n2cre8n

Twilight Addiction

It's all my sister's fault.  I'm blaming her.  She told me about the Twilight book series. 

I said, "A girl falls in love with a cute vampire and he has to be careful not to attack her?  I don't know about that".  Yet, everywhere I looked, people were talking on and on about this book!  My favorite art blogs, moms in car line, email friends . . . everyone, it seemed, was reading Twilight.  My sister kept telling me it was so good, that I HAD to read it.  She read all four books in a month - these are big, 2-3" thick books!  So she mailed them to me to borrow.  My interest was peeked.  If nothing else, I was curious about what all the hype was over.  Vampires, sheesh!

So I opened the box and started reading Twilight. 

The story started off fairly interesting, making me want to learn more about this peculiar situation.  Then, about 100 pages in . . . I was hooked.  It sucked me in, like a black hole.  I couldn't stop reading. 

I've heard people talk about such a thing, but see, I'm not a reader.  I don't do novels.  I prefer the magazine, the idea book, the self-improvement reference type of book.  My sister has always read.  I remember in high school, she'd stay up late reading novels by Stephen King, Danielle Steel, and many others I don't remember.  I just was never like that.  So it was odd for me to find it so hard to put the book down.

I finished the 498 pages in 5 days.  It was wonderful. 

Addicting.

Obsessive.

Ridiculous.

Wonderful.

I've spend the last 5 days reading the second book, New Moon .  I stayed up until 12:30 AM last night to finish it.  Another 563 pages in 5 days.

Addicting.

Obsessive.

Ridiculous.

Wonderful.

Do I dare start the third book?  Yes, I have to.  So that's why I'm not blogging much, or doing art much, or taking care of my house or errands much.  My nose is in a book, reading about Edward and Bella and their many adventures.  It's the vampire version of Romeo and Juliet.  I know, strange, but it's wonderful. 

The story of how these books came about is fascinating - a great story.  Read it HERE.  I could read this story 20 times and still be impressed.

The movie is out in theatres tonight.  View a clip here.

Now go.  Support my addiction and read them yourself . . . if you haven't already. 

 

A Family Who Creates

I often take creativity for granted.  I forget how awesome it is to have so many creative people in my family.  I grew up with sketched patterns lying around, taped together, saved in files.  There were stacks and stacks of ideas books, inspirational photos, and pattern books.  I can still smell the scent of solder in my dad's basement studio.  I remember walking to my mom's shop after school.  There was often a half-finished stained glass window on one large work table, while a framing project was in the works on another work table.  In another room, there was fabric, a sewing machine, and stacks of patterns.  In all of these places, there was a lot of lighting, upbeat music, sodas, and late night creative work.  That's how I grew up.  That's all I knew . . . and I love it! 

My mom's latest stained glass creation.  This is one half of the sun.  These two windows sit high on a vaulted log cabin wall in their Wyoming home.  See her other work at Rocky Mountain Framing & Gallery.  She owns a framing gallery where she's gotten really creative with her work.  She has sandblasted images on the glass that covers a framed picture, adds personalization to wine glasses and other wedding glass items, and creates large sand-blasted and stained glass windows.  How cool is that?  Now I need to go find more photos of her work.  They're amazing.

My step-dad's latest creation, a TV stand.  This holds their big screen TV and sits just below the two stained glass windows above.  He's a jack of all trades, really.  He helped construct the addition to their home that resembles a log home - it's amazing.  His favorite hobby is welding.  He's created wildlife, cacti, and more.  He also makes sculptured pieces from large logs, antlers, rope, and rawhide.  They have lamps, decor, and now cabinet handles made from these things.

And a few creations from my sister, a scrapbook instructor/mixed media artist/photographer in southern Wyoming.  See more of her work here at her blog.

 

My brother has created pottery in his high school art classes, but I can't seem to find a photo of them - darn. 

And I have to give my dad lots of credit too.  He passed away in 1991, but also influenced and inspired my art in big ways.  He was an artist of stained glass, beveled glass, and engraved glass.  I remember him drawing a lot of his patterns himself.  Here are just a few of the windows I have saved on my computer.

These are the people that inspire me all the time.  Different mediums, different styles, yet so creative and talented.  How lucky am I?!!!