From the studio of De Anna Welch

family time

at the end of last week we took the kids to see the play Wicked at the Buell Theater in Denver and WOW was it spectacular!!  over the last several years we have been seeing plays and musicals, both here in Ft. Collins and a few in Denver.  but this one by far was the best one we've every seen.  i wanted so bad to take pictures to show you here but you know i can't do that.  no expense was spared to make the costumes.  gorgeous silks and lots of beautiful trim, i would love to talk to whoever thought up all those incredibly unique costumes.  my kids loved the set and although some of the meaning went over their heads they haven't stopped talking about it.  such inspiration... i'll have to due something with all of it!!!

                      !

Is anyone still reading this???

my beautiful friend Caterina brought it to my attention that i might have to dig this blog out of its grave.  who knows, maybe i will only have to visit the morgue.  sorry everyone that i gave up on this for so long.  i try so hard to only look at the positive in life and the last several weeks have really tested me.  i realize this may not all be positive and rosy but if i'm going to write on here this is all i have at the moment.  it's real and writing has always been difficult for me but maybe this is how i'll learn to get over it.  so here is what's been happening the last few weeks.

mom made it through her mastectomy and reconstruction well.  the hospital here (poudre valley) is so great.  they had the nicest nurses that were so sweet.  her doctors are amazing.  

time out:

i wrote this post several days ago and saved it, came back here and reread it and decided to remove the bitching part.  it felt really good to get it out but so yucky reading it again.  so i decided to delete that part.  i don't need to send negativity out into the world.

most of our doctor appointments are done and mom is on an every other week chemo course so i have full intentions to get into my studio and do some work.  my hubby also came up with the idea of putting up a table in the dinning room and bringing up my jewelry to work on.  this way i can work in small incriments as time allows but we hope it will bring me some happiness.  it's not all bad, don't get me wrong.  it's just hard to have someone in my space for so long.  and i miss creating sooo bad.  but i'm really hopeful that things are going to slow down and i can find some time for me.  

on to life here....

snow, snow and more snow.  we had 18" total and i loved every inch of it!!!  it's all melted now and on the way up to 70 degrees.  you gotta love this state!!

any one want to see pictures of bella??

she is still really little here playing with her teddy bear.  at her three week appointment she had gained 12oz.  thats a lot for a 1.07lb. puppy.  then at her last appointment she is up to an even 3ibs.  she really shouldn't gain more than another 1/2lb.

these are more recent photos.  she LOVES baby carrots.  they are healthy and great for teething.  she uses her paws to hold it up while she chomps on it.  she is sooo cute!!

we had an exciting week last week.  our baby learned to climb the stairs!!!  we caught it on video.  but she won't have anything to do with coming back down.  maybe because it takes the whole length of her body and it's a little scary but we'll keep working on it!  

hope all is going well with everyone.  i miss all of you!

puppies, blogs and birthdays

life with a new puppy has been more fun than i ever imagined.  as we speak she is here...

when she sleeps she prefers my lap regardless of what's happening.  see what i mean?? I can take her picture load it in the computer and write about her and she has no interest in moving.

we did have our first visit to the vets yesterday and we love her.  Katrina is my husbands office partners wife so we keep it all in the family so to speak.  anyway i got out her paper work and looked at it and i think i said she was 12 weeks but she's actually only 10 weeks.  oops!  but seriously who wants to look at paperwork when there is something as cute as her to play with.  she weighed in at a whopping 1.06 lbs.  we think she might gain another pound when she's full grown but who knows.  She's sleeping all night in her playpen without whining and is potty training really well.  i'm so proud.  

during the winter she'll need a sweater so we picked her up this one at pet smart after her apt.  my hubby hates that i dress her but i said a winter sweater and a coat if we go out are a must whether he likes it or not.  oh, and the bows stay no matter what!!

all right enough puppy stuff for today.  beware there will be more tomorrow!! 

 i have no idea what's up with the white sides on my blog.   it's supposed to be brown i think.  but i'm complaining about my blog to my hubby so he's going to be working on it.  although when i asked what was up with the white he just shrugged.  hummmm.  we'll see how this goes.  there is a lot that i need to add to my blog and lets face it, technology and i are not friends.  just posting seems to be all that i can handle!!

on to last friday.  my friend Kathleen turned 60!!  and she had a art party at her house that was so much fun i'm still full of energy from it.

our friend Judy came as well as Caterina.  the gifts were sooo much fun.

this gorgeous gift was from Caterina and was wrapped in antique petticoat lace as well as antique flowers.

this is a beautiful replica calender from Judy.  the pages for this year are botany and the are set up like old ledgers.  how wonderful!!

this journal was from me.  i made the outside similar to mine with tissue paper and paint and did a modeling paste fleur de ly that is copper foiled.  the Fleur's are a love that Caterina, Kathleen and i all share.

here is a picture of kathleen and i.  notice all of the gorgeous fabric behind us.  

she has the whole basement as her studio and let me tell you it puts ours to shame.  i'm jealous hers is finished with carpet and heat!!

her hubby loves to work with wood and is so incredibly talented.  many of the shelving units Jerry made to her specifications.  not only is he talented he also vacuumed and fixed us lunch.  she needs to write a book.  or maybe he does.

this piece is one of my favorites.  lots of drawers.  i dream about these things.  Jerry found it at a garage sale and the story about it is on her blog.

"jager" after jagermeister.  the studio cat.  so the cat was her daughters.  does that help?

this was so much fun i highly recommend art parties for your next birthday.  and if you need any studio advise Kathleen is for hire!!

have a wonderful day!

my surprise!!

after a horrible nights sleep, getting up, pacing going back to bed, tossing, turning, getting back up, finally the alarm went off at 5:30.  wow, what took so long??  it was like being a kid and waiting to go to disney land.  we jumped up got dressed and headed off for the airport.  the sunrise was beautiful, probably with the help of the fires but we couldn't get inside fast enough.  waited for another 30 min. and here she finally was.  oh how sweet!!!  she was such a good girl, a 12 week old teacup yorkie. all week we had been making  a list of puppy names and now came the time to vote.  everyone agreed, isabella it would be.  once she learns her name we can call her bella, ella, bells, or izzie.  we took turns holding her on the ride back home and she loved the ride, passing around kisses and love.  then we had to go straight to football practice where everyone loved her and she was more than happy to say hello to everyone.   she has yet to bark, she only made one whimper that we almost missed.  we gave her a bath and i'll post a pick of that cuz it's too funny.  weighing in at 2lbs. she looks like a drowned rat but overall she didn't seem to mind.  we've spent all afternoon playing with and snuggling with her while she sleeps.  i think were definately in love.  hope you all like puppies cuz this will be what i'll be talking about a lot i think!!

even soaking wet she is adorable!

thank you!!!

i wanted to thank all of my wonderful friends who have given me such amazing support.  i feel so very loved and i'm thanking the universe every day for giving me such incredible people in my life.  some of you have brought me things you thought might make my mom more comfortable and friends have offered to take our kids when we need a break and even friends offer us their homes if we need to run away!!!  this friday i'm having a 'play-day' with some art friends that i've been looking forward too for weeks.  my journaling group meets next week so i will be soaked in art before surgery happens.  we also have some joy coming this weekend that i can't wait to share (but i'm trying reeaallyyy hard to keep that a secret).   anyway i really wanted to say thank you to everyone for being so wonderful.

journal

as i sit here pondering what to write about today it occurs to me that maybe no one reads this anymore.  but i think i wont care.  i don't write for everyone else anyway, i have chosen to keep this blog for me so i shouldn't worry about it right?  thank you to those of you who have checked back even though i haven't been in the mood to write. i think i'll finish up my journal and then move on to other things.

this entry was about weaving your dreams.  before beginning i thought about what i wanted to write and decided that i needed to start with being grateful.   i used lined scrap paper and wrote about everything i was grateful for, down to the smallest things and then wrote what my dreams were.  i cut that paper into strips along with another complimentary paper and wove them onto the page.  then i stamped and stenciled the rest.

i'll admit it - i stress a little too much about the future.  why?  cuz when it comes down to it i'm a bit of a control freak.  even though i know this is ridiculous.  i have gotten better with age but i still have anxiety.  i found this quote and thought it would help.  so this entry is all about trusting the journey.  here is what it says:

"often we want to be able to see into the future.  we say, "how will next year be for me? where will i be five or ten years from now?"  there are no answers to these questions.  mostly we have just enough light to see the next step: what we have to do in the coming hour or the following day.  the art of living is to enjoy what we can see and not complain about what remains in the dark.  when we are able to take the next step with the trust that we will have enough light for the step that follows, we can walk through life with joy and be surprised at how far we go.  let's rejoice in the little light we carry and not ask for the great beam that would take all the shadows away."  henry neuwer

this entry is about family.  this is the last picture i have of all of my kids together.  alex hasn't been home now for a year and a half.  i'm still waiting for the universe to bring the right words for this page.

i found this and thought it would make a wonderful entry:

i promise myself-

to be strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind.

to talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person i meet.

to make all my friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.

to look at the sunny side of everything and make my optimism come true.

to think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.

to be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as i am about my own.

to forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

to wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature i meet.

to give so much time to improving myself that i have no time to criticize others.

to be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

to think well of myself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words, but in great deeds.

to live in the faith that the whole world is on my side, so long as i am true to the best that is in me.

hope you all have a wonderful day!

eleven days this time, nine last.  this was not my intention when i set this blog up.  i wanted to write on here every other day or so, keeping a visual journal of my artistic ventures and sharing with my friends what i've been up too maybe learn to relax a little about writing.  these were my intentions.  but life has decided that i learn other things right now.  my mom has ben diagnosed with late stage breast cancer and i think we've settled on having a double mastectomy.   she'll be receiving her treatments up here and staying with us.  although it will be a long haul we are looking forward to having her here.  anyway my artistic adventures may be scarce so to keep this place going i think i might post our adventures along the way and see if i can't find the positive every day.  hope you all wont mind the shift and will find a reason to keep checking back!  love you all!

more journal pages

i've been neglecting my blog lately and i'm sorry, i'ts been busy here.  i'll try to be bettter.

so lets move on with more of the journal.  as i stated before i don't like for people to read my thoughts so i found a really great way to fix this.  i write all of my thoughts and feelings on the page and then do art over it!!!  this is the first page i tried this with and loved the feeling.  it was so freeing to write about my insecurities, self doughts, and worries and then create something over the top of it.  as i look back at these pages i realize how much writing things down released them and now i barely remember what was so consuming at the time.

the media on these pages includes torn papers, paint, stencils, spray paint, magazine photo, stamps and lava medium.

this next page as i recall was about giving ourselves permission to do what we love.  we seem to do too much of what we "should" do and not enough of what we what we want to do.  so there is a lot of writing under this piece and then we were to experiment with different tapes over the top. 

 

i think this was the last page that i did that followed sarah's list.  for some reason after this page i gave myself 'permission' to do whatever i wanted.

this page is my freedom to fly page.

the materials used are emphra, magazine photo, stencils.

hope you all have a wonderful day!

journal

i thought i'd show you my journal that i've been working on in my journal group.  our journal group began late last year and we had decided to do personal work in our own journals instead of what we had done in the past which was more round-robin style with bracelets and altered books.  i found a really nice watercolor book at the store and brought it home.  after looking at it for a long time i decided to alter the outside to fit me better.

first i glued down tissue paper to get an interesting texture, then painted a light coat of sienna to warm it up.  i used a tim holtz stencil and outlined it on the front and back cover and filled it with brown. 

next i laid down a heidi swapp stencil and sprayed color wash over it. 

 i love how this turned out.

 i've never kept journals as i've mentioned before writing is a struggle for me and i have this irrational fear of someone reading my personal thoughts.  having no idea where to begin i did some research on the web and found sarah whitmire's site that had a long list of journal prompts and this helped with the white page fear and general starting of my book.

one of her first prompts was to claim your journal by putting your name on the front page over and over.  strangely this was difficult to start but i loved when i was done.

on the other side of the page we were to put up armor to protect us from any negativity. here is how it looks all together.

as the days go by i'll continue to show you more.  have a wonderful day!

Flotsam Journal

I have been so inspired by my journal group that I have more journal ideas than I can possibly make.  But I did have to give in and make this one.  I had this idea that it would be so cool if my grandmother or great-grandmother had had a book that they glued in random things from their life in.  Sort of like an old fashioned scrapbook but more personal and possibly boring at the time but I would find fascinating now.  For instance, it would have hand written receipt from the grocery, a letter from her sister, opera tickets and the price tag from the new hat she just bought.  It would be so interesting to see how the price of things have changed.  Or how about the quality?  The beautiful thick paper they wrote on for sending letters or the detail in the decoration on the hat tag.  You know how anything old gets me so excited and something like this would be a treasure.  So I thought I'd make one just for fun.  A flotsam book of sorts with no real rules.

When I got my new bind it all I had to practice and this is the book that came out of it.  It has all kinds of mistakes but I needed to learn on something and then it just sat there for a long time.  I looked at it one day and thought what better than to use it to glue "trash" in?

The pages are too wide and there is an extra binding hole at the bottom cover and some of the pages I started to punch in the wrong place.  So these I just flipped to the other side and punched right.  See all of that lace and ribbon sticking out on the right side?  Had to decorate those holes some how!!!

I did add in bits of tags and slivers of papers into the book and thought this could be fun for a flotsam book.  I explained this book to the kids and now they're picking things out of the trash to add to "the book"!

So far we've added movie tickets, restaurant receipts, art supplies receipts and store receipts.

I also want to add theater tickets and junk mail and other oddities that come through our everyday life. I'm really excited to see where this goes not to mention if when I'm eighty I still think it's cool.  But maybe my kids or grand kids will think its cool to look through!