Life is a Mosaic

About 7-10 years ago, I was a mosaic princess.

My hubby taught me how to use a tile saw and I was in HEAVEN.

I did mosaics on everything I could get my hands on.

Most were sold or given as gifts.  I only have a couple left.

I always liked mosaics as they remind me of life.

Our lives are lots of pieces, that come together to create an entire picture...YOU.

People, experiences, children, pain, love, happiness, sorrow, places, friendship.

Like a quilt really.

This was my first Art Mannequin.

I LOVE HER!

May you enjoy the mosaic of your life fully today!

XO,

Lisa

Happily Busy!

So, the New Year is Upon us full swing.

I am happily creating new treasures to sell at my upcoming shows.

It is going to be a BUSY year.  So far, 9 shows scheduled for the year.

My intention is to take it 12, yep...12 shows.

Three of she shows I just was accepted to are quite a bit out of the area.

Arizona, Nevada and Northern California.

It is going to be a full and fun year and I am so excited!

So far my resolve this year has been spot on.

365 days of gratitude, daily exercise, Yoga,

no Vino, a change of eating habits. (won't use the word DIET).

Venturing forth with my business to new places.

Basically a NEW Lifestyle and Direction and it feels

WoNdErFuL!!!!

How is Your New Year coming along???

May you find PEACE

wherever you are at on your Journey today!

XO,

Lisa

MOCA

Over the Break, Emily and I spent a day with my ULTRA COOL Uncle Tom!

We made a resolution to spend more time together.

After meeting at his very spiffy contemporary house in Pasadena, we headed to Los Angeles.

Uncle is he perfect tour guide for L.A.

It has been his playground forever.

First stop was the Disney Concert Hall.

The entire building is fluid and made of stainless steel sheets.

They had to brush the metal at one point because it was a mirror finish that was basically blinding peeps in the local buildings.

The designers behind this building are Brilliant.

It is after all, a Concert Hall.

I can imagine them thinking, we need to design a building that looks like it is dancing.

The music notes are swirling around the building.

One can walk around the entire outside of the building, up and down steps.

There are lovely little gardens tucked here and there.

And an Amazing mosaic fountain of delftware.

There are two outside amphitheaters as well.

In a few locations the original finish is intact.

So, we shot pics of ourselves in the reflection.

Onto MOCA, The Museum of Contemporary Art.

WOW.  Emily and I LOVED it.

This Giant sculpture is outside.

I call it "why I don't like to fly"

It is constructed entirely of fuselage parts.

Crashed or just broken, I don't know.

It is amazing.  How I would Love to work on an assemblage piece of this scale!

So much wonderful art inside, I am so inspired.

Next we passed through Chinatown to eat at the World Famous Felipe's.

Best French Dip and hello, coffee for 9 cents.

They have been there for over 80 years and it was PACKED.

Delicious too.

From there we went back to Pasasdena with intentions of seeing the Rose Parade floats, but they weren't open for viewing until the following day.

So, we went to the Gamble House.

http://www.gamblehouse.org/

It was closed for tours that day, but you can still walk the property and take pics.

Beautiful craftsmanship.

Can't wait to go back.

When we left there Uncle told us of a home built by none other than the famous 

Frank Lloyd Wright that is in serious disrepair and hello...EMPTY!

Can you believe it?

So, we shot pics through the fence.

Oh, how I wanted to hop it and trespass...yes, I did!!!

If I weren't a MOM, I would have!

Here is a link to what it really looks like.

http://www.luxist.com/2009/02/09/la-miniatura-estate-of-the-day/

A dream and to think it was only on the market at one point for a mere 7 Million.

It was a wonderful day spent with two people that I ADORE.

Uncle Tom and Emily!

Wings...

As I stood in the kitchen washing dishes last night listening

to Sarah Mc Lachlan, the song Angel came on.

It always brings me to tears.

This was one of the songs I had played at my husband's memorial.

Don't think it will ever play without me thinking of him.

Ironically, one of the projects I worked on yesterday

was a little dress form that had been done one way several years ago, 

but I was never quite content with.

It just never flowed for me.

In my classic form, if something isn't right, it gets changed.

She is my new winged angel.

Haven't given her a name yet.

Her Heart is free to soar.

I Love her now.

As one looks around my home, you find lots

of wings and winged things.

My Garden angel has been photographed so many times and her

pictures altered.

She was the header of one of my old blogs.

 The Winged Muse

This year I acquired a pet parrot named Koro.

He is the cutest little love and as one might guess.

His wings are not clipped.

I don't have the heart to clip his wings.

After all, what good is a bird that cannot fly?

I too once felt like a caged bird at one time in my life.

Until I spread my wings and flew.

Today I am thankful for Wings.

The wings of angels, birds, butterflies and the wings of my friends

who are everyday Angels that lift me up when I forget to fly.

XOXO

Alta Loma

 I live in Alta Loma.  It is part of Rancho Cucamonga.

Alta Loma, means Tall Hill.

Alta Loma basically was built on graded foothills.

About 1 mile behind my home is where the mountains start and I LOVE them.

Today in particular, they are sprinkled with Powdered Sugar.

My back yard is subterranean, 

so I have to go out front of my home too see the tip of Cucamonga Peak.

However as I drive my son to the High School every day, this is what greets us.

We call them "our" Mountains,

because, they mean Home.

From the High school, you can see all the way down into the Valley to the Saddleback Mountains,

This into the sunrise pic is Mt San Gorgonio.  But we can also see all the way to Big Bear too.

My son and I comment many times a week how cool it is too live

where we do so close to the mountains and get to see the Valley below us.

Especially in Winter.  So cal winters are the BEST.  The air is clean, the view is clear.

Not sure where the smog and haze goes, but who's complaining?

As a So Cal Native, I LOVE Winter here, Spring and Fall too.

Summer, not so much.

So, today I am thankful for where I live.

It is a nice town on a hill and my children

have thrived here.

XO,

Lisa

365 days of Gratitude

Back from two weeks of Holidays and having kids home from school.

We had a nice quiet Holiday.  Mild cold for Me.

Also had some very nice adventures, which I may or may not post about.

As I have reflected these past few weeks.

2010 was a good year in some ways and not so good in others.

Where I see everyday is a NEW DAY to start fresh, not just January 1st,

I too create a mental "resolution" list of sorts.

First, to find new ways to manage the stress in my life...

the stress that has caused me to gain 20lbs in the past 5 years.

So I have re-dedicated myself to healthy eating & enrolled in two

Yoga classes, twice a week for 12 weeks.

Secondly...Business:

Build my web presence via website, etsy, etc.

market wholesale, publish more

and continue to grow as an artist.

My last resolution was this great idea I had laying in bed.

365 days of Gratitude.

Well, it seems there already is a great website just for that...

http://www.365daysofgratitude.com/aboutgratitude.html

I enrolled for their daily email.

My idea though, is to wake up each day and journal about 1 word.

ONE word of something I am grateful for because no matter

how stressed we are, how little is in the bank, the extra lbs we want to lose,

etc, etc...or the multitude of other annoying daily things we complain about...our lives

could infinitely be worse.

So, Happy NEW Year my friends.
May every day be filled with new resolve.

Today's word of gratitude is "Silence".

I am thankful for the Silence around me today as my family headed back to school and work.

It is in this silence that the beauty of life resonates more clearly...
and I can work undisturbed in my studio for several hours.

XO,

Lisa

Holiday-ness

Have you ever photographed a candle?

This is a really yummy red candle shot without flash...

Then with flash...

Funny huh?

I adore candles and with the rainy weather we have been having,

they are being burnt for sure!

On another note...

I have 4 darling little cousins.

In some ways, they are more like nieces, but they are cousins and 

three of them insist that I make them their Christmas presents.

Aren't they cute???

This is an older pic, Nana the Matriarch of the family is center.

After years of my three sons dominating the scene.

Our family had 5 girls in a row...

Oye VEY...GIRLZZZZ....

They are all darling and wonderful girls.

Second from the left is Samantha, Sam as she is called.

Sam is NOT a girlie girl, so creating a piece of jewelry for this

little lass is even more special.

Sam likes Boy stuff, skulls, snakes, skateboards and the like.

So I sketched and hand painted a skull and crossbones for her on a 1x1.5 inch paper.

Adding her initial "S", the piece which was then applied to a bezel using diamond glaze.

As my New Year resolution is to incorporate original art in my pieces, this piece

validated for me that I am on the right track.

I hope she LOVES it!

I do.

Now Emily wants one.

Like I said...Oye Vey...GIRLZZZZ.

Merry Merry to you all!!!

XOXO