. They are the born writers, singers, and artists with a high degree of creativity and imagination. They are known for many talents as their interests are varied, broad and continual, loving, loyal and humorous. They often have interests in many cultures and view them with a broad-minded perspective.

Empaths are often very affectionate in personality and expression, great listeners and counselors (and not just in the professional area). They will find themselves helping others and often putting their own needs aside to do so.

Animals are often dear to the heart of empaths, not as a power object, but as a natural love. It is not uncommon for empaths to have more than one pet in their homes.

They are highly expressive in all areas of emotional connection, and talk openly and, at times, quite frankly in respect to themselves. Empaths have a tendency to openly feel what is outside of them more so than what is inside of them.

In general, an empath is non-violent, non-aggressive, and leans more towards being the peacemaker. Any area filled with disharmony creates an uncomfortable feeling in an empath.

People of all walks of life and animals are attracted to the warmth and genuine compassion of empaths. Regardless of whether others are aware of one being empathic, people are drawn to them as a metal object to a magnet! They are the beacons of light in our world.

Happy Birthday to my sweet Kelly!

You truly are a blessing

to all who know and love you.

xoxo

Mimi

dad

For Dad:

I miss you.

a page from my art journal

using 'leftovers' from

the Fathers Day card

I made for Dad

2010

---

snapshot taken

on my Baptism day

June, 1960

No photo editing here;

it was just a test print that

turned out interesting!

***

 For Bob:

You continue to be

an amazing husband and father.

scrapbook pages

for Kelly (above)

and Erin (below)

April 2010

scrapbook page

for Erin

July 2009

('Ner' is the girls' nickname for their Dad)

***

Happy Fathers Day!

xoxo

day planner

I've been meaning to do something with this for awhile now, and Friday Finds suddenly seemed to be the perfect impetus.

Here is the photo my brother Greg sent me from his iPhone one Sunday evening a couple months ago, after phoning me excitedly from his garage to tell me of the unexpected treasure he had just 'unearthed.'

Laid out there in the bed of Greg's old pickup truck was a piece of Dad's history: his old briefcase and his day planners from 1970 thru 1975. You see, in preparing the family home for sale Mom had put Greg in charge of dealing with all Dad's law office stuff - shredding or saving old documents as appropriate. This brief case was found up on the rafters in our garage.

Greg knew I would be just as excited as he was at his discovery. He was right. Mom had put me in charge of dealing with family photos and memorabilia.

Here's what I did with it the other day:

I paired the day planners with a favorite photo of Dad, taken about the same time period, which Mom continues to carry in her wallet, describing it thus:

"It looks like he just got the better of somebody

and he's waiting for them to figure it out."

I added an old pen of Dad's...he always had a collection of nice ballpoint pens, and for most of his 50 year career he wrote everything long-hand. Dad had the most elegant handwriting I've ever seen!

Thank you for this, Greg!

xoxo

'Squid'

***

Linking up with Friday Finds, and Beyond Beyond - where we've been playing with Curves and Levels to get the effect of the popular Instagram 'Rise' preset. I thought it would be perfect for that 70's feel. And you know what? I think this is representative of my style (if ever I could be nailed down to just one!)...something else Kim has been talking about lately.

I did try both of Kim's recipes, and ended up with the Levels method for these particular images, as they had not much color to play with. Then I added a touch of kk_magictexture2bl (Overlay blend mode - 14%)

accept - then act

I had kind of a serendipitous moment here, and a not-so-straight path to the final image. It started with a quote that I had seen on someone's blog somewhere a week or so ago. I mentally filed it away for my daughter Erin, who for almost a year now has been on a long and difficult journey, diagnosed with a painful, life-altering condition. I at least remembered the concept and, fortunately, the author...but promptly forgot where I'd read it. As usual.

Well, after a nice long visit the other day with Erin and her sweet kitty, Lillian, discussing many details of her situation, including strategies, goals, and philosophical insights, she coincidentally mentioned this same concept to me!... as a coping strategy of sorts - which called to mind the Eckhart Tolle quote I had just seen. Serendipity. I recalled that she has in the past mentioned his name, so I shared this with her and told her I would find it and post it on her Facebook wall.

It took a bit of patient googling, but I did eventually find it, and in the process got to know a bit about Mr. Tolle. I searched my Lightroom 'database' of images and chose this one to pair with the quote. Some quick, intuitive photo editing (Kim Klassen's textures: robins egg and grungeframed - both in Overlay blend mode 100%) and just the right font (KG Somebody That I Used to Know)...and there we are.

Linking up with Texture Tuesday and Photo-Heart Connection.

***

Never, never, never give up.

Winston Churchill

xoxo

Mom

re-group...and a prayer

Lately I've been rediscovering my roots as a Mixed Media Artist. Which means that I am back in my studio: playing with paint and paper, fabrics, laces and trims, found objects and 'bling'...stamping, glueing, hammering and drilling to my heart's content. And, I am happy to report, my studio is a mess! Out of the organized chaos of my eclectic gatherings...I CREATE. Oh how I love this process!

So how does my love of photography and photo editing fit into all of this? If I remember correctly, it has its roots in a desire to use my own images in my art...which makes sense since I make art about my life.

A few years ago I took this online course with the delightful and talented Karen Russell, which started me on the road to 'serious' photography. I have spent the last year or so with Kim Klassen, happily immersed in the study of Photoshop and Lightroom, blogging and creativity.

It is time to stir these skills into the melting pot of my repetroire of methods and media.

I also recently discovered Pinterest, which has ignited an inspiring creative fire in me as well. You can follow me on Pinterest by clicking the gadget in my sidebar. You can also visit my Flickr page, where I will be maintaining a gallery of my work. Warning! It's a bit of a shambles there until I finish reorganizing things. There will likely be other changes to my blog as I grow as an artist, so stay tuned.

***

For now, I just want to share a special piece I made two years ago for my Dad, just months before he passed away. A devout Catholic, he always carried a rosary in his pocket, and prayed the rosary on a regular basis, usually at night before falling asleep. He found it especially comforting in times of anxiety, sickness or grief. I made this little shrine for him, recalling the roadside shrines seen 'round the world.

Dad bought this ruby-colored rosary for his mother when he was away at Catholic University in Washington D.C. She treasured it, and prayed with it until her death in 1968. Dad gave it to me a few years ago, and I have prayed many a time with these beads.

***

I made these two images last year, for Kim's Beyond Layers class...same rosary + my grandmother's prayer book.

***

I, along with countless other students will keep

Kim Klassen and her family

in my prayers.

xoxo

Cindy

handmade

A few years ago my mother gave me a very precious family heirloom, which I treasure to this day. It is a hand-embroidered shawl, made by my great-grandmother Anna Murphy Toomey. It is finely stitched, entirely black on black, made before 1900...

The following is an excerpt from our family genealogy, compiled and written by my mother, Peggie Toomey Notarianni in 2004.

Anna Murphy (b. 1852) married Michael Toomey, who had been a hired hand on the farm of her father. At one time they lived in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa (where this portrait was taken, and where Anna was a milliner) where their younger children, Paul and Joseph were born....

Later, Michael was said to have driven the first train from St. Paul, Minnesota to Fargo, North Dakota. Perhaps his first job for the railroad accounted for his absences and for the fact that Anna and the two younger boys were living in Devil's Lake, North Dakota when Anna died in 1900.

This account of her last days is very difficult for me to type.

Their older son, Eugene, was already living in Devil's Lake when Anna and the boys arrived. Anna's half-brothers, Alfred and Edward Murphy, had homesteaded in the county and they brought food and checked up on her from time to time. Her older son Eugene was sheriff of the county and had to put his mother and the two boys out on the street for non-payment of rent. They ended up living out of town in a 'shack.' Anna's brothers brought them a barrel of flour that winter. My father (Joe) never spoke of these early years except to remark that one winter they had nothing to eat but pancakes.

Anna took in laundry, which Paul and Joe would pick up and deliver in a wagon. Their mother instructed them not to fight anyone. One afternoon the boys were coming home with their wagon load of laundry when some boys began to poke fun at them. Paul ran into the house, but Joe fought with them, and when he looked up he saw his mother watching from the window. He expected to be scolded but she never said a word.

Anna died that winter of 1900, of tuberculosis and starvation. The boys were alone with her body for two days before someone from the school came by to see why they were not in school. Anna is buried in the Catholic corner of the cemetery in Devil's Lake, N.D.

In the 1940's Joe and Paul attended the funeral of their brother, Eugene, in Devil's Lake, and at the cemetery the question arose as to where their mother was buried. Joe pointed to the lower, weedy Catholic part of the Protestant cemetery and said, "I'll take you there." He walked directly to a spot, kicked and pushed weeds aside and there was a small stone with her name on it. Joe was six years old when she was buried.

***

Linking up with Tuesday Muse,  Texture Tuesday (I used kk_laurel and kk_magicfilm), and Groupies of Kim Klassen, where this week's One Word Creative Challenge is 'handmade' and/or 'yellow.'

xoxo
Cindy