Not too much time to work on art this week, which bugs me because I've many things to work on! This morning I got up after 11 hours of sleep (guess I needed it!) and played with heavy gloss gel and paint to add texture to a color block piece I started a couple of weeks ago.

I ran across this quiz and the outcome was apt, considering I drink coffee once a week!

You Are a Cappuccino

You're fun, outgoing, and you love to try anything new. However, you tend to have strong opinions on what you like. You are a total girly girly at heart - and prefer your coffee with good conversation. You're the type that seems complex to outsiders, but in reality, you are easy to please

What Kind of Coffee Girl Are You?

Today's been one of those unexpectedly busy days in which I didn't get any art work done, but I indulged myself with two "gifts". One was a 2 1/2 hour nap this afternoon that I didn't know I needed! I thought I would get up after 20 minutes, but I was zapped, so I thought, what does it matter - sleep!

The other gift was the arrival of two books I ordered through Amazon, so I spent time after the nap reading Acrylic Revolution by Nancy Reyner. This is one amazing book for anyone using acrylic paints, mediums, and gels in their work. I was familiar with some of the tips and techniques, but this spiral-bound book that opens flat for easy reading and reference has many techniques that I've admired in other artists' work, but didn't know how to accomplish. So, now before I go to bed, I'll be prepping some 16" x 20" canvases for play tomorrow.

The other book that arrived today is Simple Soldered Jewelry & Accessories: A Crafter's Guide to Fashioning Necklaces, Earrings, Bracelets & More by Lisa Bluhm. That one will be perused in bed later tonight. (My usual routine is to bring a magazine like Quilting Arts, Cloth, Paper, Scissors, or Somerset Studio, or a book to bed, read until it drops from my hands as I doze off, then laugh, turn of the light, roll over, and go to sleep.)

Tomorrow morning is the weekly meeting of the Sunday morning art group that convenes at a local Starbucks (still nameless after months and months of meeting!) I'll bring the above- mentioned books to share as well as the package of journal pages from a recent CPS swap. What a wonderful array of 10 pages from some talented artists in the group!

Today and tomorrow I plan to devote to creating some art pieces. Yesterday I found out I can have a spot in a Sycamore, IL business for the traveling art show of KVAL (Kishwaukee Valley Art League). So, I need to get three pieces ready for that. Melissa asked if I would create something for her dorm room, as she and her roommate need to "art-up" their room! And, just because I've been busy with the start of school for the past two weeks and have not created anything artistic, I need to get cracking.

This past week the new zine, Fibre & Stitch, debuted and it is lovely! This one sounded like a good match for me because no matter what art medium I explore, I tend to gravitate back to fabric! There's also a new yahoo group for the subscribers to the zine, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fibreandstitch/. The first challenge is exactly the technique I wanted to try, Carol McFee's "Lutradur and Lace". I'll post it later - first painting is still wet.