I cannot even believe that Inspired is over. Where did the time go?!? And I should NOT be writing about it now as I’m totally brain dead, but I’ll just edit later I guess.
I’ve been getting some crazy amounts of emails (sorry folks, I CANNOT answer them all individually) and two whole comments telling me to post pictures and stories. I’ll post some pictures now, but honestly, I have not finished one project. Well, maybe one. The Poppet Puppet.
The next couple weeks are going to be crazy here for me — and I just NEED to spend some time with my family. I did miss them so much by the end of Inspired — was away from Oliver longer than I ever had been. When he enrolls in college, I’m absolutely certain I’m going to have to enroll in therapy. Path-e-tic. Oh, but I just love that little boy so!
Inspired did just that. I just want to create all over the place. madly in love with creating and art and whatever else has been filling me up. I haven’t had a moment to finish any of my projects or do any of the million things rumbling around in my head. I will post more. There are certainly stories. Whenever you travel with Ms. Huckins there is some good-hurt-your-stomach-tears-down-the-face laughter and she did not disappoint. Am so thankful to have her there with me to share. Thanks for coming, Wendy!
so some photos now, some more photos later. To be honest, though, don’t expect too many photos from the event. I took VERY FEW pictures. I was too busy doing other things.
Wendy and my trip started Tuesday — stopped at Johnny Rockets for lunch — diner type place. What do you get at a diner? Chocolate shake of course! Wouldn’t you know it my styrofoam (grrrrr — tree hugger) cup caved in! In Sweet Peter’s new car that Wendy and I borrowed! Thank heavens she bough Reese’s (sp?) pieces and the bag happen to be laying in such a spot that caught 2/3 of the shakes-plosion. And thank heavens she’s TOTALLY obsessed with cleanliness and she can whip a wet wipe out in .23milliseconds and jump all over the mess before the car could even be pulled over. Good thing we had to pull over, because she had some onion ring crumbs to pluck from her bra while we were there. The guy in the parking lot of Kentucky Fried Pigeon (where we stopped) was seriously wondering what was going on in our car. And we got a good laugh.
I have mixed feelings about posting this photo. Wendy and I were the first car stopped after an accident — we are SUPER thankful that we were not involved and hope that the car that was has un-injured passengers. Putting aside the accident (which did not look that bad — don’t freak when you see the helicopter — it was kind of a remote location so we decided they probably don’t have hospitals close and use helicopter rather than ambulance — since we, thankfully, saw nothing, the helicopter could have taken off with no one in it), it was kind of exciting to see a firetruck parked ACROSS the highway so that a helicopter could land ON the highway. That is just something you don’t see every day. That’s just the little five year old boy in me that lives for helicopters, firetrucks (and Cargo and Woot.)
We arrived at the hotel on Weds early afternoon and it was really nice and totally comfortable. Of course with a whopping 5/6 hours of sleep a night, pretty much anything can be comfortable. Happy to hear Inspired will be held there again next year.
Wade, the bellman, cracked us up while we were waiting for a cart on Wednesday. We were pleased that he helped us out of the hotel on Sunday. He was a RIOT. Seriously funny boy. I’ll have to snag the photo Wendy has of him — we owe him a Poppet Puppet (thanks to Claudine for the class). He liked the one I made for Oliver. Oliver liked it too — hasn’t stopped playing with it since I got home. I thought the arms were a little kooky on mine, but they suit Oliver fine — he’s been having the puppet hand me things with it’s extra-long-poorly-placed arms. And, of course, playing Peek-a-boo. I’m going to have to make a whole family of them. He also liked the skull undies I bought him at the gap — he is so my child. Sweet Peter said “WHAT are those?!?!” heh. He also thinks I shouldn’t post this picture as our child looks psycho. No, just psyched.
This was a mini-workshop Donna taught. My dress form was certainly not the best (there were SO MANY talented artists at this thing! You could get inspired just looking around the room!) but I liked it. Funny to have anything so girlie in my house. I think the dress form and the poppet were the only two things I finished at the workshop. Looking at the dress form now, I may go back and distress it a bit….
Seriously, all the instructors were amazing. If you read my blog, though, you know I just adore Kal and her work. Her class was fantastic — she does not disappoint. I have three unfinished things and this. The cork was really hard to work on, but I like the texture. I’m all about texture. I managed to draw something without it tearing completely in two. Should anyone wish to try this, I would suggest adhering the cork to something FIRST. I bet that would work out well. 
Oliver was also over the moon that I was able to meet Kal — first question he asked me the one and only time I was able to talk to him on the phone while I was gone. She signed his book for him and he made me read him the inscription 5 million times Monday night!) and loves the picture of the two of us. Is sure I should have packed her up in my suitcase and brought her home with me. I’m positive he’s going to leave the house one day with his little backpack and head out for Winnipeg.
I think he MAY actually be a bigger fan than me! I really liked Kal’s class because it was “Do whatever you do” — perfect class for me since I’m totally incapable of following directions. I really like Stephanie McAtee’s class as well — same reason. It was also really my style. And I will be doing photo transfers all over the place now because of her. Happy to learn those techniques. Picture below is the book from Stephanie’s class. A loose interpretation of what I learned in Kal’s class on the right page. A photo-transfer with paint technique I learned in a mini-workshop at night shown left. Isn’t that dark brown-orange paint color dreamy? More so in reallife. I’m not so good with my scanner. Just ordered some today. Will be investing in some colorwashes tomorrow.
I ended up using the photo transfer technique shown below from Stephanie’s class in Tena’s class — Tena did an acrylic album and the clear tape photo transfer looked really cool on that. Could see it from both sides of the page. Perhaps I’ll post that pic another day when I finish that album a little more. It’s pretty sparse right now. I was too busy running down the hallway to Stephanie’s class to steal some tape for what I wanted to do in Tena’s class. I just love this technique and know I will totally overuse it in all my work. Especially loved this beach photo — something about water screams to be on clear plastic medium, no?
Last photo for tonight — loved the colorwash on the photos. Gave them such a different look. Old, beaten, and battered. Just my style.
Hope that some of my new friends from the workshop find me here. Hope to keep in touch with the amazingly talented people that I met. Hope to be able to take some more classes from the amazingly talented teachers Donna found. Promise to post more when I have time to finish up some of my projects. Sweet dreams of art, inspiration, laughs, and doing what you love. xo
