FLYING LESSONS underway

Friends, I am not about to let my dream for MAGPIE'S ART NEST be put on the back burner, as they say, and so I have (a week late) signed up for Kelly Rae Robert's online class, FLYING LESSONS: Tips + Tricks to Help Your Creative Business Soar ...

{above, Kelly Rae teaching us at An Artful Journey - February 2010}

In case you don't know what Magpie's Art Nest is all about, you can visit my other blog at http://iamprincessmagpie.blogspot.com for further details.

I think e-courses are truly the way to go when you want content that you can really ponder.  It's online, you can re-visit the information, and if the instructor has made it accessible for printing, you'll have that hard copy that so many of us appreciate months down the road when we need a refresher.

Kelly Rae and her friend Mati Rose (McDonough) were co-instructors for the workshop I took earlier this year with my friend, Ann Deakers ... we made our own FUNKY CHUNKY COFFEE TABLE BOOK and what a keepsake it is!   Cynthia organized the most amazing Art Retreat (An Artful Journey) I can imagine, and Los Gatos was a beautiful setting.  Just far enough away from home that we could really feel we got away, and driveable, too.

But back to FLYING LESSONS.   I've never had a desire to fly an airplane, but these are the kind of flying lessons I can really aspire to.

If you are so inclined, I invite you to join me on this journey.

Visit Kelly Rae's website by clicking on the title of this blog post - it will take you there in a flash!  (or just click on the FLYING LESSONS button on my sidebar ...)

-- Davielle

I'm still in RETREAT mode ... and that's a good thing

I have had a handful of friends asking me ... "when are you going to blog about An Artful Journey?"  and ... "when can we see the pictures from An Artful Journey?" ... and "what did you think of An Artful Journey?" ...  I mean, really, I could hear Kelly drumming her fingertips next to her keyboard, just jonesing for my first words.  :-)  {thanks, Kelly - I'm glad you want to read what I thought of AAJ.}

Well, to be honest, I've been hoarding the experience ... the memories, the newfound friendships, the sights and scents and sounds, The Presentation Center, and for said hoarding, I do apologize.  I need to - no, I want to share it all, with you all.  Really, I do.  But you have to remember:  Magpies are Hoarders Extraordinaire, and so in this instance, I'm going to really take on the magpie's persona and say "that is what I was doing ..."  Forgive me.

So.  I cannot possibly put into words just how it went for me.  I have a feeling there are plenty of other AAJ participants that are still processing just what happened, just what we all experienced {and while it was unique to us all as individuals, there must be some commonalities to what happened for us all - am I right, ladies?}.  I will TRY, though, to give it a shot {putting it into words, that is}.  It may take several blog posts to get it all out, and to try and get it just right.

Here goes:

It was amazing.  It was eye-opening.  It was warm, and welcoming, and beyond my wildest expectations.  That's saying a lot, 'cause I have a most vivid imagination, and I often have great expectations.  AAJ organizer and "mother" Cindy O'Leary did a spectacular job putting all this together ... from the location (The Presentation Center) ... to the instructors - which read like a "who's who" in Mixed Media:
Albie Smith http://albie-smith.blogspot.com/ ,
DJ Pettit http://djpettitt.typepad.com/djpettitt/ ,
Leslie Riley http://www.lesleyriley.com/index.php ,
Nina Bagley http://www.ornamental.typepad.com/ ,
and of course, Kelly Rae Roberts http://kellyraeroberts.com/  
& Mati Rose McDonough http://www.matirose.com/index.html )

... to the beautifully quilted and embellished and filled with ephemera "Welcome" packets ... to the activities ... and between Cindy and Stephanie, we all felt well cared for and well managed.
 
"Managed?" you might ask.  Imagine if you can:  100+ women (and a few brave-soul husbands!) gathered all together.  At times, it had to feel like herding cats .. and yet, Cindy could get our rapt attention with a quick "ladies ???" and a little "ahem".  Worked like magic, every time.

It was magical.  It was perfect.  It was a new concept in Art Retreating, far as I know .. we each registered to spend the ENTIRE workshop (starting Friday night to breakfast Monday morning) in ONE workshop, with ONE instructor (except for those of us with the Dynamic Duo of Kelly Rae and Mati Rose) ... which meant that we had to fill just ONE supply list, and UNLOAD our supplies into just ONE classroom - for the duration of our stay.  Can you imagine that?   It SOOOO worked, I don't know why this concept hasn't been tried before.  I loved it!

AN ARTFUL JOURNEY was my very first art retreat experience -- and I'm thinking I just might be spoiled by it.  Guess we'll just have to rally 'round Cindy to make that FIRST ANNUAL REUNION happen in February 2011 - same place, same time, same participants.  Wouldn't THAT be magical, ladies?

So I don't know how much more I can say tonight.  Mark just returned from a three-day bike race in Vegas; I am coming off a three-classes-in-a-row Chris Cozen "high" {at the gracious-as-always Stamping Details in Poway, CA}, and I'm looking forward to my Monday morning class with Jane LaFazio and all my friends in there. 

I've got so much art on the brain, I even woke up at 4:20 am on Saturday - and could NOT go back to sleep.  And again, it was an early Sunday morning for me - I had to wake Rocky up, if you can believe that !!!

I am so tired, I can't even post a few random photos to whet your appetite for more blog posts about MY experience of AN ARTFUL JOURNEY.    Well, okay. Here is ONE:

this is how my work space looked Friday morning, right after we finished our GROUP SWAP - we each made little swap goodie bags for everyone in the group.  And COOL TREASURES we all received!  Our workshop had the distinct pleasure of including the 2 AAJ ladies who traveled the furthest to join us:  Beth from the UK, and Cathy all the way from Australia.  Can you believe that?!

And let me just end it like this for now:   what AN ARTFUL JOURNEY opened up for me is such an exciting place inside, I'm guarding it like a newborn.  The dream I have long held to actually "work" in the art field is blossoming, and I am hatching (there's that magpie reference again!) a plan.  And there has been a virtual flock of ideas flowing today that just can't be stopped.  It's so fun!  Wait - did I just use another magpie (bird) reference?  Oh my!

Speaking of winged creatures ... one of my guardian angels, my mother Edith, passed away six years ago today.  It was a Sunday then, too (Leap Year). 

I am ever grateful for a couple of things about her journey to her better place: 

One - she died the day before our daughter Kristina had a horrific car accident - and yet, Kristi walked away with only a few (large and severe) hematomas to her torso.  She had just left work, it was late and dark, and she was thinking of her Grandma Edie and praying that Grandma was at peace ... when it happened.  The policeman who first arrived on the scene told her he could not believe his eyes when he found out SHE was the driver of THAT vehicle.  THAT, my friends, was my mother, protecting her grandchild from harm.

and

Two - I inherited my spirit and my creative talents, if you will, from my mother.  I also inherited these traits from my father's side of the family - every single one of my auntie's had such great taste & style - truly, they did.  But it is to my mother that I owe the most - she encouraged my artistic tendencies, and she always always always believed in me.  When I returned to school to study Interior Design - at the ripe old age of 38, Mom was my biggest supporter.  Thanks, Mom, for that.

And so I believe that all these new ideas, this new DREAM that is forming, is due, in large part, to my mother - who continues to make her presence known to us, the family she left behind six years ago today.  I doubt that this is a coincidence.

I love you, Mom.

-- Davielle  

Going on Retreat ... AN ARTFUL JOURNEY, here we come !!!

{If you click on the link / title above, you will be taken right to the page that introduces the Retreat I am going to with Ann Deakers, February 18 - 22, 2010.  Although OUR Retreat has been sold out for months & months & months :-), there is also AN ARTFUL JOURNEY Retreat scheduled for July 18 - 22, 2010 -- and registration for that Retreat is now OPEN.}

SO ... what does this mean, exactly?  We've all heard the word "retreat", and in several contexts.  Right?

I found it interesting, and a bit shocking, that the definition that I usually attach to the word RETREAT is ... barely defined by Webster's {my mother's old Webster's is the one I use, dated 1956 and bound in leather} ... I define RETREAT as a ... getaway to a place where one is focused intently on ... relaxing, or learning something new, or spending time doing something we love to do -- as in "a spiritual retreat", or "an art retreat" ...  I even think of "a board retreat", as in ... when an organization's Board of Directors meets annually "on retreat" so they can be intently focused on ... their Mission.  

Isn't that what most of us think these days, when we hear the word RETREAT ???

I would venture to say, though, that my father, Frank - a World War II veteran -- would automatically think of ... the "real" definition of the word Retreat:

"to withdraw; 1.  act of retiring, or withdrawing, as from what is difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable.  2. a place of seclusion, privacy, safety, or resort; a refuge; asylum; hiding place; den.  3.  an asylum for insane persons, inebriates, etc.   4. (had to do with aeronautics)    5.  The withdrawal, esp. when forced,  of troops from the presence of an enemy."

THOSE are the definitions that I think ANY military veteran would ascribe to the word "retreat".

I, however, did find one last, almost hidden, definition in Webster's that I can work with:

"To make a retreat; to withdraw."

AND THAT, my friends, is what an ART RETREAT means to me {as would a spiritual retreat}.  For one to "make a retreat" {ie, to leave behind their everyday life for a period of time, to just get away}.  To "withdraw", certainly, from our everyday responsibilities, and worries, and life. 

Ann and I are about to "withdraw" from our lives in San Diego to spend 3 full and artful days with artists KELLY RAE ROBERTS { http://kellyraeroberts.com/  } 

{ Kelly Rae ... and Kelly's hands .. from her blog }

and MATI ROSE McDONOUGH { http://www.matirose.blogspot.com/ }, who are co-teaching our workshop at AN ARTFUL JOURNEY, where we will create a "Funky, Chunky Coffee Table Book".  You can imagine my excitement to actually, finally, be taking a workshop from the mixed media artist that started me on this mixed media "adventure" I have been on:  Kelly Rae.  I have art in my home from both Kelly Rae and Mati Rose, and it inspires me daily.

{ my "whole-hearted" elephant from Mati Rose McDonough ... 2009}

For me, an ART RETREAT means ... focused and relaxed time with like-minded friends where we just ... get & stay CREATIVE, where it's expected that we will get MESSY, where we are sure to have fun, and for me, it's a place where I find a lot of grounding, and even spiritual growth ... because my passion for art and creativity is something that comes from my SOUL.  I have found that the friendships created in art classes or workshops are some of the most amazing in my life.  ART is the common denominator that brings us together, and no matter how disparate the rest of our lives might be from each other's, it just Does. Not. Matter.

The beauty of AN ARTFUL JOURNEY, for me, is that it is being held on a "campus" known as THE PRESENTATION CENTER ...

in Los Gatos, California.   Click here to see what I'm talking about: http://www.anartfuljourney.com/retreats/presentationcenter.html

And I would be remiss if I did not mention CINDY O'LEARY, the fearless organizer of AN ARTFUL JOURNEY.  All her hard work is about to come to fruition, and I know that I speak for all the Retreat-ants when I say "thank you, Cindy".

What I am especially looking forward to, besides the art and the new friendships to be forged over the time we all spend together, is that it seems that The Presentation Center ... is mainly used for SPIRITUAL retreats -- a place of serenity, beauty, stillness, and plenty of Mother Nature.  The history of THE PRESENTATION CENTER can be found via this link:
http://www.presentationcenter.org/About%20Us/history.html

Right there on their website, is this comment: 
"Escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Take time to communicate more clearly and deeply with your colleagues."

 And that, my friends, is exactly what the word RETREAT means to me.

I dedicate this post to my beautiful friend Ann, to whom I am ever grateful for the gift of  her friendship, for the role she has  played in my ... blogging; in my discovery of mixed media; and for encouraging me all along the way of my Creative Discovery Journey.  I love you, Ann, and I think you are the most amazing woman! 

We'll be back on Monday evening .. you can expect a mighty long post after I return, with plenty plenty plenty of "visuals".

--  Davielle

National Handwriting Day - Oh My !!!

Wow, who knew? Not me, that's for sure. But thanks to the PAPER SOURCE calendar pages that I inserted into my beautiful Kelly Rae Roberts 2010 ORGANIZER, I now know ...

Today is, apparently, NATIONAL HANDWRITING DAY. I just had to look that up, being a lover of words, and a lover of things handwritten. And having recently enjoyed perusing a vintage AUTOGRAPH BOOK that my friend Ann Deakers now owns ... it's full of charm.

So I GOOGLED it and here's what I found:

National Handwriting Day is "celebrated" on John Hancock's birthday, "to encourage more legible handwriting". Problem is, there are some (quite reliable) sources that place John Hancock's birthday on January 12 (1737), and not on the 23rd, but let's not quibble.

Here's a quick reminder of just how lovely & legible the old John Hancock signature really was:

The signature of John Hancock on the Declaration of Independence is the most flamboyant and easily recognizable of all. It is, then, no surprise that the story of his part in the revolution is equally engaging. Few figures were more well known or more popular than John Hancock. (courtesy of www.ushistory.org )

Pentel of America is celebrating National Handwriting Day 2010 with a CONTEST ... Describe how you declare your independence, what independence means to you, in 500 or less handwritten characters and submit to Pentel of America. Five (5) people will be chosen by Pentel and given their own Independence Day. See Pentel's website for contest rules and information:

http://pentel.com/handwriting_day_rules.php !

And here's a link to the FOUNTAIN PEN NETWORK (again, I never knew such a thing existed; did you?!):

http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=5152&pid=252256&start=&st=#entry252256

The FOUNTAIN PEN NETWORK site has links to cool handwriting stuff.

If you want to have a little fun with this whole handwriting business, you can visit an online HANDWRITING ANALYSIS site, such as:

http://www.handwritingwizard.com ... they offer a free "personality analysis". Hmmm.

or

http://www.handbehindtheword.com/SelfEval.shtml

And last but not least, these fun ideas for how YOU and your CHILDREN can celebrate National Handwriting Day, courtesy of www.ehow.com ...

Bake a Cake for JOHN HANCOCK and share it. Have everyone SIGN THEIR NAME with frosting on top first !!!

Check out a book from the LIBRARY on handwriting and have fun analyzing your friend's signatures, as well as your own.

Learn a little bit about John Hancock and the Declaration of Independence.

Have everyone you know and love sign a page for your scrapbook. If you have an old-fashioned AUTOGRAPH BOOK, all the better !!!

Handwrite a letter to someone you love who lives far away (or even just around the corner) and sign it with a big beautiful signature !!!

Enjoy National Handwriting Day, everyone, and remember:

"Never believe that any document you sign

your name to is unimportant."

-- Davielle

seeing art everywhere: TAKE THAT CHANCE YOU'VE BEEN CONSIDERING

"Take that chance you've been considering."
titled: LIFE IS LIKE A BOX OF WHIMS / artist: Leilani Pierson

At the LONG BEACH QUILT SHOW on Friday, which I thoroughly enjoyed in the company of Ann (a talented artist of many mediums), Cindy (a glassblower; YES, I know a glassblower!), Paula (who quilts and sews, I believe), Chris (who quilts like a Maestro of Quilting),

an overall view in the morning ... oh, where to begin?!

we saw SO MUCH INSPIRATION ...

just look at this beautiful stocking ...

So much CREATIVITY ...

this was the wall of Artist Trading Cards, and show-goers were happily TRADING, just like it was set up to do - leave one of your own, take one in trade. WHAT FUN !! Bernie, you would have loved this :-) ...

So much COLOR ... a stand of the most yummy wool pieces ...

title: GRANDMOTHER'S QUILT/A Cathedral Window

quilter: Manon B. Gagliardi / from: Branford, Connecticut, USA

and BEAUTY ...

glass artists Asho (L) and Mingo (Center), with my friend Cindy

{herself, a glassblower / glass artist extraordinaire}

THIS (at Mingo & Asho's GLASSCAPES) is where I discovered my beautiful HEART, the one that, if you look at it from the "top", as in, you're wearing it and you look down upon it, you see a BIRD ... a little, perfect, GOLDEN bird. And the artist could not have made that happen for all the tea in China - it just DID. Happen.

and TALENT. Oh my !!!

Melanie Testa, at the sewing machine ... up close & personal with show-goers, talking about her fabric art and her little zip-clutch purses, and her methods ... so generous of her time and talent with all ...

While at the Show, I ran into artist friends Linda Blinn and Jane LaFazio, who were both demo'ing their talents & processes at the MAKE IT UNIVERSITY area ...

here's Linda ... demo'ing a fun way to make your own CUSTOM cloth napkins (or whatever) using those beautifully colored / patterned PAPER NAPKINS that we all know, love, and collect ... just hoping for an opportunity to put them out for guests. Right? Well, now you can MAKE SOMETHING WITH THEM, using a product only Linda could have discovered: Aleene's PAPER NAPKIN APPLIQUE GLUE ... yes, folks, you read that right. That's what it is; that's what it does; that's all it's for. Be still my heart !!!

If you'd like to find out more about Linda Blinn and the art workshops she teaches, you can visit a couple of my favorite spots: SAN CLEMENTE ART SUPPLY ( http://www.scartsupply.com/ ); or a brand-new, open-house-today art space known as BRAVO SCHOOL OF ART ( www.bravoschoolofart.com ) down at Liberty Station.

and here's Jane, laughing with friends before her turn at the Demo Zone ... isn't Jane ALWAYS laughing?! I so love her energy and her enthusiasm for life, for art, for everyone.

If you've never taken an art class from Jane LaFazio, treat yourself and DO IT. Visit her website at: www.PlainJaneStudio.com ... but believe me, there's nothing "plain" about it !!!

A favorite publication of mine, CLOTH PAPER SCISSORS, was in attendance ... I loved their colorful booth, and the girls there were so very friendly and helpful. The even had the ORIGINAL ART of the pieces featured in the CPS 2010 calendar on hand for viewing - and drooling over - OH MY, the "eye candy" on hand was remarkable. You could just TASTE the deliciousness of some of these pieces.

And no, they weren't edible creations ... they just LOOKED so amazing, you'd want to absorb them into yourself, making their beauty and their message such a part of you, it was permanent. {does that sound crazy?! then go make a crazy quilt out of it !!}

this is "them" and this is their booth ...

and I even got a happy peek at KELLY RAE ROBERT's book, TAKING FLIGHT, here !!!

An overview of the 2010 CALENDAR ART on display ...

and a close-up detail of some of the art ...

this was the piece that I loved the very mostest MOST at the Show !!!

titled: LIFE IS LIKE A BOX OF WHIMS / artist: Leilani Pierson

Maryanne and Ann - who grew up together & Maryanne met us at the Show, and joined us for lunch ...

We saw so much of the above, heck, we even began seeing "art" in the strangest places ...

After lunch, we found a HEART in the sidewalk outside the LB Convention Center.

we took it as a good "sign" that our afternoon would be just as heart-full (and ART-full) as our morning was !!!

The QUILT EXHIBIT, oh my goodness me, what a wealth of imagery ... quilts really are an art form, in case you didn't know it. If you're not convinced of that, then here, take a gander {or a goose, if you prefer} at these, for example:

titled: HERD MENTALITY / quilter: Ferret / from: UK

"YOU SEE A COW A DAY" ...

they say it, I believe it ... and this just proved it !!!

I call him "Norman" ...

title: SILENCE / quilter: Stacy Hurt / from: Orange, CA

One of the Etiquette Rules of Quilt Shows SHOULD be just this ... 'cause regardless of the size of the impassioned crowd, it truly WAS a calm, quiet atmosphere ... lovely!

titled: SPRING IN JAPAN / quilter: Akiko Kawata

from: Osaka, Japan

After our afternoon inside the show, we found no less than a "bird", a "duck", a "dog", and a "city skyline" ... in, of all places, my STARBUCKS ICED MOCHA !!! Yes, we did. Take a look for yourself:

Ann (left) holding my Mocha so I can click the pics !!! Teamwork !!

just about level with Ann's red bracelet, you see the tips of the dog's ears; don't you? He's looking left - he's a Schnauzer-ish kind of a dog. And he's headed into the Big City. See the skyline?!

ah, there's that SKYLINE for you. By this shot, though, it more closely resembles a crumbling French village ... turrets-a-falling-down and all.

So, I ask you: What's in YOUR mocha today?! :-)

Happy Sunday to you,

Davielle

Calling All Hearts - Megan's Story, as shared by Kelly Rae Roberts

As I just posted over on my Princess Magpie blog page, artist & possibilitarian & humanitarian KELLY RAE ROBERTS has shared with us a story of a woman facing devastating health challenges, and to make it worse: healthCARE / insurance challenges.

PLEASE PLEASE, this story could be YOUR story. It could be MY story. It could be your MOTHER's or your SISTER's or your BEST FRIEND's story. It could be your AUNT's story, or your NIECE's story, or your DAUGHTER's story.

Take a moment to read, and if you can, make a donation -- any amount will help. BUT EVEN IF YOU CANNOT DONATE to help Megan ... please, please keep her and her loved ones in your gentle thoughts and in your prayers.

http://kellyraeroberts.blogspot.com/2009/07/calling-all-hearts-we-need-you-again.html

We can all be COMMUNITY for one another, right?

-- Davielle

The Writing on the Wall

okay, so it's writing on a ROCK ... still, we should all be counting our BLESSINGS before we go to sleep each night and when we begin each new day. I know I am !!!

Inspired by a guest blogger post that Kelly Rae Roberts did recently at SuperHero Journal { http://www.superherodesigns.com/journal/ }, I am posting some images today that I took over this weekend ...

Oooh, I'm having a major deja vu moment here ... time out.

Wow. It's so cool when that happens, yet, strange ... and it happened to me up here yesterday, too. {is there some deja vu prone vortex in the area?! LOL}

Okay - phew.

So, the question is:

DO ANY OF THESE "SPEAK" TO YOU?

{and if so, what are they saying?}

this says to me: it's OK to have large feet !!!

as seen in the window at Rusack Winery, 6-6-09

is there someone you should be giving flowers to; to warm their heart?

need help with something? or is there someone you feel a need to reach out to? make that call !!!

have you always wanted to learn to play the piano? or the flute? or the guitar? JUST DO IT !!

worn out? ready for a vacation? PLAN ONE !!!

and this - this. an ear tag. # 212. THIS is my "cow a day" and I just love her.

I hope you've enjoyed the WRITING ON THE WALL {and the rock, and the ear tag} ... and if one of these SPOKE to you, I sure hope you'll leave a comment and share what's on your mind or in your heart.

-- Davielle

counting my BLESSINGS, and signing off from Solvang - headed for home !!!

I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME (but it isn't)

So I'm wandering thru blog-land this afternoon, taking a look at what other participants have posted for their BSM (that's Best Shot Monday) image, and I stumbled upon this ...

Long story, made as short as I can make it:

Artist KELLY RAE ROBERTS has long featured a "button" on her blog and website to this book by Brene' Brown, and I've never made the time to delve into it any further. But today, on Tracey Clark's blogsite, the gal who introduced me to BSM (again, that's BEST SHOT MONDAY), I found a very in-my-face entry. Tracey, thank God, put it out there that she's participating in a Read-Along, and being the voracious reader (and obviously, blogger/writer) that I am, I had to take a look at what that was all about.

So there you have it - my Full Circle story. I'm on my way to pick up my own copy of I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME (but it isn't) by author Brene' Brown ... for anyone not living within spitting distance of a Barnes and Noble, like I do, visit this link to buy it through Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1592403352/wwwbrenebrown-20

I hope plenty more like-minded invidivuals join us on this Read-Along.

Gotta sign off now -- time's a wasting!

-- Davielle

Serendipitous Sunday

Let me start with two quotes about SERENDIPITY which I found today, when searching for the proper meaning of the word ...

"Serendipity. Look for something, find something else, and realize that what you've found is more suited to your needs than what you thought you were looking for." -- Lawrence Block

"Serendipity is when you find things you weren't looking for because finding what you are looking for is so damned difficult." -- Erin McKean, 2007

{artwork above is "Trust" by Kelly Rae Roberts}

So pardoning Erin's language, I have to say, I have been trying to find some childhood friends for about a year now, the children of my mother's dear friend Elizabeth, who was my Godmother once my auntie opted out {don't ask!} ... these were kids I hung around with A WHOLE LOT growing up, and with whom I have many wonderful memories.

If you know me at all, you know that I had a shall we say "difficult" childhood? These family friends made it all tolerable. I am not exaggerating. I so looked forward to each & every visit with them, at their home in San Diego or ours in Del Mar, and when I lost touch with them {decades ago, now}, it was a sad time for me.

So what does all THAT have to do with Serendipity?

Yesterday I went to my friend Vickie's CAbi {women's clothing} party, in her home. I know Vickie through CCI, and we play Bunco together as well as living just 5 minutes apart. Our CAbi representative, Rebecca, was delightful -- as is the line of clothing that she represents {and that's ANOTHER story!} -- and there were some random comments throughout the party about my mother having been a 'fashionista', and that I had some vintage clothes from her that Vickie admires; and there was a comment about me being an interior designer {albeit "retired"}, etc.

There was a LOT of talk about style, of course; it was, after all, a CLOTHING party.

Serendipity is the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely. {The word has been voted as one of the ten English words that were hardest to translate in June 2004 by a British translation company.}

For those of you that are good with languages: If you care to say this lovely word in French, it's sérendipicité or sérendipité but also heureux hasard, "fortunate chance". And in Italian, it's serendipità.

The word derives from Serendip, the old Persian name for Sri Lanka and was coined by Horace Walpole on 28 January 1754 {wow, that's an old word!} in a letter he wrote to his friend Horace Mann (not the same man as the famed American educator), an Englishman then living in Florence.

{IF YOU CARE what that letter said, check it out on WIKIPEDIA, where I got all this info on SERENDIPITY ...}

SO back to my story.

I woke up this morning to find an e-mail from Rebecca, our CAbi gal, asking if my mother's name was Edith. {and you ALL know the answer to that is a resounding "YES"}. Rebecca had thought my name, Davi, was unusual; but it wasn't until she saw it written out in full as Davielle that it started to click ...

She recalled this woman Edith had a daughter Davielle, and that her mother was friends with Edith and that they (Rebecca's family) used to visit them in Del Mar, and that they were also frequent visitors to their home in San Diego.

Voila! I had just heard from the daughter of my godmother, Elizabeth, whose children I had been trying to find {via the occasional random internet search - with no luck whatsoever} for almost a year now.

Okay, sorry for the long blog post. But can you even believe this SERENDIPITOUS small world story? I mean, there I was, at Vickie's, LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ELSE {as in, classic clothing pieces - I am my mother's daughter, after all - that won't go out of style and are of high quality with lots of style} and WHAT I FOUND ... was something far more precious than just that right piece for one's wardrobe.

I just know that Edith and Elizabeth are in Heaven tonight, smiling down on us, laughing at how we found each other despite my frustrated efforts to go it on my own.

The lesson for me? Sometimes - no, MOST times - one has only to TRUST in the angels and one will find their wishes being fulfilled. {today's art, by the way, is from artist Kelly Rae Roberts, who can be found at http://www.kellyraeroberts.blogspot.com/ }

I have had goosebumps all day.

-- Davi

on a HAPPIER note

On a hap, hap, happier note {than my last post here} -- I have been faithfully checking the blogspot of Kelly Rae Roberts ever since my friend Ann turned me on to KRR a few months ago ... KRR is a most gifted mixed-media artist, and she just oozes charm & integrity. (her blog link is in the column at left, on MY blog).

So I heard Kelly Rae mention this thing called Art Nest, and I thought "hmmm, wonder what that's all about". THEN, in the current issue of Somerset Life magazine, VOILA!, there it was - an article all about ART NEST and the two lovely-sounding ladies who put it all together, Candice and Julie. Their site is at: http://www.theartnest.net/ and their blog is at: http://www.theartnest.blogspot.com/ -- CHECK THEM OUT if you want to be inspired & then envious of the lucky participants who have experienced an Art Nest Retreat. Ooh la la, it sounds like a vacation to aspire to.

Ah, dreams --

D.

I just adore KELLY RAE ROBERTS ...

How could anyone NOT adore the work of this inspiring, lovely woman ... Kelly Rae Roberts?

Her artwork is splendid, and with the release of her first book, TAKING FLIGHT: Inspiration & Techniques to Give Your Creative Spirit Wings ... she has ROCKED the creative souls of the world. Really. Visit her blogspot for more on this amazing gal: www.kellyraeroberts.blogspot.com is where you can find her!

Let me know what you think after you've seen her work ... and remember to DO SOMETHING CREATIVE EVERY DAY.

Yours in trying to find the balance, the energy, and the precious time to just make some art --

-- Davielle