Dia De Los Muertos

 Last year on All Saints Day I was inspired and moved by Dia De Los Muertos and all the lovely shrines.  I looked into them and really appreciated what I found.  A couple of days to remember and be grateful for those who have gone on before us.

I had hoped to get their names on the top.  You can
 see where I started one, but was unsuccessful.  Will
have toget back to that.

So a couple of the days I had no computer to blog on was Dia De Los Muertos and All Saints Day.  I had hoped to be able to share this experience with you.

One of my girls sewed a little tiny "stuffy" for one
 of them.

There are those whose loss I mourn, and sadly have not been able to fully grieve.  So this year I decided to honor them on All Saints Day and Dia De Los Muertos.

Here you can see most of the contents.  A teeny
 blanket,some trinkets, a heart and we put a teeny
dried flowerin each of them.  I meant to add more
 butwill add as time goes by.

Making these little shrines and their contents was a melancholy experience for me.   I wept as I remembered and added all the little details I would have loved to have given these four in this life.

It was a good melancholy though.  A melancholy I needed.  A time I needed to spend healing a little bit with this.  These were the only four I was able to complete.  There are a few more I intend to do in the future.  I found it a good way of remembering those we love who are no longer here.  I believe the kids enjoyed it too.

Their names on the inside.  I have dates and other info
to add,but will get to that next year.

Now, a happy thing.  Finished my 'Happy Grid' and thought I'd let you see it.

 and some close-ups

The healing nature of art...   try it, it really works...

Wow it's been over a month since my last post.  It's amazing how rapidly life can change.  The Pearls' maiden voyage was fun, but we've been ever so busy with life since that trip.  There is nothing new on the Pearl front.   I had been hoping to share some amazing, super fun news with you all by now, but that has been postponed.

My tower done for a Suzi Class
this is still not finished (have to fix my aunts face)
but I'm starting to doubt I'll ever get back to it.  

The reason for my hiatus is that my computer battery died and we had to figure that out, then order a new one, and honestly we take forever to do things.  It really is amazing that anything gets done in our world.  There is just so much to do.  Take blogging.  Over the last month I have had so many ideas and days I have wanted to share with you all.  But you know how it is, I just couldn't seem to write from a borrowed laptop.  Some things I just get really hung up on, like that.  Not having my laptop with my pics and my leisure to use it.  It just never happened.  Maybe I can slowly catch you all up.

There hasn't been much going on in the studio lately.  I am in a "down" time right now dealing with a lot of my lifelong issues.  I have much grieving to do, and I just feel like I need comfort.   Because of this any painting, or drawing, or knitting, anything really that can't be done from  my bed or my corner of the couch just does not get done.  Sure I miss my studio, and I miss painting and blogging very much, but once I stay away too long from something it is usually gone.  It becomes a huge overwhelming thing especially when I'm in need of comfort.





So I've been at the beach....  a lot....

Not friends

This is my attempt at reconnecting.  I have had so many things to share with you.  Now I'm not sure where to begin.  There are about a million thoughts rattling around in my head.  Some pics I had wanted to share with you were the end of the art journal I had been working on then.  Of course by now I have a new one.  Here are half of them.  Wouldn't want to overwhelm you.

Let go of the cloak of victimization

and finally here is what I am working on today.  Well the start of it.  This is a grid I am doing with a Suzi Blu class.  I did two.  A dark grid and a happy grid.  Life feels like that right now.  I just couldn't do the happy grid without acknowledging the dark parts.  This is just the beginning.  There is more to be done.  I'll hopefully remember to show it again when it's finished.  

Dark Grid

It felt great to paint today.  I hadn't painted for some time. We had a leak and had to remove half of the downstairs flooring, so my home has been a wreck.  Unable to face it I did everything from bed.  Nice coping skills, right?!    Yesterday my husband restored the living room furniture at least, so I could once again paint at my couch spot which I rearranged all in a tight grouping so it's nice and cozy up to the fireplace.   Today he and my eldest son re-floored the dining room and entry way and I worked on my Art Journal.

Happy Grid

The funny thing is I can do dark.  I had to do the dark one in order to do the light one.  Now that I'm a ways along I'm getting happier with it.  It still needs lots of work, but it's not so intimidating since I'm pretty happy with the dark one.