BSM: Best Shot Monday - May 18, 2009

A day late, but hopefully not a dollar short ... here is my BEST SHOT MONDAY for this week. I actually took this on Mother's Day, at the Park, where many of us in the family gathered to celebrate all us Moms.

These are my two granddaughters (above), and I just love their faces in this.

I sure had a hard time choosing just one shot this week, so I've included some "spares", below, all from the same day - Mother's Day 2009.

this is daughter Kristina tormenting her niece, Kaia !!!

and this is my daughter, Cara, with her daughter, Kaia - strolling back from the bathrooms - did you catch the matching STRUT on these girls?

and last but certainly not least, the group shot - "grand" Kaia, daughter Kristi, daughter Cara, and "grand" Kiara (in case you weren't following along above, Kaia belongs to Cara, and Kiara belongs to Kristi :-) !!!).

I LOVE ALL OUR GIRLS - just wish Sierra had been in town to be a part of the celebration and photos.

"Don't get so involved in the duties of your life and your children that you forget the pleasure. Remember why you had children."

-- Lois Wyse

-- Davielle

Best Shot Monday, 5-18-09 (posted on 5-19)

BSM: Best Shot Monday - May 11, 2009

This photo was taken in April (2009) and it's my "Best Shot Monday" for this week. I don't know if you can see the very delicate cobweb from the beak to the chest, but it's what makes this one special to me. :-)

That, and the fact that this duck belonged to my mother and I've been able to drag it move-after-move for decades now. I think it's here to stay !!!

Happy Monday, everyone.

-- Princess Magpie

Mixed Media with Jane LaFazio in the morning; so posting on Sunday night !!

ART IS A VERB from author Patti Digh

Author PATTI DIGH (Life is a Verb: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally) had this really fun post on her blog today ... I was so taken with the creative challenge she's putting out there, I just had to "borrow" it and see what you all think:

"10 May 2009
Look for art in your days.
Let's art! Art is a verb, right?

Thanks to all who responded to

the idea of making art for others. In this photo are the five names I drew from the old basket the Easter bunny always left for me when I was a kid.
If your name is pictured, email me at patti(at)pattidigh(dot)com and let me know your mailing address. Sometime this year, before the end of 2009, you'll find a handmade surprise from me in your mailbox!

As I looked at all the other names left in that Easter basket, I wondered if perhaps you'd like to choose someone else who left a comment and gift them with art this year (perhaps the person who commented just after you did?), or perhaps find five people in your life to gift with art before the end of the year. Surprise someone! Or put this whole idea out into the world in a bigger way wherever you are.

There is a certain joy in making. Do you need to be "an artist?" No. We are all artists. That's the truth of it. We come into the world making art. Let's reclaim that insane energy of creation, that space where YES is the impulse, not no. The place where the offer, not the object itself, is the thing of beauty.

There is a certain joy in making. In making something for someone--even someone you don't know and may never meet--to anticipate the smile it brings them, to have them know that YOUR hands, where YOU are, made the thing that is now in THEIR hands, where THEY are.

Creative is a verb, my friends. Let's."

You can visit Patti Digh's blog at: http://www.pattidigh.com/

Oh, Patti, this is the most terrific creative challenge ... thank you, thank you. I hope lots of new people visit your website / blog pages and buy your LIFE IS A VERB book, and take you up on this oh-so-incredible artistic challenge.

Let's all make 2009 an ART-FULL year, shall we?

-- Princess Magpie

BSM: Best Shot Monday 5-4-09

Happy May, everyone!

I chose another nature-themed image for my BEST SHOT MONDAY this week ... this is the 'Chicago Peace' rose in our garden. I chose 'Chicago Peace' over it's parent rose, 'Peace', because my father was born in Chicago. So it's a sentimental rosebush for me, and this year, the bloom is spectacular.

And if I haven't mentioned it before, I want to make note here that I do not have, nor do I know how to use, Photoshop.

Any images I post were taken by me, with my Canon G9, and if anything, they may have been cropped. But never photo-shopped.

I don't know that it would make a difference -- someone's BEST SHOT MONDAY could be crazily-awesome after a session in Photoshop, so I'm not against it or anything.

I just wanted to be clear that mine aren't ... for whatever that's worth.

-- Princess Magpie

BSM: Best Shot Monday - April 27, 2009

Here is my BSM shot for last week:

This was taken just yesterday, Sunday, at "grand" Trevor's travel ball game. He's on a travel team, the SO CAL AZTECS, and they play in the 13 yr division. Last Sunday, they won both their games in this Wood Bat Tournament; yesterday, they lost both games - by one point each game.

That's baseball. And THIS is my BSM :-) ...

LOOK CLOSELY at the photo - the bat is in mid-air. Cool, huh?

-- Princess Magpie

So many things to catch up on ...

It's been crazy hectic around here, and I know I am woefully behind on BLOG POSTS here --

I'm signed up for a BOOKS WITHIN A BOOK class on Saturday ... if you have an interest in what that's all about, here is a photo that inspired the project -- and I'll be taking the class at SAN CLEMENTE ART SUPPLY -- for details, visit them at: http://www.scartsupply.com/

I've already been to two (yes, 2) MIXED MEDIA WITH PAPER & CLOTH classes with Jane LaFazio and a whole room-full of amazing artistic folks -- and I think I have yet to blog about what we're doing in there. My apologies for that. I'll get caught up -- soon -- I promise.

this is Jane, showing us the difference between a drawing on ARTIST'S TISSUE and UNWAXED SANDWICH PAPER {for applying on top of our background papers when doing collage work}. Week One, Mixed Media with Paper & Cloth {through the La Jolla Athanaeum}.

-- Princess Magpie

BSM: Best Shot Monday - April 20, 2009

Here is this week's post for BSM: Best Shot Monday.

this is our 'Forest Pansy' (aka, cerces) in Spring leaf & bloom (you can barely make out the tiny pink blooms in this photo ...)

And because I noticed that my first three BSM posts were all nature-related, I wanted to also post a more personal image this week ...

this is our amazing Rat Terrier, ROCKY ...

sporting his Woofstock 2009 bandana on Easter morning !!!

Wishing everyone a beautiful Monday and a terrific week .... and sending out a HAPPY BIRTHDAY greeting to our niece, Barbara, too.

-- Princess Magpie