another clearbook

due to mail problems this beautiful clearbook by dorien did not reach me! what a shame because it is a really beautiful piece of art!

so i am showing it to you now and i will sent dorien a little something because it was really unlucky i didn't get this!

you will agree with me that dorien did a good job here! i have talented students in my classes.

I got some questions on how i did the metal embossing so i would like to invite you to go vistit these two crazy chicks at Ten Seconds Studio!!! this link is straight ot their videos on how to embos metal, some cool projects, alot of wacky remarks and funny situations!

well, the weekend has started, hoping for some nice weather so the kids can pay outside

and we can eat out in the garden!

have a wonderful weekend

hope you find time to play and to have fun

or to rest

or meet friends

whatever rocks your boats!

xox tanya

passing on this blog award

“The Renee award was created by Bella and Ces in honour of their friend Renee. In Bella's own words "this is a brand new award and I have the pleasure and honor of spreading the seed, watching it grow. I hope it finds it's way to those who are like Renee: the acorn, a small package becoming a tall and sturdy oak, giving more acorns, becoming tall and sturdy oaks, giving acorns…” See Renee's blog: Circling My Head

i recieved this award from Kate, an artist i myself admire loads, she makes the most beautiful atc's with great sewing and collages to die for if i'm ever up north of the UK i want to go play with her, for sure KATE!

i would like to pass it on to Six of the many artist i am lucky to know and truly appreciate!

i could pass it on to alot more artists but here are the ones i chose this time around

i hope you take time to visit their sites, they are all worth your time!

i can't send it back to Kate cos i would if i could!

Sheri

i wish she lived aound my corner! she feels my vibes!

Lisa cole

beautiful dolls!

Mike

he and his wife should live around my corner aswell, we would make art!!!!

and drink cheap red wine doing ithope they come to belgium in the near future!!

listening mike????

Patti

okay it is getting boring but i wouldn't mind her living closer either!!

Lynda

cos she is beautifully chaotic and brave!!

Kimmie O

again beautiful dolls!

so there you have the six artists i would like you to visit.
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i've been playing with metal embossing! i'm getting the hang of it and am really loving the new possibilities for my altered art projects, i'm een thinking of giving my dolls metal dresses hihi! yep, my creative brain has twists! but i think it will look pretty neat!

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i bought some more Paulo Coelho books, people!! you should really read these, he is a wonderful writer and well... look him up on interne

, give it a bit of your time and find out about him!

i have to thank J for getting to know him. (xox)

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oh and did you hear the first song on my playlist, did you turn it off!? listen to it! it is the most beautiful lovesong of all times as far as i am concered! not that i am in love unless with life itself!

but don't you think it is a wonderful song? i love Crowded house.

J is learning some of the songs on his guitar! thanks J!

can't wait to hear you play! few more months huh!

i love Crowded house, oh i already said that... :-)

what else? well my dad is having his operation next week so i'll be away from home for a few days to be colse to him, i hope that all goes well. for one thing it is bringing us closer, we are having talks we have never had before. i still think he is really impossible and childish and will never grow up but you know what?

he is my dad and i love him and hope he sticks around for a long long time!

i would give him all the time in the world if it were up to me,

he can bug me for as long as he wants!

my daughter sent me an e-card for Mother's Day.

of course i'm not over it all yet!!!!! how can i be huh!?

but i'm letting go and dealing with it slowly.

an e-card is better than no communication isn't it?

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and remember, and i am reminding myself at the same time...

!!!!!!LOVE IS LIFE!!!!!!

xox tanya

a little book

okay, so here is the little present i made for J!

it's a little hand-sewn book. he writes.

the covers are chipboard covered with sticky back canvas from Claudine Hellmuth, painted with the studio paints and embellished with Tim's Idea-ology things. the pages are all cut from a large sheet of beautiful paper from the art store, coloured with the Ranger distress inks and spritzed and flicked, then stamped with distress inks, some tages added with stamped texts or handwritten and some personal (not on show hihi!).

i am certainly going to make this kind of little book again, must say that the sticky canvas is so easy to use for covering! piece of cake! and i am still very much in love with the studio paints, i got al the colours now! what a luxury!!!

i will pass the blog award on tomorrow!

today i am going to draw! i have started to try men's faces, here is one i did last night, the shading is a bit rough, i was working in bad lighting so i'll smooth that out later, and i need to work on the hair more but i think you can see it's a man, heavier chin, wider face, eyebrows and nose are different... not easy to do when i've only done girls up to now! i think he turned out pretty okay really hihi!

have a great day, the Sun is nowhere to be seen here today so i'm just going to make myself a nice hot cup of tea, put some music on and pretend it's beautiful weather.

xox tanya

Evelien is the winner

the winner was chosen by my art pals from abroad, it is nice that some people are voting here but only the votes from the people i actually asked to vote count, please understand this;
i did this because then i know all the votes are valid and objective and they are genuine votes from people who do not know the contestants in any way.

Evelien is the lucky winner, you can see in the comments that she had the most votes, Marie-Anne got a vote too and so did Martine. Angelique got votes but not from my chosen jury so they don't actually count but of course it is nice for her.

I will make something special for Evelien and try and get it posted this week
along with Inge's present that should have bene posted last week but didn't!

thanks to my art pals who all took the trouble in voting when i asked them whithout warning hihi! and thanks to al my chickies who sent their work in! they were all fab!!!!! proud of you all!

clearbooks of my students

a while ago i gave a workshop on clearbooks and to get my chickies to finish their books i asked them to send them in before May 1st to win a little present from me. it has taken me a little longer to get them on due to not being home much and family issues but here they are now.

the way i want to vote is: i will mail some of my foreign readers and ask them to vote.

i aslo recieved a lovely blog award from Kate but i wil post that later this week!!! so come back because i will be passing it on to some cool artists! in the meanbtime you can go visit Kate's blog and see who she passed it on to! it is worth your time!

so! here are the clearbooks from my wonderful craft chickies! I think they all did a brilliant job. not everyone sent in their pictures but here are the ones who did!

i can't put all the pics on that i recieved so i will choose my two favourite pics of each person's clearbook.

their name is above their clearbook

Angelique

Evelien

Marie-Anne

Martine

Sandra

so Angelique, Evelien, Marie-Anne, Martine and Sandra ( i put you in alphabetical order) thanks for sending in your work, voting will be this week and by Friday i will post the winner! good luck to all of you!!!

i promised to post pics of my little present to J but seeing this is already a long post i'll do that later this week along with the blog award :-)

have a nice day!

mine started in loads of grrrrr and F**** i had probably not closed the freezer door properly when i shoved something in at the last minute! so the f****** freezer defrosted over the weekend while i wasn't home and my home had such nasty cat pee kinda smell when i came home, i don't have a cat so i kinda freaked but could not find the reason till this morning! so at 7 am i had to throw out a full bin bag of food! all smelly fish, scampi, steak, veg, soup, azrggghhhh! loads of money in the bin and what a job for a monday morning before my coffee!

anyway! no use in getting upset! it is done, i will now make myself a nice cuppa and move on with my day;

first i'll mail some of my readers to kindly ask them to vote for me!

Next week i will randomly choose one of my blog followers as a lucky winner for a little something from me! so if you are not yet a follower you still have time to become one!! ( see little box on the left, go up to top of blog hihi!)

xox tanya

checking in

just quickly checking in because i had promised to upload some of my students clearbooks so my blog readers can vote on them but i just have not had time, i've been away from home for my dad, but i'll be able to upload them tomorrow, i hope because blogspot has a maintanance planned some time tomorrow so it might be the next day so come back to check them out.

to make the process a quick one i'll mail some of my foreign blog readers and ask them to vote so that way i will have a winner by the end of the week and they will be totally objective cos they don't know you all anyway :-) i'll be able to send something off to the lucky person soon!

J got his present so i can post pics tomorrow.

okay i'm off again, got some things to do before i can head off home

speak to you all tomorrow

xox tanya

just checking in

hiya, no, i haven't dropped off the planet
i just seem to be in a periode of thinking and reading, a have been working on a little something for J but i still need to send it off in the post so i'll wait to post pics here till he has recieved it, wouldn't want to spoil the suprise! will say that i used sticky canvas, studio paints, tim's masks, needle and thread, distress inks and tim's wonderful stamps, tokens, chain,...

as i said, i'm reading alot, i am totally into Paulo Coelho!!! J recommended a couple of books and i must say i am really grateful for this!!! lovely books to read, stories that tell you something, some reflections and inspiration for life. thanks J!!! x
it's making me think loads though and that is as good as it is bad, i tend to think too much once i start off. but i'm not getting stressed or anything, maybe a tad melancholic, i admit that much, but nothing i can't handle or get rid of by doing some art journaling or poetry or just breathing and deciding to let it go. i wil soon jump into action again.

okay, off to my physical therapist again, my body is still full of painful protest, it does not agree with the changes they are trying to make in my posture even ifit is probably for the best! i kinda have stuborn muscles :-)

i'll be back soon with a bit of art to show, i'll send it off to J first.

have a great day!
xox t

yes yes yes!

yes! my final divorce papers came through the post today! i am most certainly, officially, totally, truly, entirely,unmistakenly divorced! and i am doing a happy crazy relief dance let me tell you!

doesn't mean i have not been sad about my marriage ending, don't get me wrong! i would have loved for it to work out; but i don't see it a failure either. it is what it is...
we tried, things didn't add up, we were not happy together we decided to split and tried to keep it as neat as possible. okay of course there are nasty details there but they are all far gone for me, no use on dwelling on them, shit happened... i got over it!
i see it as: we were two people who once made the free choice of being together and then later on made the new decision to end it and move on, no more no less.

but i am happy it is all over, the whole journey of going through court.
i didn't take a lawyer, thought i was quite capable of talking for myself, i was pretty proud of myself to tell you the truth! i did well, it was a lesson and a new thing learned for me. i am way stronger that i look! i like this. i really am stronger than i would have ever imagined. a wisdom i am happy with.


i count my blessing believe you me! i have a wonderful life, not always the easiest, never has been, but wonderful non the less!
i never seem to take the straight road, i tend to choose the one less travelled, the senic route even though it has given me some nasty scenes...i know the good comes with some bad and it is all part of life's lessons we all need to learn so i have don't get upset about things as much as i used to;

take my 16 year old daughter who ran away from home in February, she is now living with her dad, miles away, i have only heard her a few times on msn, just quickly, how are you? and i have always started the conversation; but it does not upset me anymore, i do not take it personally , i have learned that it has nothing to do with me, she is acting from her own idea, even her own idea of me, of the way she sees me, how she sees her life, the whole world. i do not take it personally.

the fact that my marriage ended, i do not take that personally either. i started off by thinking something must be wrong with me but now i realize (and i do have this one friend who tends to open my eyes or helps me open my eyes rather, thanks J) i realize that it has nothing to do with me personally.

so, well, anyway, today the sun is shining at her best and i'm certain it is supposed to be like that today, it is my day! every day is my day come to think of it!

before i go off to enjoy my day i would just like to recommend a book to you all out there, i was happy someone recommended it to me...

this book: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

have a beautiful day!
xox
*still doing a crazy happy dance*

i'm back from the UK

hi everyone,

i've been away for a few days. i left home on thursday heading for the UK. first i went to see my dad who is extremely ill in hospital but still stuborn as ever! he is on kidney dialysis every other day cos he has kidney failure, he needs a heart bypass asap, his liver is not doing well and he had fybrosis and asbestos on his lungs which is really bad and pobably causing all the other problems. He is on a stict diet that he tries to get out of any chance he gets, rebelling with the nurses over a bit of cheddar cheese!!! oh i could go on about this but i choose not to. he has been ill for a while, we never thought he would come his far as it is and we have no idea where this is leading so my brother and i kind of look at it on a day by day basis. the fybrosis is the worst, no real treatment as of yet! we are looking at another two to three years at the most in usual cases, lets hope my dad will be with the lukcy few who live upto ten more years but i think with his kidneys we can't have false hope. i am so not at peace with this but it is not in my hands is it, i have to let it go and just be thankful for the time there is i suppose.

strangely though, my nana who had three strokes just weeks ago and who is way into her 80's seems to be doing fine, she is eating again, seems happy enough and to be getting stronger again, humans are the strangest things if you ask me. she is really dement but still seems to have a strong will te live bless her! we thought we were in for a funeral any day. let's hope she last for as long as she wants!!! as long as she feels happy!!!!

so the rest of my time was for fun, for me! i went to Olney, near Milton keynes to go visit Lin Brown, she has an amazing range of products in her shop but i totally fell for all the Ten seconds metal!! i bought metal, tools, mats, moulds,... the whole lot to get me started! she has so many beautiful projects all around the shop, all metal and mixed media, really lovely! and it was great seeing her agin too, we had a coffee and a chat in the shop seeing she was on her own that day.

oh and i did treat myself to some Tim Holtz stamps aswell, couldn't resist!!! :-)

i had the most wonderful weather too, not the rain that was forcasted! lucky lucky me!

i had lunch at a really tiny old tea shop in olney, proper english tea and a cheddar cheese sandwich cut into neat little triangles, just as i like them. i felt so spoiled actually. had a chat with a local floral artist, exchanged thoughts on things, it was so nice.

then i headed off to Oxford to meet my friend J who is still there finishing his pilot training. we had the most amazing time together, chatting and catching up for all the time apart. it is truly a wonderful thing to have this person as my friend. he is the most beautiful friend one could dream for. i know i'm blessed. i know some people would not understand and that is okay.

we went shopping for books, found none we were looking for and we both had lists haha! but i did end up buying five books so i was still pretty pleased. Oxord is a nice city! not one for parking though, omg!!! we had meals that i never ate cos my stomach wouldn't let me, so i hardly ate all weekend really, wonder if it shows on the scales hihi!? J ate most of my food so it didn't go to waste. and the lovely lady at the B&B made sure i had some toast and a boiled egg in the morning to keep me going, she was really worried about me not feeling well, so sweet. i had to take fruit with me for my travel home.

J and i had a blast the whole time we were together, nice! so nice.

Saying Goodbye to eachother was the hardest thing, the hardest thing...i never imagined it cos it is not like we are not seeing eachother again... it was really wierd. so not me, normally i am okay with goodbyes especially when i know it is not a last.

Sunday morning i decided to head off early for Dover cos there was the London Marathon going on and i wasn't sure what the traffic was going to be like. as i left i sent a text message to J to let him know i was on my way. as i came on to the main street he was standing there, he had calculated me leaving early and was waiting for a last goodbye! i mean, how sweet is that?!!!

he had felt that the goodbye we had was difficult. we had loads more hugs in us and still a million things to say and then J took the one picture we took all weekend, not the best picture, i look pretty funny in it but it is great if you ask me! the best! and look at the fab blue sky behind us! it was wonderful.

this good bye made it much easier for me to travel home, it was what we needed apparently and trust J to know that. and thank goodness for free wi fi on the ferry!!! we chatted the whole two hours i was on so that passed in a flash!

well, all things considered with my dad and so on i had the most wonderful weekend and let things go while i could. once back home i started phoning again of course to find out what was going on with the heart operation and all that.

i picked the kiddies up from there dad's and still had a two-hour drive ahead of me to get home so we arrived home at about 8 pm, long day but i enjoyed every minute of it! the drive down to dover is so beautiful, the road is up so high it sometimes feels you can touch the sky and i love skies. i felt my lungs filling with air and joy with every mile i drove. Friendship and Love filling my Soul, realizing that i am the luckiest person on earth.

so today i end with: take care of your friends and loved ones, don't assume they just know you love them, show them whenever you can and cherish time together! it fills you with energy and bliss beyond words. and miracles such as my beautiful nana is showing me can happen! i can't help but love life.

have a wonderful sunshiny day!!!

xox tanya

the winner

i randomly picked a winner from the comments to my post and Inge is the lucky one this time!!!
inge, mail me your details you know my address! you will be recieving something soon, i will make you something cool with tim Holtz stuff ( hint hint)

night night
xox

okay here i am

hi everyone,

i promised a bit of a report on my holiday so here goes! now, i'm not the typical tourist taking pictures all the time, most of the time i just try to enjoy without the bother of seeing the world through a lense! but i did manage to get some pictures taken.

first of all the flight was not that bad, i did feel my heart rate going up loads when we took off in brussels and then for a while we seemde to be just hanging abouve brussels and i could see nothing moving, i felt a bit of a panic rising then but told myself to stay calm and i did! after that i was fine, not reallt comfortable, no distraction next to me! i had the whole row of seats to myself so the sexy, good-looking, ...man i hoped for was not there to keep me company so i just filled out some sudokus, ah well...
then!!!! 40 minutes! yes!!! 40 minutes before landing the captain thanked us for flying with them and told us we would be landing soon! sooooooooooooooooon???? that gave me 40 minutes to build up a panic! that is looooooooooooooooooong believe me!! but i stayed calm, pretty calm! and the landing was perfect, i have never had such a soft landing! i could of kissed the captain! i was grinning like an idiot, so proud of myself, not that i was flying the plane but still i did stay calm and felt like i had overwon a barrier!





orange tree outside the bedroom is was sleeping in, the sent that came through my window was hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

it was great seeing sue again and meeting het ohhh so british humoured husband colin, we got on like a house on fire, i think he kinda met his match in sarcasme with me hihi! we had lots of fun and i felt more than welcome in their home. colin ended up waiting on me hand and foot after i stole his reclining massage chair!! wohaaaha! i was in a lot of discomfort though with my back due to these new soles in my shoes, they are supposed to help me change my way of walking and standing to take pressure off my ankle but my body still does not agree with them and i am in aches all the time! this was a bit of a bummer on my holiday but it is not like me to let that stop me :-)

at first he weather was horrible, cold, so cold i had to by a fleece cardigan at the market but i already told you that! i also bought an antique little silver angel magnifying glass, it is beautiful! and though i am not into love and all that, this little angel does happen to be Cupid so who knows, the Universe might be telling me something here!!!! LOVE myself! hihi! you all thought i was going to tell you something different here now didn't you?

(had to hide my boobs here! my top seems to be pretty low haha!)




i bought presents for he kids, i got my youngest daughter a spanish dress and little flaminco shoes to go with it, she looks so cute in them and she loves them, never took them off yesterday.


anyway, we had a good time, visiting some of the sights, eating colin's homemade fishpie! bowling on the Wii in the evenings, drinking wine, crafting some of the time, talking about crafts all of the time according to colin that is!


anyway the six days passed way too quickly and my travel back was okay too, i got a window seat again, right at the back of the plan! sat next to a japenese and an african man, they never opened their mouths hihi! take off was fine, no elevated heart rate or anything, landing was really bumpy but i did fine on staying calm! i am really honestly proud of myself and think i have overwon my fear now.
this is the little plane i was on! only 180 seats! i call that small!

well back in belgium now! the weather is of course super!!! we sat out in the garde nall day yesterday and i took the kids to a theme park the day before, they enjoyed themselves! i was in total agony with my back but it was good to see the kiddies having fun so i didn't mind too much! i was brave and went on some of the rides, today my therapist thought my back was a bit of a mess hihi! he said i had been brave going on the rides in so much pain!

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something different

my nana is ill with cancer, my dad is really ill too, my mother has been taken into a care home because of her alzheimer, she is so far gone! and she is only 59 you know? it is so sad really. it is not all sing and dance around here but i am staying positive about life! seems like it is far too short not to enjoy every minute of it!
Seeing that i have cancelled most of my workshops for the coming weeks to keep my weekends free for travelling up north for a funeral i am expecting very soon i decided to take a trip to the UK to do some shopping, visiting a friend and just enjoying my time while it lasts!!!

oh on a happier note!!!! my divorce is official as from tomorrow!!! over and done with! turning over the page, ahhhhhh, it is a relief more than anything! i don't hate him or anything, i don't wish him anything bad, i actually wish him all the best in life and i hope he will have a happy future ahead of him but i am glad we are over. we will still be mam and dad to the kids and i will do everything in my power to keep the communication going between us for the sake of the kids.

so!!! i am just me as from tomorrow!!! that is cause for celebration really! life is all about celebrating whenever possible isn't it!?


okay !this post has turned into half a book so i'm off to enjoy an hour in the garden before the kiddies come home from school! going to read a couple of pages of my book, i'm reading The Host by Stephanie Meyer, i had heard from Tim ( holtz) that lots of his friends thought it wasn't that good but i like it really. can't be compared with twilight ( same author) but non the less, i like it!

bye bye for now

i'll randomly pick a winner from the post i asked to leave a comment, i'll do that some time this week, to keep i a suprise hihi!

enjoy your day!!!

i'm not reading back for typos so just embrace the imperfections haha!

i'll post soon

hi, can't really post at he moment, my back is hurting like hell and i really don't feel like sitting at the computer too long! i'll post soon, my physical therapist is on the case hihi!

have a super weekend, hope the sun comes out to play!
xox tanya

quick checking in

i've been having a good time here in Spain, being pretty lazy really to tell you the truth, just relaxing, hanging, doing a little bit of crafts with Sue, also went seeing the sights yesterday, it was a great day, the weather was fine, we had a great meal, they have wonderful fish around here.

my ankle is playing up so it is a bit of a bummer when going sightseeing up in the mountains but i did well.

Sue and Colin, her husband, are really sweet and welcoming, i even had Colin waiting on me hand and foot last night haha!and he is a good cook! i got his relaxing, massaging chair last night and he never got it back all night, it was too comfy to give up!

oh, the first days the weather was awfull, really awfull, soooooooooo cold,when we went to the market on Saturday it was that cold i had to buy a fleece to wear and the man i bought it from happened to be Belgian so i had a chat in Flemish. i bought a really nice old tiny wearable magnifying glas with a little cupido angel at the top, it is beautiful, i'll post a picture soon.

today we are off to Colin's golf club for lunch and then probably have a wander around but my foot does hurt damn! tomorrow i might be meeting some of Sue's friends and then we are off to Benidorm for the rest of the rest of the day to do some shopping. and on Wednesday i will be with Sue at her shop meeting some of her customers who want to meet me cos Sue talks about me so much hihi, she has a workshop planned for them and i'll join in.

so there, a tiny update, it is hard for me to type on this qwerty keyboard seeing that i am used to an azerty keyboard and type blind so this is hard work and i have been correcting typos for ages now, i give up! hihi!

i'll get back to you all once i get home and i'll share some pics then, in the meantime i'm sure Sue will write on het blog so go click on the desire to inspire link at the side , she has put some pics on.

have a great day! enjoy the little things...

xox tanya

holiday!!!

okay then! i'll be off to Spain shortly so i might not be blogging for the next week unless i can use Sue's connection, if we even have time that is, i'll see!
if not sooner, you will hear from me when i get back!
in the mean while, for those who haven't commented on my previous post, you still can if you like! when i get back i will be choosing a lucky winner to a little present... you can get yourself into the draw by commenting.

i'm still dreading the flight slightly but i am invincible as i keep telling myself!!!! invincible!!!

have a great Easter and a lovely week

tarrah for now
xox tanya

light heart bright soul

Yesterday i had the most wonderful day outside with the kids, working in the garden, they helped a bit and they played lots. it was perfect weather, t-shirt and shorts weather! not that i wear shorts!!!

I planted my very first strawberries ever, giving it a go seeing i do live in Haspengouw which is the fruit region of Belgium! i planted lots and lots of pretty flowers, bulbs really, so i will be able to watch them grow into flowers! i cleaned the pond, swept the garden path, very symbolic for me, sweeping away the remains of a Winter filled with many changes, some troublesome, some for the best, some nice, some unexpected, some i saw coming, anyway, all swept away leaving a clean open path.

we had dinner outside, i just love eating outdoors, it gives such a sense of freedom and being part of nature, huge open sky, warmth on your skin, breeze through your hair, oh well, you can tell by now i am an outdoor's girl. I feel closer to the Universe when i'm outside.

i did some more drawing in my pencil art journal, i discovered that i cannot use my blending pencil on this paper! damn, it makes strange marks on my faces, too bad but they will now have to stay that way, they look weathered, maybe from the great outdoors? a lesson learned!

not the best pic here but non the less, here is my " no way back" girl, she has decided to open her heart to possibilities, as you can see on her face she is still getting used to her own idea but believes in it and will not hide from it. determinde as ever to make her life her own.this girl is rising above it all feeling free and light of heart, letting her Soul lead the way on her free and wonderful journey. she has a bright Soul and spreads love being free of burden.

(my flying doll is totally inspired by Suzi Blu! what a chick!)

more journaling will be added at the bottom but it was way past midnight when i put her down last night.

today the Sun is shining again, so i'm off to get these tv-watching kids dressed to go play outside and get some wonderful colour to their cheeks. i need to do some more weeding and cleaning up in the garden before i head off for my girly holiday in Spain with my friend Sue!!! only a few more sleeps!!!! the only thing i am dreading is the flight! i hate flying, honestly i am so scared of taking off and landing! i have never flown on my own before so it is an adventure and a huge challenge for me, one i am of course going to take because i have told myself that i can do it! i am invincible! :-) and i have a middle seat between two strangers! i can hardly cry and panic while sitting between strangers! and who knows, there might be a really cute single guy sitting next to me hihi. on the return flight i have a window seat! i am going to love that, once we have taken off that is!

anyway! i'm off to the garden!!!
you all have a wonderful day filled with pretty things and love!!!
xox tanya

ps if you were to leave a comment today i might just decide to pick a lucky person to recieve a little something....

life is love

well, you know, with me being single, divorced and all that... i kind of tell myself, and the whole world for that matter, that i am going to stay single the rest of my life, love has no place in my world, done with it, got the freaking t-shirt! away with the whole relationship thing, it sucks. well it does!

and then there are those days that the sun is shining and you want to go take a walk, on your own is fine but hummmm with a partner it would be nicer? uhhhhh NO!!! men suck remember!!!!

no, there are those days, well moments really, not full days!!! God forbid! but moments that i start to feel just a little lonely, just a little ( i am not admitting to anymore than that hihi!)

but the thing is, i remember having this feeling when i was in a relationship!when i was married! even more than now at times come to think of it! which makes me believe even stronger that i am better off staying single!!!

but then i have this friend, i will name no names J! he kind of kicks my behind once in a while, he doesn't put up with my realtionship-men suck-crap, he wakes me up, he never tells me, he shows me, he let's me find out for myself, he nudges, never pushes me over the edge

this so called friend makes me cry sometimes, but at the end of the day he always makes me smile, truly smile on the inside but hang on! he is a man! ohhhh men suck remember!!!!

luckily this friend is my friend, has been for some time and always will be so no need to panic Tanya!

we are here for one thing he says: "LOVE" nothing else.

and let that be the one thing i want to cut out of my life!!! until i realised love is not to do with having a relationship! there are so many kinds of love: love for my children of course!!!! duh!! my love for my art, my love for my friends, my soulmate,my doggy, my ability to recover from anything and everything,.... i could go on for hours now you know hihi!

but then he goes further... you're on the right track babe! ... but you still need to open your heart to L-O-V-E, don't rule out possibilities of finding love, don't force it out, don't search for it! don't long for it, don't let it control your life, don't think you need it to be happy but do not rule it out!!!

pffff smart ass, was my first thought! but now...i think i am coming around to the idea... slooooowly okay J!? and... i promise not to throw away the key to my heart just yet...

but good, here i am today sharing a bit of a private conversation with you all! why? well to explain this page in my art journal! it's my travelling art journal, only pencils and markers when i'm on the road so no mixed media to help me get my thoughts sorted, just pencils and me! confronting really!!! i find it harder to do but liberating at the same time

"to fear love is to fear life"

so all there is left to do is wish you all a day filled with love, the kind you choose! free choice!!!

checking in

it's been a few days, i've been busy, i've been lazy too! i had another Rangerized workshop and it went well, some total beginners who had never even used embossing powders before, this is fun really! they are amazed when i show them the difference between clear embossing, frosted crystal and distress embossing powders for example! it's like magic to them. i like beginners, gives me so much pleasure educating and helping them. they all went home with a finished portfolio of 13 techniques using distress inks, powders and perfect pearls. i was totally proud of them all! yes you too Anna!

today i had a day of rest, had a wonderful long msn chat with my friend j who is miles away again for the next few months. i'm going to try and squeeze in a visit combined with a trip to Milton Keynes to go to Linda Brown's store to get myself some kabukas and big daddy moulds and some beautiful ten seconds studio metal and tools to play with, i could get everthing sent to me but i love to feel and touch what i buy and it'll be a great roadtrip for me to do on my own, just getting a hold on things and thoughts, feeling a bit stronger, feeling British soil under my feet, doing something for myself and meeting up with j for dinner, walks and talks, i'll book a little bed and breakfast and come home the next day,sounds like a good plan! don't you think?

it is great to talk to that someone who really gets my Soul, my thoughts, my not so hidden fears and things i won't even admit ot myself at times. it is nice to have that listening ear and a voice that is not scared to disagree with you and tell you so! true friends are irreplacable.

but first i will be off to Spain for a few days of girly fun with my great lovely friend Sue, we met at Ranger U six months ago and got on straight away, from the very first second we spoke! it doesn't happen often that i make friends so easily, i'm an outgoing person at first sight but i never really let people get too close, with Sue i feel totally comfortable and i am soooooooooo looking forward to my visit. i hope we are lucky enough to have some sunshine it'll go well with the cocktails we are planning hihi! and the trip to the antique market.

my friend Micheal posted on his blog (see jack & cat) and i was happy to read his update, i've been missing the news from Arizona. Micheal was one of the Ranger U attendees last October, now nearly six months ago, looking back on it i still think it was a great experience! i met great people and i still have contact with most of them. I still have contact with Tim and Suze and Claudine at times and the wonderful other Ranger girls like Patti, Michele, Jackie!!!, Debby, Bonnie,... and i've been lucky to have been able to do quite some Ranger educating since i got my certificate. i love doing it, i love educating all things Ranger.

well, i have a pretty normal week this week, some things to do, workshop as usual and seeing a new specialist about my ankle on Thursday, hopefully i'll get some anwsers and a solution for my pain and constant swollen ankle, i wouls so love to be fully back on track again and go maybe dancing!? i so miss being able to move around freely without pain.

art: not much art done, i did draw a few dolls and did some face shading and some painting, i'm still progressing on this and i love it.

i got myself all the colours of Claudine Hellmuth's studio paint! i'm in love with this paint, i've said it before i know. but it is great paint. i gor some more of her brushes too, they are brilliant and i love the sticky back canvas and got some more of thet too. it was a treat!

i really have to clear my studio! i've been on the move so much, alot of my things are spread all over in boxes and bags, so i'm hoping to get everything back nice and neat some time this week so i can work and play a bit easier and more organized. it is a mega mess believe me!

well, off to do some preps for tomorrow, a day of photographing step by step storyboards and some filming of techniques, it'll be fun!

talk to you all soon! have a great week! remember that every moment is filled with love and joy! try not to forget even if you are having a tough time or an off-day or whatever!

xox

free time

i have been working way too hard so i decided to take a little time off, i still have things on my planning that need to been done of course but in between that i will be chilling, reading, painting, making art for the sake of it! My youngest daughter Estée has her 6th birthday this Wednesday so we will be having a fun day then! off to a theme park in the afternoon and eating cake!

i have my divorce tomorrow of course, final day!!! after that i am soooooo single forevvvvvaaaa!

i love being home, my cosy own place where i can see my orchids grow, i am so proud of my orchids!!! they are doing so well; lots of new buds and some beautiful flowers.

i love being able to enjoy my home in peace and quiet, kids off to school during the day, just me and my doggy Jimmy, he sleeps most of the time though, he is so lazy for a Jack Russell!

i had a good workshop this weekend, clear albums and Ranger of course, so a Rangerized Clearbook so to speak! the girls all had fun, and all made different books, i like it when they all go home with their own style, that way i know they really learned something! they don't just copy! it is wonderful to see them all try new things and put up with my bold teaching hihi! i can be strict! i can be hard! i will tell them a thousand times how to ink up a stamp hihi! i teach lots in one class so there is a swift tempo to it! but i always have happy people in the end, people who go away with new things and that is what it is all about! here are some pics from the workshop!

don't forget to send me pics of the finished book before MAY 1st! i will ask some of my followers to choose a winner and the lucky one will recieve a present! so that should be soem incentive to finish your book hihi! have fun with that!

okay! i 'm off to do some shopping before i start painting! there is an echo when i open the fridge hihi!

have a wonderful Spring day! remember to breathe deeply and let go of any crap holding you back and be truly happy and grateful to be here! that is what i tell myself everyday! xox

oh dear i got tagged

oh my goodness! Sherri tagged me! i have to take a picture of myself right here, right now, as i am, no doing up my hair or putting on a bit of make-up first! no!!! just take a pic and post!

and i am lazing in the sofa with my mini laptop on my knee,so tired, combination of having a super cold and having been to the trade show in Paris, this is going to be a great picture! but fair is fair and i play by the rules so here i am... i sight for sore eyes! (more like a sight tot cause sore eyes hihi!)

so now i will pass this on and tag some others and challenge them to do the same!

Sue ***Evelien***Mariska***Kate***Barb

have fun with this girls!!!!

okay! i'm off to get my stuff sorted for the my workshop.it's going to be a long day and a short night! i'm due in court tomorrow morning for my divorce and it is a few hours drive due to traffic around Brussels so i'll have to get up really early to avoid getting stuck and turning up too late!

i am not looking forward to tomorrow but i suppose it is just another step in the right direction and it needs to be over and done with! no use getting myself worked up about it all.

xox tanya

another day in Paris

again some quick pics from the trade show, it has been a long busy day, can't complain , i did lots of make & takes and their was a lot of buzz and sparkle (i'm working with glitter!) flying around.

i do have the worst cold ever! i suppose because of the air-co at the show so today i had a bit of a heavy head on me and i found the french language just a bit more non-understandable then yesterday hihi but out of it all i did well, pleased with my own efforts really! :-)

i took my 45 min break and went straight to Tim, Suze, Mario and Leandra a mais oui!

Tim made me the most beautiful flower brooch using Grungepaper! it is ab fab!!! after he made it he even kept looking at it and i told him he was not getting it back hihi! Suze was coughing up ideas about making a hairpin out of it but it is going on my leather jacket and i can't wait to make some myself and do this in a workshop! when i get my hands on the Grungepaper that is!

anyway! here are the pics! Jan just gave me whisky to tackle my cold and to have a good night's sleep! the Ranger crew are not at the show tomorrow and i'll be leaving early myself so probably no pics tomorrow or maybe some of me working!? ah, could do that.... prove that i don't just wander around bugging Ranger :-), i can't help myself, i want to know everything! as a Ranger Educator i want to stay tuned and totally up to date! ( good excuse, you think?)

okay, we are pulling daft faces and that is all Mario's fault! he was being funny! we are not to blame for this! you reading this mario!!!?

after spraying, drying and stapming some die-cut Grungepaper flowers Tim painted and distress-stickled some die-cut andCuttelbugged Grungeboard and then put together to make a geat brooch! for me!!!
Mario then said! go on! we need antoher picture , now with the brooch! so again tim and i broke out the smiles and after a couple of really sillp ics this one turned out pretty much usable hihi!

those guys crack me up!

this is the finished brooch in all it's glory on the bedside table in my hotel room! is it not fab??? i love it! i am blessed to a have recieved some beautiful art from now Suze and Tim! and again some brilliant ideas to work with!

Suze was over the moon with a ring she made at the stand i was working! she made it with Inez, lovely girl! Suze was still showing it off hours later, believe me! hilarious she is sometimes! you gotta love her!! i'm sure she will blog all about it soon so go check her out.

okay! off to bed with cuppa and the rest of the film i didn't finish yesterday!

tomorrow i'll be back home and not sad for that either! not that i will be sitting on my backside! workshops to be done and another Be Rangerized the coming weekend! looking forward to that!Anything for Ranger! you know that!

xox night night

Paris Trade Show SMAC

okay, as promised some pics from Paris Trade show SMAC, quickly cause i'm pretty shattered, i didn't sleep all that well last night and it has been a busy day which is a good thing of course.

I had a quick chat with Tim, he was in action as usual

a longer chat with Suze

and she made me a cool piece of Utee art with a happy accident that we both loved to bits!!!

Tim thought we were a bit wacky but hey! we don't care hihi!

i had a few chats with Mario bless his soul, he is the cutest guy ever! i mean that! he is so relaxed it always makes me smile and feel happy when i see him! he like a happy tablet hihi!

it was a busy day but i did take about 45 minutes break to have a bite to eat while i had a look around the show, tomorrow i will do the same. it is not a bad idea to take breaks, the days are long and speaking french the whole time is so damn tiring! hihi at least i try to speak it! don't think it is that good mind! people do understand me so i'm okay, i can live with it!

i'm going to jump into the shower, then off to bed with a film on my laptop and a nice cup of tea.

hope i'm not up all night because of the food i had, i tried to keep it low fat and simple so wish me luck.

talk to you soon

xox au revoir

yes!

yes yes yes!!! i found that *stupid* missing part of my charger!

hummmm... at the bottom of my... handbag?! i know! terrible really! it was the only place i had not turned upside down! so before going to bed (cos i'm not a quitter!) i simply emptied my handbag onto the table...one GPS, diary/agenda,shoppinglist, reciepts, enough loose change to buy a coffee even in the US hihi, pens, pencils, rulers, yes plural! terrible but i go nowhere without some drawing supplies! 2 notepads, deodorant, 2 bottles of perfume, chapstick(s) paracetemols to last a year! throat tablets,other medication, earphones for my cellphone/mp3, polo mints (don't think i'll eat them!!!gah!) and some more items and then tadadada.... the very last find was the plug part of my charger!!! dancing around like a looney!!
let it be a lesson!!! (note to myself!)

so !!! i hope to get lots of pictures taken at SMAC in the short breaks i will be trying to have!

have a good one! hope you don't have a sore throat, headache and temperature like i am at the moment! causing me to lay awake at four in the morning sipping tea and surfing the net!

good thing i have a strong mind cos the body isn't really working with me hihi!

xox

checking in

just checking in!


i have been a bit absent, for several reasons: i'm not really doing much art at the moment, too busy preparing for Paris and other things to be playing and creating for myself.

and... i lost a part of the charger for my camera!!! so the battery is obviously dead and i can't charge so i can't take pics... so i can't put any pics on my blog!!! i have nooooooooo idea what i have done with the part! i had it in my suitcase on my last trip, that i am certain of... i didn't even use it on that trip! but now it is nowhere to be seen! i have checked everywhere i can think of and more! i give up!!! well for today! i would love to load the battery before going to Paris!!! imagine not being able to take pics of Suze and me, Tim and me, Mario and me, okay you get the picture hihi!

what have i been up to? well i've been working on samples and make & takes for SMAC Paris, sunny bright little projects with lots of flower power and glitter! i am covered in glitter as we speak!! it is e-vvvvvvvvvvv-erywhere! i think i'm even breathing in glitter! *cough* yes! glitter!

i recieved this from Mariska it's a top 10 favourite blog award! thanks Mariska
the idea is that i pass it on to my own top Ten favourites!!!

i can't send it back to Mariska, though she is one of my favourites! Evelien already recieved this from Mariska si i won't send it to her though she too is one of my favourites!

you know what??? i suggest you give everyone on my blogroll a visit!!! they are after all my favourites!!!

i recieved this friends badge from my lovely Arizona art pal Sheri!!! we have never met in real life (yet!) but we got to know eachother through Micheal aka jack & cat, my favourite beeswax guy evver!! his wife is an artist too, they are so lucky to be able to work together! they make cool stuff ( check them out if you haven't already!) they are on my blogroll

anyway, here is the friends badge

These are the guidelines that came with the badge:
"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these kind writers."
When you pass the award along please include these guidelines. I am to choose eight friends to share this with. again a very difficult task!! who do i choose? i have lots of online art friends who blog! not all of them are on my blogroll because some of them are only in dutch and not understandable for the rest of the world! that is the only reason you are not on my roll my flemish and dutch pals!!! i can't put links up that my visitors won't be able te read.

having said this, i get complaints that my blog is only in English!!! and not in dutch too! pfff i know my friends but at the end of the day, i am english! it is easier for me to write english even though my dutch is just as good, and then the fact that it is all a bit time consuming for this single- self-supporting- working- sometimes tired mama- artist, you understand? don't you? hope you all do cos it is just not do-able for me to do two languages.

my 8 friends i want you to check out!

Sue, she is soooo my pal!!! my mate! my friend! i can't wait for my visit to her in Spain in April!!

Kate, northern lass like me! i love her ATC's, check her blog out!

Barb, she is going for her dream even though it is not always easy!

Michelle, my Jersey Shore girl! wish i was closer! i know a great place for cocktails in Long Branch!! :-)

Evelien, well, what can i say? she used to stalk me, you know? !she is okay now hihi

Suzi, a wonderful wacky artist with a heart and soul i love! she is moving to San diego as we speak! go girl!!!

Margie, i just met her a few weeks ago! but i love her vibe! doors will open!!!

and last but not least

Tim he shares and supports like no other! he deserves to be on my list! i know he hasn't got time to pass this one, he is on his way to Paris it this very moment!

did i mention that i am going too?! did i? haha

so that was it for now, back to my samples, packing my bags, getting the cupboards and fridge filled, ironing to be done, bills to be paid, dog to be washed! he smells!!!! i don't know what he has been up to! pffff

hope you are all having a wonderful sunshine-filled day, like i am!

xox tanya

wonderful sunshiny day

it is such a nice day today,

the Sun is shining, the Skies are blue,

pretty fluffy white clouds floating by.

tiny buds visable on the trees,

snowdrops hanging their heads so pretty and shy

yet proud and far stronger than one would expect!

daffodils are coming soon! i can see them peeping through the soil.

in the house all my orchids are budding and blooming!

so pretty!

my heart feels liking leaping and singing and dancing,

all at the same time.

the Sun warms my heart, makes me feel everything is possible,

all will be okay, all is okay!

i've been working on some really colourful projects for Peel-off for SMAC Paris and yesterday i had a make & take with a small version of one of my projects and everyone went home cheerful because of the colours we used! i loved it!

putting smiles on so many faces made me forget how much pain i was in!

super!

because i've been working on projects that i can't show just yet i have no art to show.

my head is full of ideas, i want to make some soldered collage memory frames,

i want to beeswax my tim holtz stampcases,

i want to draw dolls, i want to do pages in my journal,

i want to get some paint on my fingers, some glitter or gesso in my hair...

but... i still have loads to do for SMAC so i need to work and not play ...

anyway, i hope you are all having a great day!

i know some places over in the US are having some beautiful snow hihih!

and that is great too!

but i am enjoying this feeling of Spring that is in the air today here in Belgium!

taking deep breaths of fresh air.

filling my lungs with pure happiness and joy for life!

enjoying the moment.

i have a few other reasons for feeling happy and blessed

but just let's leave it at the Spring feeling making me happy and cheerful hihi!

have a good one! xox