Creative Cups for Cure

It may seem to you like I have been quiet, but oh this Sleeping Giant is READY TO ROAR!! I spent the past 3 days and wee early hours of the mornings, photographing an amazing group of women who are modeling Art Bras for an upcoming event Oct 13 in Giddings. Most of them are Breast Cancer survivors with a BRA-load of stories to share,victories to celebrate and scars to show and tell...PROUD AND ALIVE!! I have been honored and humbled to photograph these women who are brave enough to model Art Bras for a 2010 Calendar, available next month. All proceeds benefit the Lee County Area Cancer Resource Center in Giddings, the neighbor town just down the highway from me. For now I can only share a sneak peek at what I have been up to. Stay tuned for more!

Wednesday Window

just before sunset I took myself into the backyard with intention of photographing my creations of the day. I have been making purses and tote bags from silk neckties, vintage men's dress shirts, and linen napkins. Now let me tell you, I have photographed naked women, grumpy men, fruits and flowers and restaurant food, but handbags are the worst. No life, no form , no shape without the contents of wallets, hairbrushes, lipstick, tampons, iPods, lost keys, stale gum, hairbands, and movie ticket stubs. They just hang there, limp and lifeless! But oh how Laurie can bring it to life! I have been busy driving my sewing machine getting ready for another Artisan "First Thursday" in Beaumont next week. and my shorts prove it that I have been secretly painting some new whimsys too! maybe I will show and tell my Mermaid, Saints and such if I finish them.

charmed

A few sleeps ago, I participated in an Altered Charm Swap hosted by Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine. My Muse was not guiding me and it was closing in on the deadline. All in one day, I received three emails about friends diagnosed with breast cancer. That did it. I marched on over to my studio, cut apart bras and garters, gathered pink beads and began to create with a fury about this disease that continues to arrive uninvited and unannounced in the beautiful bodies of my girlfriends. I mailed them off, later receiving my swapped charms of art and forgot all about it, until this morning when I get an email saying CONGRATULATIONS for making the final cut. ? WHAT? Yep, out of 2000 charms, 64 were chosen to be published in this months issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors, page 53, I am #26, the beaded garter closure.

and it is good

when girlfriends gather. it is nothing but laughter, hugs, gentle kisses, soft hands, bottomless glasses of wine, endless moments on the porch, naps, conversations that involve the Angels, old demons, past lives and lovers; delicious foods that nourish more then the belly....every cell comes alive with mint, basil, cilantro, Alaskan Salmon, red curry, peanut and chili sauce, cucumber, yogurt and more wine, and more wine and more candles and more Angels, Saints and Valentines!

Time to Shrine

Rebecca is hosting another Art Shrine Auction auction to benefit The Street Children of Oaxaca and she invited me to participate, and if you know me....I HAVE PLENTY OF CIGAR BOXES!! So, if you are also interested, stroll on over here to see what it's all about. I will be posting mine soon as it's finished....but for now....here is one I made for another benefit last year.

Deb Did It

Matt works at a family estate farm in Burton building arbors, mending old barns, fixing poolside rockwalls and repairing old wooden carts. They wanted it painted with the horn of plenty....ugh...I don't paint, I SEW. But with a lesson on how to paint Mexican flowers, I added my own splash of color and actually liked the results!!

Wednesday Window, Bosom Buddies

My self portrait this week involves hugs, friends and the best boyfriend ever! Let me start here...When one friend reveals her struggle and fears with breast cancer, another comes out of the closet with her own previous battle or close call or scheduled appointment next week, not wanting to worry anyone. But aren't we all in this together? We need each other. We uplift and support each other. And no matter what, we are always here for one another. And as fate would have it, just yesterday, I stumbled upon a tiny fabric store, new to me, old to others where I met a woman who is hosting an Art Bra Fundraiser for her Breast Cancer Support Center in Giddings, the tiny po-dunk town just down the highway from me. There must have been 40 decorated, embellished, constructed and outrageous bras hanging all over the store! She needs a photographer for the calender, enter ME! So now I have the privilege and honor again to photograph women and their Art Bras! So here I am, living in small town USA, making a living serving breakfast to travelers, sewing, painting, bartending, cooking, cleaning and taking pictures of semi-naked women...ya gotta love my life! AND I DO. And might I add, that Matt is the icing on my cake, cream in my coffee, sugar in my bowl and BEST BOYFRIEND EVER! and one more thing....I finally got my own clean bill of health after $500, a new doctor and another round of antibiotics. Welcome to the Autumn of my Life!! Losing hormones and elasticity is a son-of-a-bitch!! ~ TMI~

fear of the unknown

a friend came to my house today. she is scared and sad. normally her mood is up, silly, and loud. but today she is down, serious and quiet. she asked me to photograph her left breast, because after Tuesday it will never be the same. She will have a lumpectomy. We took several poses, in different light, from different angles. Her body is curvy and beautiful. Her hair was curled and shiny. I am not a doctor, but I hugged her hard with my healthy breasts and told her "everything will be alright" Of course it's how I think. But it's not my left breast with an uninvited visitor. So I will light the candles, send her vibes of health and well being, along with my other girls who come to mind fighting battles of their own...Stacey, Erin, Paula and Marilynn. Click here if you wish to follow her story. I think it's time for me to schedule my Mammy

heart wishes

"Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart."~Woodsworth~

Wednesday Window, coming & going

I seem to be chasing my own tail this week. Busy with custom sewing orders, new painting jobs, B&B guests, catering and cooking. I feel like I am flying thru my day, chasing my own self. My SP is one day late. That is OK with me. This season of my life allows me the freedom to move slower, dig deeper, play longer and stay later. So for now, I am enjoying the flight, even though I break the speed of light sometimes, my life is blessed, lucky, interesting, always changing, fun, and full of love. ~ flap flap~

“The divine spirit is a wild pinto kicking inside you. Let her run.” Kris Carr

I slept here

For a few days I returned to Beaumont, Texas, a place I used to call home. My son was 2 months old, 25 years ago! I did not know a single soul, much less ever heard of BEAUMONT. I had to look it up on the map to see where we were moving to from Corpus Christi. Now after several moves back and forth, divorces, floods, hurricanes and the loss my home on Village Creek, I returned to my fold of wonderful friends for a short but fulfilling mini-vacation. I have been nourished and nurtured with hugs, big love, reunions and remembrances, delicious foods, fine wines, morning cappucinos, yoga and ART. I slept in The Mildred Building. Just like a Queen! My friend, Katharine, has two apartments there adjacent to her restaurant, so I lived in luxury during my stay. Fresh flowers every where I turned, bed and linens like billowy clouds and books on shelves from floor to ceiling! This historical building was built in the 1930,s when money was gushing like an old oil well! The details of decor are stunning. I plan to return with carbon papers and charcoal to do rubbings of the random textures of brass, tile and oh that layered, chippy peely concrete!! Years and years of good MoJo still linger in this building. I was captured inside this womb of history, and will return to discover and recreate more of my own stories! So to all my Beaumont Peeps, I miss you already and I'll see ya Septemeber First Thursday! For more photos and info on Mildred Building, CLICK HERE

Wednesday Window

When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence. ~Ansel Adams~