Just Ruminating

Monday, April 7, 2008

Photo of the Day

From left: Rodney, Suzy, Kara, Adam, Maddyson, Alan, Jackson and Carrie--all Kerley's.

Suzy is my older sister. This was taken Thanksgiving 2007 in our front yard.

Click on the photo to see it supersized.

April 7, 2008: These are photos of the "Prayer Books" I created as Christmas gifts this year. Unlike most of my other work, this project was entirely my creation! Sometimes I can be original! It was a huge project because it evolved into my making so many--I think I did 16. The bulk of the "book" is just simply ivory cardstock with tissue paper attached using gel medium. It made the paper extra stiff and sturdy. The text was formatted in Word and printed out using a font close to the same gold color. The image of the woman's face is a stamp that I stamped onto polymer clay.

Also--Olivia helped me tremendously with this project. We spread all our supplies out on the large dining room table and were "at it" for a good week. I so enjoyed having this special quality time with her! She "meditated" about the person the book was intended for also.

And I have thus far only shared the technique with one person--Sandy Hayes. I've offered it to all those that expressed interest. Guess it's just our very busy lives that prevent having the time to teach others. The day Sandy and I worked, we were at it for 8 hours! The time just flew by. Sandy is so open and daring with experimenting! She's very creative! She made her book for her daughter Casey. I bet Casey loves it!

My Prayer Books ---(this is from my journal, 12-23-2007)

I think they really liked their little prayer books. I’m proud of them. As I put theirs together yesterday morning (and two more) I put the piece in the back with whoever’s name on it first and then as I assembled the rest of the book, I prayed for and thought of the person. I think it makes it more powerful, makes the book have great meaning. Not that I’m some shaman or something but I so strongly believe that what we think has great impact. It creates energy that effects us. My hope is that the people I give them to will use them and thereby create more positive energy. I’ve also considered that I could possibly sell them or something like them. But I won’t. I think I’ll only make them for my loved ones or someone that asks for one. Then by knowing the person and making it with them in mind, I continue the positive energy. I can’t do that if I’m making it for some stranger and it won’t have any power and making profit from them would certainly defeat that! It kinda feels like a calling. And I’m sure they will improve and evolve as I continue to make them. I need a good bit more supplies to make many more than I’ve got planned for the holidays. I have to have gel medium first and most importantly. I will try and get some online today. Also need a lot more white polymer clay. And tissue paper! Lord!

Journal entry from 12-26-07:

My Books

I’m so insecure about them! I think they’re beautiful but what the hell do I know? Will the folks I’m giving them to appreciate them? Will they understand how powerful they are to me? I need stroking from folks about this or I’ll just not make anymore. Suzy called last night and said that before I got there (at Pug’s) yesterday Lisa was passing hers around and that everyone was saying how talented I am and how beautiful they are but no one said one word to me about it. Not one word. Why? Were they saying the compliments for Suzy’s benefit and don’t really mean it? Do they not want to encourage me to make them? Hmmmm…..perhaps. Perhaps they think I’ve gone off the deep end and just want this to go away. Jug said that maybe they were wanting one too and I hadn’t made them one. I said my little inserted card said I’d make anyone that asked me to one. I just don’t know. Perhaps I have gone off the deep end. I need to not think about this right now. God, I’m such an insecure baby. Makes me sick.

This is what I wrote up to insert as a seperate "card" into the book. It explains what I had in mind with the "prayer books".

A word or two or three about these little prayer books:

They were inspired as a result of some frustration I was experiencing regarding my prayer life. After a discussion with a good friend about this and her giving me the three prayers after the first one from Julia Cameron’s Heart Steps and I made a little card with the four prayers and set out to faithfully pray and meditate every day. Within a few days I was inspired to make a more elaborate “book” and share it with loved ones. Michelle and I had just spent an afternoon making Christmas cards for her to send to special customers and we used scanned images of the beautiful angel tissue paper as inspiration for them. I loved the tissue paper so much and knowing that Michelle had used the tissue paper and decoupaged it onto other objects and Olivia telling me that tissue paper was interesting to decoupage with, I thought why not decoupage it onto card stock? It worked beautifully and the book was born.

I put the last card in a book first with my loved one’s name and then assembled the remainder of the book and with each additional embellishment I pray and think about this person. I might conjure up memories of the person and just generally think about what they mean to me. I believe this creates powerful and positive energy that is magical, mystical and certainly worthy of its creation. Then as you, my loved and cherished one, use the card in your prayers, more positive energy is created and shared. It’s a powerful thing!

The angels aren’t just for the Christmas season but to put you in mind of the celestial as with the subtle female image on the second page. I find the gold theme very calming and hope you do too.

These “books” are not for sale or for profit. I’ll make one for anyone that asks me to and would be thrilled to share the techniques so you can make some too! I eagerly anticipate the evolution of the “book” as I learn better inspired techniques! And finally, those who assist in the making of them add their own prayers and blessings. How awesome is that?

Blessings,
Kim
December 2007

Distressed Furniture Refinishing

I refinished this piece last summer (07) and Michelle sold it at the store. I enjoy doing this but ONLY during the warm months. I've had a dresser to do for my cousin Lynne since last fall and it's a thorn in my side because I feel so bad not getting it done but didn't realize how much I would be disinclined to work on it when its cold! Most refinishing I can't do inside because of the fumes and the mess of sanding. And sure don't want to be outside working when it's cold. Weather's warming finally so I should get Lynne's piece done very soon.......

This piece sold like the day I brought it in! That's another thing about furniture refinishing--it's very time-consuming and it's very difficult to get compensated for all your time.

Mother's Day Card 2008

Since becoming so immersed in "paper" art in the last half year or more, I've been teaching little classes at Michelle's store, The Vintage Home, (http://www.the-vintage-home.blogspot.com/ and am thinking I'll post some of the examples of my work here. This is the Mother's Day Card. I didn't exactly create it...creating is THE hardest part of art! It really stumps me! It's rare that I come up with something entirely on my own. I'll find inspiration from others work and go from there. This particular card, at least the front cover (which is the photo on top), came from an example at Enchanted Cottage (it's a wonderful stamp/craft store in Lewisville--about 45 minutes from here) and I took photos of it and just recreated what they'd done. The inside is all mine though. These photos are of the one I made. Lots of embossing on this card.

OLD BLOG

I attempted to blog in 2006 but didn't pursue it other than a few entries and photos. I tried to just add to it but blogger wouldn't let me or I just couldn't figure it out! Seems you now have to have a Google account and when I registered for that, I wasn't given the option of adding to my already existing blog. Anyway---sure I just missed something in the process but regardless I could still access the old blog and just copied and pasted what I had there.

Old Blog Stuff--02-28-2006 Grant

Grant

Doesn't he just imbue cool rock star? We had a conversation the other day about artists who sell out. If I understood him correctly he believes that if you become famous you've sold out. Hmmmm..... My idealist son.

Grant is so cool. I love his hair! I tell him it so reminds me of the boys when I was young--all the boys had long hair in the 70's. He's a very talented artist like his sister, specializing in graffiti art. He also plays the guitar very well especially for his age. He takes weekly lessons from locally renowned guitarist Donnie Story. He LOVES skateboarding most of all. He skates every day, weather permitting. He's a fine young man!He told me recently: "Mom, I sure I hate I missed the rock-n-roll of the 70's--that's when music was really good." And it sure was! He and I have our love of 70's rock in common.

Old Blog Stuff--02-28-2006 Olivia

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Olivia Throwing

Livvie really enjoys pottery. She asked for a (used) wheel for Christmas. This was taken Christmas Eve 2005. She made mugs and bowls for everybody for Christmas! Her great-aunt (my aunt) Louise Hudson Vickory was a locally renowned potter. Livvie likes to think she might have her talent--think she does!

Old Blog Stuff--02-28-2006 Greeting

2005, 02-28 Greetings!

Greetings! Creating a blog seems a bit narcissistic to me. Like I think what I have to say will be so compelling! Just my mother tapes playing in my head, I think.What's going on? After moving to our slice of paradise September 2005, we're reveling in it still yet. We still have so much work to do...so many improvements we want to make....and still many unfinished projects to complete. For some reason, I'm so much more patient about it than I would have been in my younger years. I would have been so frustrated with Jug. It just doesn't seem important now. We'll get it done and in the meantime, we'll enjoy what we do have. He's begun the long process of adding the front porch to the entire front of the house. He's moved nine scrubs from the front of the house to an area off to the right. He's got about four more to move. He's been distracted by Grant's skateboarding barn. Grant and his band of friends are so excited about this. They're pouring the entire floor of the barn hallway with cement and out into the shed area too. They're installing some steps and ramps. Optimistically, they could be skating within the week. But that's got Jug busy for now. That porch will get done! And THAT excites me!Lots I want to "ruminate" on. Believe I'll go ahead and post this...want to see what it looks like!

Old Blog Stuff--02-28-2006 Me

This was taken July 2005. I think Aly (Curley) took it. We were goofing off and she was experimenting with the "speed photo-taking"--whatever its called. She got about a dozen or more shots of me playing "model". It was fun. There aren't a lot of photos of me--I'm always behind the camera! Gosh, I look fat in the picture! I had no idea!

Old Blog Stuff--02-28-2006 Jug and me

This was taken in June of 2005 at our creek. We'd bought our new place and had just begun our three months of remodeling. That's Bella, our Great Dane in the background. Isn't our little creek pretty?!!

Old Blog Stuff--02-28-2006 Jug

My Husband

Taken June 2, 2005. The love of all my lives! The one who enabled me to know I'm worthy....if HE loves me and I have so much respect for my husband, then I must be worth something! Isn't he just the cutest thing? And he's sexy too

Old Blog Stuff--02-28-2006 Olivia

Olivia

Beautiful, sweet, loving Olivia! Taken June 20, 2005 while playing croquet in front yard. She's very photogenic!She's majoring in art at UNC-Asheville; a sophomore. She can't decide what medium to focus on though--she loves them all. She very talented--I'm sure she do well whatever she does. She's an excellent student--unlike her parents! We have her art decorating every other wall in the house.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Slide Show of Grant's Art

I Do Have TWO Children!!

My son Grant is now 16 and half! He's had one speeding ticket already and a ticket for driving after nine when he hadn't quite yet gotten around to getting his after-nines! He sometimes procrastinates! Wonder where he gets that tendency?

He's a really talented artist himself! Drawing well comes easily for him. He has painted skateboards with graffiti for years. When he went to camp at Woodward in PA, he earned some big bucks painting other kids skateboards.

Grant's requested homeschooling starting next year for his junior year. This boy of ours is a free spirit and has "issues" (as Olivia says so often!) with the over-structure and perhaps to be honest, with authority in general. We've agreed to allow it. Just seems to be the right thing to do. He's been "looking" for employment since Christmas--funny how NO one is hiring!!

We're very proud of Grant. I'm proud he told us how unhappy he is in public school. I'm proud too, that he's a non-conformist. He has his own mind. I've had posted by my desk for many (probably 20) years this from Robert Anthony: "The opposite of bravery isn't cowardice but conformity". Seems my children have taken this to heart! Bless them.

Above is self-portrait

Grant's nick is "Grizzle". He tells me his skate friends starting calling him this because of

his tendency to kinda growl at himself while skating.

I LOVE this one above. The detail is amazing.

Olivia Shumate's Senior Show Front Page

Olivia's Show.....Journal Entry

Asheville, Olivia, Her Show

From my journal, April 5, 2008:

It was fabulous! The whole trip was a dream! Loved every minute of it! Being with her, watching how she’s blossoming, helping her, having Jug there, all the people that came because they think so much of her, my pride in her, ---------it was all just ecstatically thrilling!! Can’t say enough!

Man, oh, man! From the beginning: We spent all Thursday afternoon hanging her pieces. There were three of Ali, three of Phillip, four of Amanda and six of Olivia. I hope to never lose the image of the gallery in my mind. We hung the first one of Ali first. How thrilled Olivia was to see her work hanging up on the bare wall! She just about jumped up and down with her happiness! She hadn’t ever seen her pieces hanging all alone on a white bare wall like that with the spot lights on them casting fabulous shadows everywhere. Each piece then one by one was hung with great care, measuring distances from the floor to the next piece making sure they were level. Then she pushed and pulled the huge ladder to each piece and adjusted the spotlights making the shawdows just right. It was all painstakingly accomplished! Each piece was evaluated as to how did the piece make your eyes flow? Did each piece flow to the next? If in one the subject was looking to the right, say, then she made sure that that did not make you look then to a door or window!! If the subject was looking to the right, then that piece had to be on the right! Whew! It was a chore but a very fun and satisfying chore. So VERY GLAD and APPRECIATIVE that Jug was with us!!!!!!! Can’t imagine his missing this and oh, God, if he had, he would have just been so depressed about it—seriously—he would have. He made hanging the pieces so easy! I just basically sat and critiqued them as to spacing and levelness—didn’t have to do much! Olivia mostly directed us and worked on the lighting. She was so excited and also so tired!

In spite of the condition of her apartment, and once I’d vacuumed and we’d straightened just a bit, we just enjoyed being together and talking and sharing and planning. I just tried to put the “surroundings” out of my mind. And just see her! And God, is she a beauty to behold! How she is growing up and becoming a woman of SUBSTANCE!!!!! She had a psychology workbook on her coffee table that she’s had to enter thoughts about things and of course, I read it while I waited on her and Jug to wake. She’s just amazing!! What she thinks about and very well grounded she is! Reading her thoughts on things, I realized I have absolutely nothing to worry about concerning her. She is going to be just fine in this life! And happy too. She knows so well how to prioritize and focus on what is truly important! She is very insightful into others AND herself. God, can you not just hear how proud I am of her? How did Jug and I produce such a beautiful person? She is such a gift! Such a blessing in my life!

She had everything planned but did not overplan it either. She was just anxious enough to have given it plenty of forethought but then was relaxed about certain things. She’d already done a good bit of the shopping after she’d decided what food to have. And we started preparing the food early Friday morning. The ONLY glitch was getting all the things baked that had to be baked and not having some things come out so early that it would not be fresh at 6:00—as her oven would only hold so much. She probably should have had her friends pitch in more. But both Ali and Amanda were sick yesterday and Ali had a paper or project of some sort due. I think Olivia may have a little trouble asking for help. But we got it done. Jug and Olivia went on over to the gallery to set up what was ready while I stayed behind and finished the baking and did my hair and make up and brought the rest over. We got it done and on time.

It was so thrilling and heart-warming to have so many come such a long way and just because of their admiration for Olivia!!!!!! Lisa, Pug, Shasta, Marisa, Mel, John, Sandy, Tony, Jim, Michelle, Joan, Grant, Marina, Don and Pam Curley, Nathan, Suzy, Carol —can you believe it? All came all that way just for her! It really and truly swelled my heart! Just thinking about it makes me want to cry! We are so blessed. So very truly blessed!

I don’t know if I’m just biased and prejudiced or what but I think her work is absolutely fabulous!! And I don’t think it just my bias. We heard so many say how very impressed they were! The pieces are large and my God, seeing them across the large gallery was just so impressive and just breath-taking! And close up you’re not disappointed either! Such emotion in each piece. And her artist statement—got to get her to send me a copy of it. How very well she expressed herself! How caring she is about people and how different and wonderful we each are. One of her psychology professors commented to me initially about the great food and I said how Olivia and I had prepared it all and he said, are you her mother? And I affirmed I was and then he commented on how very glad he was that he’d come because he had no idea how very talented she was and how in touch (or something to that effect) she was into human psychology and I said, and don’t you see how right on her choice in her career has been? He then asked me what her choice was and I said, art therapy and he had an ah-hah! moment!! Oh, yes, he says! I’m sure she’ll be hearing comments from her teachers and peers for weeks to come! And how good this will be for her confidence! She has worked so very, very, hard and the pay-off will be great! She’ll swell with confidence and know now she is a GREAT artist!!!!!!!!!! I’m so happy for her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Opening Part Seven

Olivia, Grant and Marina

Ain't they cute?

Olivia and pal Aly

And Kristin!

When I spoke to Olivia yesterday (Saturday, day after show) she was experiencing such great relief to have this behind her. She had quite a journey getting here--lots of hard work and it's such a huge accomplishment! She said, though, that she couldn't shake the feeling that she was supposed to be doing something! For so very long she just couldn't quite relax for always feeling she was supoosed to be working!! Friends, Kristin, Aly, Amanda and others can attest to the fact that they seldom got time with her that she did not have some part of the project in her lap. They'd watch Buffy or X-Files while Olivia also worked!! Such dedication!

I'm so proud!

The Opening Part Six

YES!! A great pic of my great friends Michelle and Joan!!!

Hmmmm.....dagnabit--think Jug took this one!

It's tangible the bond between these two!!

Can you not see the pride beaming from this daddy?

Jug, Kim, Olivia and Grant

Loving sibs--yeah, they really do!

The Opening Part Five

Sandy Hayes from Boone and Joan McCord from Wilkesboro.

Lisa and Mel

Aunt Pug

From left: Pug, Kim, Livvie, Michelle, and Joan.

The Opening Part Four

Aunt Suzy (Kerley), Aunt Mel (Hudson) and cousin Lisa Pardee. They all traveled close to two hours to come and support our Livvie!

The Curley's cut up with Aly, Kristin and Olivia's schoolmates.

From left: Don Curley, Krystal, Kristin and Amanda (of Amanda's wall).

Left is college pal of Livvie's, Ali Rahimzadeh and on the right is friend from high school, Nathan Hanks who came from Boone.

From left: Mel Hudson, Lisa Pardee, Sandy Hayes (came from Boone), Joan McCord and Michelle Gann. Thank you so much for coming so far guys!!

The Opening Part Three

Aly Curley with her parents Don and Pam posing in front of "Aly's Wall".

Michelle Gann and Joan McCord with Grant Shumate and Marina Oshel. Joan and Michelle are enjoying the tasty treats Olivia and Kim had prepared for the show. We had quite the spread!! Please visit Michelle's store, The Vintage Home, Main Street, Wilkesboro. I'm still intimately involved in it and love to see it thrive! Also check out her blog of the store: