Bring Your Own Sunshine

Next week, I will be in Philadelphia, sharing joy, Christ, and anything else I can with others. Tell you all about it when I get back. Oh, and I get to go with my best friend..words can't describe how happy I am.

All I can say is..

Daisies To Push Through The Floor

The flea market was a success...tiring, exhausting work, but a success. And I benefitted in many ways, too. There was a variety of milk glass for sale, prices ranging from 20 cents to a dollar. So, after the time was up for the flea market, and everything left was up for grabs, I snagged every good looking, vase-like piece of milk glass. My thoughts are that, someday, I will get married, and hey, maybe I'll want to use milk glass for the center pieces. Most of the pieces look like this:

And I want to use them like this, but without all that mossy stuff:

Oh, Telescope, Keep An Eye On My Only Hope

The new Owl City album comes out today..All Things Bright and Beautiful. You can grab a free download of the song 'Deer In The Headlights' here!

This Saturday there will be a flea market at St. Michael's Church in Tilden Township. We are cleaning out the pavilions basement of some vintagey, kitschy stuff. I've already purchased some awesome, old books that I may be using in an art journal class I'll be teaching. Here's a link to the website of the Walk-In Art Center in Schuylkill Haven. Could be a great place for art opportunities!

A sign we found in the church's pavilion:

I'm Worth What I'll Convince Myself To Be..

Well, THAT was a great reunion. This evening, I 'reunited' with my favorite band, Relient K. The last time I saw them in concert was the year 2008, when they toured with Switchfoot and Ruth, two of my other favorite bands.

Tonight, Relient K played in Bethlehem, at the all new Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest, near the SteelStacks. The band played in front of a backdrop of a window that showed the old, rusty steel stacks. They joked that the stacks were spooky, reminscent of Transformers, which we all know is true...because they filmed part of the second movie there, remember? Anyway, this show was personal, and I picked the best best best! seats..knowing that the lead vocalist, Matthew Thiessen, plays his piano on stage right. Second row, baby, ten feet from the stage. AND, since this was such an intimate, casual viewing space, they did an acoustic show..an acoustic show!!! I've never heard songs from their newest album live before, let alone acoustic..acoustic!! It was beautiful..perfect. And, as always, humorous. Here are some photos, I am done ooing and ahhing:

Jon Schneck, Ethan Luck, and Matthew Thiessen

Matthew Thiessen

He's looking at me..doesn't it look like he's looking at me? John Warne always has a smile and a good time.

Serving Something Beyond Me..

Here are some snippets of my artwork that will be on display/for sale at the Hamburg Arts Fest:

In other news, the new Fleet Foxes album came out today. I will be more confident on my bicycle.

Not A Note Is Out Of Tune Or Out Of Place..

Today, I was the art substitute for Perry and Tilden Elementary schools...

Conclusion?

I miss elementary art.

The stories, and wonder, and excitement, and just a love for school and people in general..it's so fresh in the eyes of children. I received more hugs from strangers today than some people do in a lifetime. These little people don't even know who I am, but they know that I'm there to do art with them for 45 minutes, and that's enough to grant me the privilege of a hug.

We drew cats, turtles, and pigs today..not really my idea (or Kutztown's idea) of a great art lesson, but for a one-day sub, it was just lots of fun. I've never heard anyone get so excited to draw the scalloped belly of a turtle. These drawings brought out lots of stories that began with 'One time, I saw..' and 'I don't know if you knew this, but..'.

Even through the frustrations of an unruly kindergarten class who desperately need to sharpen their pencils, I found silence and comfort in the simplicity of the lives of little ones.

In other lately stuff, I spend lots of time with this little one:

And Spring is here, and it is welcome:

And I Became Inspired To Live Brighter Than I Have Before..

Even the weatherman has no optimism anymore. 50 degrees is pretty warm, so you should probably stop calling it 'chilly' outside. And it was a good thing today was in the seventies..Mary and I were locked outside the house until her mom was able to open it for us when she was done working. Not a bad thing..just difficult to keep Mary from putting sticks in her mouth and from smelling rocks.

Welp, Anthropologie has hooked me again..they've put together a new part of their website just for me! Click here to see their new section called, 'For The Decorator'.

Here's is a sneak preview of what I've got in store for my artwork..this is the only watercolor version, but it just gives an idea of what's happening in my crazy brain!