Thrift Find

Went thrifting today just for the heck of it.  Nothing in mind just needed a morning out with my dad.  I came across this workbench.  It was sturdy and not too big.  It would hold my vice and grinding wheel.  It was solid and would work well with my stamping and cutting metal tools.  The issue will be where to store it while I'll keep working on clear out my garage.  For now it's all about unboxing the house.  I will  find the perfect spot.

 

"Shelter In Place"

Shelter in place = Studio time!

I started working on two art pieces.  I haven't painted in awhile and it feels good!  They're far from done and that's the fun part of doing these pieces!  Gotta add more paint, more texture, some glitter, lots of glitter, words, detail outlining and finishing touches.  The details of the face will be my biggest challenge I think.  I hope you use this time to get creative and feed your soul with positivity.

Monday thoughts...

Blogging with breakfast! 

I've been journaling for a long time, but like everything  else in my life I do it for a minute and then I stop for a bit and then jump into it again.

A page from my current journal.

I think blogging is the same for me.  I love when I take the time to post but I over think what I should post about.  I read other blogs and find them fun to read and think to myself I should write about that...I started this blog years ago and it really hasn't taken off.  I'm not tech savvy on writing the code  or setting up this blog site properly to where it will have buttons to feed my instagram and Facebook page.  The other thing is I never had the foresight to name everything similar.  So my blog, Facebook page, and Instagram all have different names.  One day I should figure out how to consolidate all of it.  I think the main thing I wanted when I began was to get exposure for my artistic and creative side of my life.  Back  then I was working a pretty serious full time job in the criminal justice field and the creative time was a great balance.  I'm retired and have plenty of time for all the artistic fun but I forget to share it!

Monday thoughts

Hello 2019,

Let's see where do I start.  December was a busy month.  I had a open house the first weekend of December.  It went well and I had fun putting it all together.  Lots of work but well worth the time.  The night of the show I was putting things away and moving patio furniture.  I made the mistake of not using my legs to lift a couch and pulled my back out!  A trip to urgent care with the rest of the week resting.  I have never had a back problem other than some minor soreness that a good nights sleep heals me right up.  Not this time.   But, once it healed it was amazing how the pain just goes away.   Then it was time for  the holidays!  Christmas was quite around my house.  Traditional tamale making on Christmas Eve.  New Year's was fun, we had a visit from a college friend.  On January  3rd we headed out to sight see and have breakfast.  It had been cold overnight in the Phoenix area and we had some freezing.  As I walked from the parking lot to the restaurant I stepped on some ice and fell right on my back!   Wow!  I'll tell ya, that hurt a lot!  I could hardly move.  We had breakfast but to be honest I could hardly concentrate on eating because my back was killing me.  My friend noticed a used bookstore he wanted to go into, so I stayed in the car and turned on my seat warmer!  Yep, my car has seat warmers!   I decided to video call my sister to cry on her shoulder....she answers and before I can say a word she tells me she is in the ER with my mom and that it was very serious.  OMG!  She wasn't able to talk and I then sat in my car stunned.  As the day went on my back got worse and back to a muscle relaxers, heat and ice and to bed.  I later found out my mom suffered a heart attack and needed surgery.  Fast forward a week...I'm heading to Nebraska to help with my mom.  The weird thing was the 18 hour drive in a car saved my back pain.  I was completely pain free by the time I got to Nebraska.  I think I needed to sit and do nothing in order for my back to heal.  I stayed in Nebraska for over three weeks and have just returned to warmer Arizona.  Yep, the deep freeze weather hit my hometown.  I haven't been in that kind of freezing ice cold weather in a long long time.  Good thing I had seat warmers in my car, lol.  While in Nebraska there a lot of time spent on rearranging, reorganizing, educating ourselves on my mom's needs.  My mom's recovery was amazing. She is a fighter and boy did she show us what determination was.  It was nice seeing her do so well and leaving her was not as bad as I thought it would be.  She is in good hands with my family.  I was reminded ... rest is important, self care is important, saying NO is good, prayer is powerful, family is important, having fun and smiling heals, love, love and more love is good.  Here's to 2019!

Me and my Mom, Kay

Welcome to 2018!

Saying goodbye to 2017 is hard since it brought so much to my life.

January began in Lucca, Italy!  Visited Rome and Pisa, too.  The Woman's March, which gave me hope.

February we learned Maximus had cancer and needed surgery.  It also sent us to Nebraska for the farm sale!  On the way to Nebraska with my friend, Alice we got my grand niece Anaya to travel with us.  Also got to  my first Nebraska men's basketball game!

March got back from Nebraska with a UHaul full of treasures.  Tom celebrated 30 years on his job. Traveled to Las Vegas with a good friend.

April, Gabi turned 21, wow.  Spend all my time planning my next trips.

May was the longest road trip, 7000 miles!  Started out with Jason, my brother from Arizona to Nebraska...my sister, Melinda from Nebraska to Lincoln, Omaha, Kansas City, St Louis, Memphis, Nashville, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Richmond, Detroit, Omaha, Yankton, SD, Lincoln, North Platte, dropped off my sister and headed home.  Tom joined my thought the trip.  May also gave me the greatest gift, we met my nephew, Antwein for the first time in 25 years!  What joy that was for my soul.  Also a visit with my good for my soul friend, Cathy was the best.  Can't forget Joni time, sister time with all my sisters and my Mom and Dad time!  Blue boy was a big part of our trip...antique shops all along the way.  

June we drove my camper home!  I'm in love!

July both sad and exciting.  I had to say bye to my Maximus!  I have tears just thinking about him.  I miss him daily.  July also brought a trip of a lifetime...river rafting trip down the Colorado River at the Grand Canyon with good friends!

August was the lunar eclipse in Idaho!  Frida exhibit at the Heard Museum.

September we got a visit from my nephew Zachariah!  Another highlight...U2 Joshua Tour concert!!!

October sent us to Nebraska to spend precious time with my father-in-law, Irvin Arens before he passed at the age of 91.   Visited with so much family.  Highlight time with my nephew Tommy.  Then there was time with Patrick, Nate, Amelia, Dana, Brenda and meeting her son, Clay!  Just to name a few.

November was a quiet and reflecting time.  I really needed the down time.

December brought birthday fun and my love for the holidays and fun projects.

I need to take some time here soon to write down my thoughts about this past year and the life changing events.  I would have to say the Colorado River trip was the most impactful experience.  I took so much away from that experience.  FAITH OVER FEAR was so true and you CAN do anything!  The loss of my dog Maximus turned out to be harder than I thought.  I am blessed.

Bring on 2018!

Monday thoughts...

My thoughts..... Woman's March on January 20th, a Saturday.  It was chilly and windy.  They expected a crowd of 5000, but they got much more than that....20,000+   

Before that day I was feeling frustrated and worried about so many issues.  Don't get me wrong I'm still concerned about those issues.

I was so inspired by all the people involved in the Woman's March.  Men, Women, Kids, Grandma's, Millenniums, Latinas, African-Americans, Native-Americans, all ethnicities, all religions, it included everyone!  When I looked into the crowd no one was excluded.  So different from what I have seen in in the new White House and his cabinet nominees.

I'm not mad he's president.  I'm mad at his policies, I'm mad at his cabinet selections, I'm mad at  his policy for Dreamers, I'm mad at his denial of global warming, I'm mad at his view on woman's wage equality,  I'm mad at his push on changing reproductive rights, I'm mad he's lacking diversity on his selections, No Latinos at all.  I understand why some people are not concerned...they don't feel left out .... white men and women are surely represented in the new White House.  Personally, I don't feel represented in the new White House.

The best thing about the march on Saturday was it gave me back my HOPE.  When this many people came out all over the country and in the world in support of all the issues I'm concerned about, it overwhelmed me with HOPE and LOVE TRUMPS HATE.  I was completely represented on Saturday, January 20, 2017... Thank you, I know I am not alone and I will not be silent alone.

Love, Love Love!

Exactly my thoughts

Pink hats!

Marching!

It was reported 3.3 million marched in 500 cities across America.  I love America!

Monday thoughts....

Today is Martin Luther King Jr Day

I don't think he would be happy about the current situation in the United States. 

I also don't think he would quit and be silent.  Gotta believe in a dream.

Monday thoughts...

I go to antique stores, thrift stores and vintage shops all the time.  I take photos of things all the time for mainly for ideas.   I usually don't buy stuff until I know I have a specific spot for it in my house.  My house is not big and everything seems to have a place.   So I would have to move things around or get rid of something to make room for something new.   I'm in the middle of redoing most of our living space.  I like old things and plan to use my stash of collected antique and vintage items throughout the house now.  I've had most stored in my garage...lol.

I have a number of vintage quilt tops in my collection and I thought this would be a cool way to to use them.  I also have a few pieces my Mom has given me.  I think I even have a few holiday quilt color tops.

I love this wooden cubby shelf unit.  I think I can make one.  

One thing you always see at any shop is kitchen ware...tons of that shit.

Not sure why I didn't buy these springs!  I used them for christmas decor last year.

I love wooden boxes, tool boxes, any wooden box.

I don't normally look at jewelry because there's so much of it and I have no patience.  But recently I my sister showed me some cool stuff at very reasonable prices.  I got two rings for less that $5!  Way cool.  So from now on I'm gonna take the time to rummage through it.

This was an interesting piece, the drawers had wood fronts and metal sides.  

 Thrifting and antiquing is one of most favorite things to do!  

Take 10

Last month I went to the Mesa Arts Center to see Cheech Marin's Chicano Art Collection Exhibit.  I wished I could of been able to take a few photos so I could remember all the pieces I loved.  I would agree with Cheech Marin's love of Richardo Ruiz artwork.  It's awesome and look him up and check it out yourself.   Walking through an art museum is so inspiring and motivates me to continue my art journey.

Courtesy Cheech Marin Collection

 Take 10 draws from the renowned collection of entertainer and arts advocate Cheech Marin, who has amassed one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive private collections of Chicano art. Take 10 consists of 42 works in oil, acrylic, watercolor and glass by 33 of the most significant Chicano artists. Chicano art is characterized by rich colors and bold, intense imagery that embody and embrace U.S. Latino traditions.

Curatorial Spotlight: Ricardo Ruiz  Part of the Take 10 exhibition, this bonus feature highlights the curious paintings of Texas artist Ricardo Ruiz from Cheech Marin’s    collection.  Ruiz’s work is characterized by its rich imagery and vivid storytelling that often explores themes of family, cycles of life and   death and Mexican-American folklore. Left Image: Ricardo Ruiz, El Mas Loco, 2013, Oil on canvas, 72 x 48 inches. Collection of Cheech Marin.

What to blog about??

I've had the worse case of mental blog block.  I have so much I could share but for whatever reason I just can't seem to put the time into posting on my blog.  

But it's 2016 and as most people it's time to reflect on the past year and start some newthings in the new year.  How I want to do this is post things from the past year.....  It was a busy travel year, it was a busy studio time year, it was a busy spending time with people year, along with all the photos to documenting everything.  That is one thing I did do, photographed everything 2015.

So let's begin.....

In March I traveled back to my home in Nebraska for my dad's 80th birthday party.  It was so much fun.

This is my family mom & dad and six of us kids.

This is my siblings and Texas cousins

My sisters & I always take a photo...this time we were lucky to have our brothers, too.

My parents, Gilbert & Kay Tinajera

My niece made this cool book.
The grandkids wrote letters to my dad of lessions learned from him.  

Here's something I forgot about...on my drive from Denver to Nebrasaka I drove Mini Lula through a ice storm.  The roads were clear and wet.  The temps were very cold and the windshield index was even colder.  I learned driving Mini is different than driving a regular car or truck.  It rides low to the ground and all the surface water was hitting Mini all the time...with the windshield index so cold the water was freezing and icing up the Mini to the point of no air getting through the front grill.  Scary scary scary drive!  Won't ever do that again!

Monday thoughts on Wednesday...

I've become a faithful follower of Super Soul Sunday.  I usually DVR the episodes so I can watch and absorb what the conversation is about.  I've watched the episode with Thich Nhat Hanh, He is a Zen Buddhist Monk, he's so spiritual and wise.  So much of what he talked about has resonated within me.  He talks about listening..."compassionate deep listening"  Helping him/her to suffer less.  And then at another time give your thoughts/advice.  I will work on this kind of listening.  I need to read some of his books, too.  Check him out.

He also has four mantras he spoke about.  

1.  Darling, I'm here for you. 

2.  Darling, I know you are there and I'm so happy you are there.  

3.  Darling, I know you suffer and that is why I'm here for you.  

4.  Darling, I suffer, I am trying my best to practice, Please help me.

Monday thoughts....

A series of events have taken place this past week or so that have made me take a moment.

First, a good friend’s mother passed away a week ago.  I knew she was ill but when I got the news it hit me like a ton of bricks.  Lottie was extremely talented and creative.  She was a true authentic artist.  She love Mexico and everything about Mexican art and culture.  She was a fabulous furniture designer/builder.   I once traveled with her to Mexico. San Miguel de Allende and many small pueblos near Patzcuaro, Mexico.  We saw the pyramids, we walked the huge Mexico City Zoeculo  and visited Frida Kahlo’s Azul house.  We fell in love with San Miguel’s architecture, and met many artisans, woodcarvers, metal workers, mask painters and furniture makers.  She gave me so much inspiration.  I hadn’t seen her for few years but I’m always reminded of her whenever I look at a small framed Frida Kahlo postage stamp she gave to me.  May she rest in peace.

Second, three friends had car accidents this past week.  Thank sweet baby Jesus all suffered either no injury or minor injuries but still they had injuries.  Two cars totaled and one van undergoing a month long repair.  All the accidents are the true sense of shit happens that sets a whole lot of things in motion after being stopped in your tracks.

Third, my printers decided to go on an electronic glitch adventure.  My large photo printer decided to get stuck on “Error B200”.  As I researched “Error B200” I came to realize my five or six year love affair with my Pixma Pro i9000 was over.  The Canon support person gave me some bad news about “Error B200” – something to do with  electrical mambo jumbo bullshit and kindly emailed me a local authorized Canon repair shop.  But he added,  the cost to have it repaired might be close to the cost of buying a new printer because of the nature of “Error B200”.  A number of YouTube videos addressing how to deal with “Error B200” on a Canon printer suggested best way to solve “Error B200” was to use a heavy sledge hammer!  But wait!!!   I just bought ink!!!!   I can’t even get the stupid ink cartridges out of the damn printer!  Which leads me to telling you about my other very simple basic 3 in 1 wireless printer/copier/scanner machine.  It wouldn’t print ---it decide to only give me blank sheets of paper.  It would copy, it would scan but no document or email printing.  I figure I should buy ink for it since it only had black ink.  Well holy moley, the damn machine prints now.  Back in business, ah nope… the Epson XP200 will not print on cardstock, ever!  Not that kind of printer!

I did buy a new printer…and the love affair continues… Pixma Pro 100 this time around.  It’s wireless, it’s huge, it’s heavy, it’s awesome!  

But really, having printer problems is not a life changing event.  Life is a constant movement forward with us moving right along with it.  Challenging and reminding myself the power of now, this exact moment....in love and grace.

Buddha

I don't know much about the study or following of the spiritual teachings of Buddha, but I had to stop and give an offering.  If you look close you'll see coins, rocks, beads, stones, hearts, a ball, a beer cap and a dollar bill.  I love his big smile and great spirit.  I might have to visit this Buddha statue more often.... plus the view from where he sits is awesome!

The Three Universal Truths

Nothing is lost in the universe - we consist of that which is around us, we are the same as everything. 

Everything changes - everything is constantly changing.

Law of cause and effect - we receive exactly what we earn, whether it is good or bad.

Monday thoughts, on Tuesday

I’m in my hometown for my Dad’s 80^th birthday party this weekend.  My brother and sisters have been finalizing the details of the party.   He's in good health and gets around just fine, so it’s deceiving that he's 80.  On this trip I've noticed he’s slowed some but his mind is as sharp as a knife.  He has an amazing memory of his life and people he has met throughout his whole life.  Each time he steps upstairs from the basement he sings a little tune and honestly he never stops moving.  He’s been that way his whole life.

I drove around town today and it has changed and I hardly recognize anything.  While I was sitting in Mini Lula talking on the cell phone a car drove up to me and it was a friend I’ve known since junior high.  She heard I was in town and she saw Mini and thought it was a good chance it was me.  It was so nice seeing her and having a chat.  She plans to attend the party so we’ll have more time to catch up on each other’s lives. 

The other great thing about being home is seeing my family.  The things that drive me crazy about them are also the things I miss so much.  The icing on the cake is being with my great niece, baby girl Anaya.  She’s so adorable!

I like being home but I also miss my space, my studio, my husband and those three crazy dogs of mine. 

If you are lucky like me to have your parents around please enjoy them…learn from them…embrace who they are.

Monday thoughts

The other day I set up the camera on the tripod to get a photo holding a Happy Valentine's Days sign.  Instead, I used a blank sheet of cardstock so I could change what the sign would say.  I'm going to post a inspirational saying each Monday.  Here's the first one!  I really miss getting lost.  I miss wandering.  So today I'm gonna get lost.

Steal Like An Artist.... austin kleon

Monday thoughts

I've been busy with taking care of myself.  Which is kinda a new thing to me.  I'm one to give my time, my energy, my creative talents, my ideas, my photo skills, my card making and paper crafts to the point I'm left with nothing for myself.  Don't get me wrong I love giving and I'm honored when asked.  What I've found is I put others in front of me and I end up tired, not sleeping, not eating right, not walking, not not not.  I also  know the creative process is time consuming.  So my challenge these past few months is to focus on me.  The challenge of not breaking my personal commitments.  Sleeping has been my biggest challenge.  I've never been one for sleep and I love the when the sun sets and the stars shine.  But in order for me to have a healthier day I need to get more sleep but believe me I fight it on a nightly basis!  I really do feel better when I get the right amount of sleep, so I'm learning.  As a result of my personal journey, I've set aside my blog, my Facebook  site, my business, my jewelry, my studio time, and I found a few new things .... sitting in my courtyard on my swing listening to the wind chimes and baby birds, I found drinking tea is a nice relaxing thing to do anytime of the day or night,  I found walking clears my mind, I found I love fruit smoothies, I found sewing is still my first love, I found I still can get fun things completed and I found I need to put my personal commitments first and in turn I found I'm better at all the other things that come along.  

Monday thoughts on Sunday afternoon

I was on Skype with my sister and she mentioned how I haven't been posting on this here blog.  She's right and no question about it, I'm struggling.  I have lots of things going on and posting is on the bottom of my list these days.  As I've explained there are steps in blogging for me and I just can't seem to fit time in to do all the steps.   My sister gave me a great suggestion, which I'm going to try out this week.  She said to leave my house and go somewhere to write my articles and edit the photos.  This way there are none of the distractions I have going on in the office, studio and house. 

One thing I've been wondering about is lack of comments.  I don't know if anyone has tried to leave a comment and hasn't been able to or I have readers who are not comment leaver types. One reason I ask is I would like to do some giveaways and without knowing the problem I'm hesitant to offer the giveaway. Can you take a moment and give me some feedback?  I'm on Facebook if you find you can't comment due to a setting issue here.  Facebook.com/the.brokenwing.  Thanks so much!

Monday thoughts...posted on Tuesday late night.

My recent thoughts about planning/organizing time.   Well not really organized, I'm pretty organized with my projects and most of my things have a place.  I think what I'm doing is fine tuning things.  As I write this I can't even find the words to explain what I'm doing, ha ha.  Since I've retired I don't have a schedule like I did when I was working.  I find I can do whatever I need to do or want to do any day of the week.  This is almost too flexible, yet, I'm not willing to commit to anything in particular.  So, what I'm doing is setting space in my time to work on photos, to write, to research, to work on inspiration board, project time/deadlines, etc.  Right now it seems like I'm all over the place.  So I'm working on a planner where Mondays will be take care of business day, Tuesday will be all about photos, Wednesdays can be in the studio only days, Thursday can be blog article writing day, Friday will be free day to do what needs to be done.   Now, doesn't all this sound so easy to master..... well not on "jobi time" .  Because I'm so flexible = change my mind of what I want to do on a Monday!  So then that falls into that lack of commitment thing I got going on....see my problem?  With a job, job I was committed to getting my job, job done.  Here in my world it's not like that.  Plus I also now have this other part of my daily routine called "housework".... a bad word in my vocabulary.  Oh yeah, add the great weather we have going on around here...who wants to be inside???  Then there's friends to visit with and places to go.   What's the point to a having a day planner if I'm not gonna follow it? 

This would probably explain why my blog has been neglected.  It's not for the lack of things going on around here.  Have been doing lots of fun projects one after another and I have photos to prove it...but then when am I schedule to deal with photos?   Tuesdays, oh dang didn't get to it today, now it's Wednesday, which means I need to be in the studio.  Actually, I need to get to shut down the laptop and go to bed.... Thanks for listening....

Progress

First, my ankle is so much better.  Lots of rest and ice packs.  I'm in the middle of a wedding invitation order but have a few days before I have to print, cut, assemble since I'm waiting on my paper/envelope order to be delivered.  I've been dreaming up all these projects, painting something...maybe some chairs, lots of chairs need painting by the way, I would love to build a potting shed out of all the wood I have laying around, I have these really cool windows I got in California years ago and also windows from my old high school and I've been dreaming of all the cool things I could do with them, I also have two really really neat metal gates I should do something with them, I still have jewelry pieces to finish, but the biggest thing I've been dreaming about is making Christmas stuff!  I sewed burlap stockings last year and they came out so cool, I want to make more, I also painted xmas signs on wood, I always make my cards and for some reason I have the bug to sew, maybe aprons, maybe some altered art journals, maybe some wire art, maybe maybe maybe...  Okay, I'm back to my senses....finish some unfinished stuff before I start anything else.  Time to sit down and make my gotta finish list.  Should still be fun.