Cole Porter and Ella Fitzgerald - music to inspire you

I think I'm in excellent company, here, friends. I love COLE PORTER. I love his lyrics, I love the musicality of his work ... and I love how so many artists "do" Cole Porter songs.

NPR also loves Cole Porter -- they've done a cool little story and you can read it here:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105032124&sc=nl&cc=mn-20090610

One of my personal favorite artists that did a whole lotta Cole is ELLA FITZGERALD.

A couple of years ago, my friends Lyn and Vickie and I headed up to the USC Galen Center (their basketball arena) to witness WE LOVE ELLA: A TRIBUTE TO THE FIRST LADY OF SONG, with such amazing artists as Wynonna, Ruben Studdard, Dave Koz, Patti Austin with Take 6, Ledisi, Lizz Wright, Monica Mancini, the amazing Nancy Wilson, and the list goes on (and on) ... including a very surprise appearance by the incomparable Stevie Wonder. Our hosts for the evening were music icons Natalie Cole and Quincy Jones.

If you'd like to read more about that event, visit this link from PBS (they recorded it live that evening back in April 2007 ... which meant that we were 'treated' to a couple of the songs more than once - so they could get it just right!).

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/shows/ellatribute/index.html

MUSIC inspires me - I like to listen to music when I am creating. I hope you enjoy learning more about Cole Porter and Ella Fitzgerald along with me ....

-- Princess Magpie

Art is for My Soul ... Listen to Your Muse by Suzi Blu

Okay, is it just me, or when you become immersed in all-things-artistic, do serendipitous things just keep happening ???

I love this stuff.

My blogging mentor and artistic and heartful friend, Ann Deakers, sent me a link to this YouTube clip by local artist SUZI BLU.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1107440113&ref=profile#/video/video.php?v=1087401383327&ref=share

Thing is, back when I first became friends via Facebook with artist BERNIE BERLIN, she called me on the phone and we talked about her animal rescue facility (in Portland, Tennessee) for about an hour. She asked me if I knew her friend here in So Cal, artist Suzi Blu.

I have not yet met Suzi, nor taken one of her workshops ... but I do most assuredly intend to.

And then - cleaning out old inbox messages in FB this morning - I found this from Ann, telling me I should get a "kick"out of this clip.

Oh, yes I surely did. It is fabulous. I hope you take time to TREAT YOURSELF and watch it.

-- Princess Magpie

BSM: Best Shot Monday, June 8, 2009 - posted from Solvang, CA

I have very few photos to choose from this morning, as I'm posting off our laptop, from charming Solvang, California. Although we head home this afternoon, I know the day will get away from me, so I am opting to post something for BSM from the handful of photos I took on this quick trip getaway.

it's not a great photo, but this charming little statue captured my attention yesterday (at J. Woeste garden shop) in Los Olivos and I couldn't resist sharing her with all of you ... how many times as a child, barefoot in the garden, did YOU have to remove some bothersome thing from the bottom of YOUR foot?! :-)

While I try to avoid GRIPING on my Princess Magpie blog, I feel compelled to tell you that IF you should visit Los Olivos, and IF you should visit the J. Woeste garden shop, do not expect good customer service. I tried to find an employee for 15 minutes - only to discover that the man (right beneath my nose) who was busily texting all that time DID work there - he never looked up, never asked if I needed help -- even when I stood 4 feet away and said (to myself, out loud), "I wonder if they have a business card around here - oh, here's one" -- he NEVER even paused, nor did he look up. THEN, my husband said "that guy works here - I saw him in the garden a while back" ... so I go back, INTERRUPT his oh-so-important texting, and ask "excuse me, but do you work here" (fully expecting him to say "no, I'm just watching the front while my female friend carries on a personal phone call in the back room" - which, by the way, we could overhear all throughout the little shop - but no, he says "YES I DO" ... not 'yes, how can i help you' -- and then I had to ask him to come around the corner to ask about a dog statue they have. NOT HELPFUL at all; not engaging; not friendly. {Boy, that "yes I do" sure surprised me !!!}

again, not a great photograph ... but something about the sweetness of mother and foal at the Quicksilver Ranch (miniature horse farm) just grabbed me ...

On a much more approachable and friendly and engaging note, if you'd like to take a closer look at the miniature horses of Quicksilver Ranch, here's their website: http://qsminis.com/

Signing off now from the Danish capital of California, sweet SOLVANG ... http://www.solvangusa.com/

-- Princess Magpie, aka, Davielle

MAS progress continues

Friday morning, June 5; 9 am:

Okay, so MAS now has several meanings:

Messy Art Space

Messy Art Studio
MY Art Space / Studio

I like 'em all. Yet, I am leaning now towards the last one. MY ART SPACE.

"Messy" sounds like it's going to look like, well, like my home office. Or my closet. Or the chest next to my side of the bed. {you think I'm kidding? then you don't know me!}

What 'MESSY' was meant to denote was that THIS is where the messy art would happen - the stuff with glues and paints and water and such. {although we have no sink in the garage ... yet ... I remain hopeful! I am pretty sure that the capped pipe that leads off the base of our water heater is ... the plumbing to BRING IN A SINK some day.}

But now, it's just going to be MAS: My Art Space.

The progress continues, slow but sure. Before he left town Friday morning, Mark helped hang a hook for aprons;

voila !!!

a re-used dog kennel-crate door (it's not only magnetic, but I can use clothespins to clip inspiration to it right where I work);

the dangling tag says "she's a good girl; crazy about Elvis. loves horses, and her boyfriend too" -- one of my favorite song lines, a la Tom Petty.

and a cookbook holder, mounted to the wall, so I can open up a book to the instructions and SEE IT, yet keep it clean while I work from it.

Lined up to use it first:

Taking Flight by Kelly Rae Roberts {the artist and her book, who started me on this amazing artful journey over a year ago ... she SO insires me}

the books I have by Claudine Hellmuth ...

this is one of Claudine's books, in the rack !!

and of course, the two books by Golden artist CHRIS COZEN ...

those are Chris' books on display - the larger art piece just beneath is by CHRIS - I bought that from her during her recent 2-day workshop here in town, hosted by San Diego Book Arts. the two smaller pieces are ones I did in a Chris workshop back in March, at Stamping Details in Poway. Funny, when I bought her work, I didn't realize I was again drawn to those colors. I have a long way to go, but still, I think I'm on the right path, learning from the best artists I can take classes from.

and my book by friend LINDA BLINN ... about creating family memory books.

I'm just waiting now for a book on Mixed Media with Paper and Cloth - by -- drum roll - Jane LaFazio !!!

I can hardly wait to get creating in my space !!!

my drafting table, with an assortment of work I created during Chris Cozen workshops, 2009

-- Princess Magpie

great quote

"I like work; it fascinates me.
I can sit and look at it for hours."

-- Jerome K. Jerome {1859-1927}

This poor guy, his parents just couldn't settle on a name for their baby? What!? I don't know that I'd have liked to be Antelline Antelline {or Antellini}; or Davielle Davielle. Can you imagine?

BUT he sure had some wise words to share about ... well ... WORK.

My friend Victoria was here last week and we came across this quote - and cracked up.

I promise, I am slowly but surely getting my MAS (Messy Art Space/Studio) organized and ready to work. Really, I am. But each time I get one storage problem resolved, another pops up. And now I need a bit of a window shade - nothing fancy, just white, so the sun in the afternoon doesn't come through any COLORS to mess up my pure working light and all ... still, it's hard to be in there right now with a blazing sun shining in your eyes.

I can hardly wait. But I'm waiting. 'cause it's just not there yet.

Before Mark left town today, though, he did help me hang some things on the wall (no small feat - it's drywall OVER concrete block), so I am stoked. I even took photographs :-) of the process.

More to come ...

-- Princess Magpie

Rainbow

Oh, thank you to Patti Digh (LIFE IS A VERB: 37 days) for posting this ... and thank you to Ann, my blogging mentor and dear friend, for sharing this with me today.

please please please

take the time to view and listen.

I promise you goosebumps and maybe even tears.

EVA CASSIDY has been a favorite of mine ever since my friend Karyl 'introduced' me to her songbird-style music back when we worked together at CCI.

With no further ado, here's the link:

http://www.37days.com/2009/05/come-over-the-rainbow-with-me-just-for-a-moment.html

your,

PRINCESS MAGPIE

Post # 80

No, I'm not referring to some outback kind of a post here.

Post # 80 refers to the fact that this is already my eightieth {I love spelling that word} blogpost on I AM PRINCESS MAGPIE. I can hardly believe it.

Time to get PART TWO of the six weeks of MIXED MEDIA WITH PAPER & CLOTH, taught by Jane LaFazio, catch-up posted, complete with photographs.

And it's time to get THE MAS (Messy Art Space/Studio) photos posted here, so you don't have to click over to my other blog at www.DH2travelers.blogspot.com to see what's happening in our garage these days :-) !!!


Happy Tuesday, everyone.


Oh - a photograph for Post # 80 - hmmmm. Let's see. What should I select?

How about an assortment of my recent fave shots? That's what I'll do.


Here you go, then:



"grand" Kiara -- at her brother's baseball game

"grand" Trevor, at said baseball game

"grands" Trevor & Kiara with # 1 Daughter {it's a birth order thing} -- aka, their mom! -- on Easter

youngest "grand" Kaia, in our Mulberry Tree

and Daughter #2, Kaia's mom - with Kaia on Easter

and last but not least, ME MYSELF & I at a recent "the art of Transfers" workshop with Golden artist CHRIS COZEN -- that's me, far left, back row; next to Chris. we're both in apple green !!! {also in this photo, the gorgeous Gabriella who was in Jane's MIXED MEDIA session with me for 6 weeks - she's in the front row, 2nd from right}

I have to say that, thanks to Tracey Clark and her BSM {Best Shot Monday} 'project', taking and posting photograhs has become a whole 'nother ART FORM for me to explore.

your,

Princess Magpie