Monday, June 30, 2008
11:19 PM


Ginger in Sunshine, originally uploaded by gingerblue.

Every morning Ginger finds the warm "sun spots" on the living room floor. She's so serene sometimes. I just wanted to capture that.

I'm not a good photographer at all. I don't really have a huge desire to learn photography (way too technical) but I do have a desire to capture "the moment" accurately. Does that make any sense?

The back story on Ginger:
Tom and I volunteer at a local cat shelter. Every so often the shelter will have a little bit of space, so the owners go to the pound and adopt a cat or kitten that is about to be euthanized.

Ginger was someone's cat, thrown out most likely because she was pregnant. When animal control got her, she was incredibly ill, as were her kittens. She was set to be euthanized immediately, but it just so happened that space opened in our shelter that same day, so she was brought to us.

She came to our shelter and her health improved immediately. She lost of her kittens, but the others flourished and grew. After Ginger's kittens found homes, Ginger went on to nurse almost all of the kittens in the shelter for months and months. She was the ultimate "mama" cat.

She came home with us in July 2006.

It's funny because I was looking back at my journal entries and the day that Ginger came to the shelter, I wrote an entry about her. I have met so many amazing cats at the shelter, but there aren't many I journal about.

We're so happy and lucky to have her as part of our family.

Now if only Chester (our male tabby, also a rescue) would give her a break (he always sneaks up on her and scares the crap out of her!)

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11:12 PM


Ginger in Sunshine, originally uploaded by gingerblue.

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11:11 PM


Ginger in Sunshine, originally uploaded by gingerblue.

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Saturday, June 28, 2008
12:29 PM

I get Body and Soul magazine and on the last page of every issue is a list of things called "Ten Thoughts on Whole Living".

Usually I just skim it, because, quite frankly, it makes me feel guilty. It contains things such as "use more renewable energy", "eat more whole grains" , "go for a long hike..." etc.

But I found a list in May's issue (yes, I'm barely getting to the May issues in my stack of magazines...) that REALLY resonated. Here it is...

1. When you commit your dreams to paper, you give them a place to take root.

2. Be mindful of where you put your attention. The shape of your life will follow.

3. When you view your health as nonnegotiable, your priorities naturally shift.

4. Positive change starts with truth, and no one knows it better than you.

5. You're more than just what you do for others.

6. Before you react to an emotion, first consider its source.

7. Learning to let go begins with understanding why you've been hanging on.

8. Do more than understand stress reduction; put it into practice.

9. There's no way to grow without taking a few risks.

10. Setting boundaries doesn't keep others out. It defines where your life begins.


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ideas and inspiration



Tuesday, April 29, 2008
1:49 PM

We're here, amazed spring is almost over.

Asian New Year Festival

Gracie, who is now 2 and a half, started a toddler program at a local learning center. As a result, our family is cycling through many, many, many colds and viruses as our immune systems catch up to speed.

There's a detailed update of Miss Gracie on my LiveJournal.

I'm working hard on jewelry- new spring and summer collections.

spring beads

I haven't painted or collaged or scrapbooked in ages. I really want to get back to those things. I miss them so much. I'm still just trying to figure out how to find balance between being a mom and being an artist.

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gracie girl in the art studio life in general



Sunday, February 3, 2008
10:34 AM

sg1.jpg

This is so very, very clever. I have a binder I keep all my stickers, ephemera, and journaling things in (for collage and scrapbooking), but I am so tempted to make one of these now because just being able to see it all easily would encourage me to us it more.

This would also be great great for unmounted stamps, of which I have so very many.

Yes, I will be making this!


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ideas and inspiration in the art studio



Saturday, February 2, 2008
1:15 PM

I know most of you read Ali Edwards' blog but in case you *didn't*, you have to check out this wonderful thing she linked to:

This is SO inspiring, I think. A reminder that sometimes good things don't have "GOOD THINGS" written all over them.

I really need to take Gracie to the local museum. But they don't allow cameras, which stinks, IMO, because I want to be able to capture some of her expressions when she sees some of the big installations.

I so wish we had a local science museum. Not one of those one-room things, but a serious science museum.

Happy Saturday!

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ideas and inspiration



Friday, February 1, 2008
1:59 PM

"Nothing will sustain you more potently than the power to recognize
in your humdrum routine,
as perhaps it may be thought,
the true poetry of life."

-- Sir William Osler (1849-1919) Canadian Physician

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quotes



Wednesday, January 30, 2008
12:28 PM

Lately, my obsession has been stamping with huge, detailed rubber stamps, embossing with block powder, and then painting with the brand new watercolors I got for Christmas. (I'll post a picture of a card I made later today, if I can find it...)

Right now I am obsessing over the Medallion stamps by Holly Berry. The images are like mandalas- and would be perfect to stamp and paint. I was just interested in the details, but apparently the idea of the stamp is to cut them apart and layer them, each "zone" becoming another layer.An example is here. It all sounds beautiful.

They have a zillion different designs, and they are HUGE stamps, anywhere from 3.75 inches square to 6 inches square, which is big for a stamp. They are also expensive- about $15 each.

480a_1.JPG

Maybe after we finish dealing paying off the Christmas bills.

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material goodness



Saturday, January 26, 2008
4:53 PM

New (at least to me) Tegan & Sara video. I *love* them. I think along with Neko Case, they are my favorite musicians at the moment.

Yes, they are twins.

They make me want to be 19 and cool again.


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ideas and inspiration



 

 

 

 

 


Chel (pronounced "shell"). 34. Mama to Gracie. Artist. Friend. Adoptive parent. Scrapbooker (not a very good one, at that). Long distance swimmer. Animal rescuer. Wife. Beader maker. Vegetarian. Rubber stamp collector.

Why the change? This new face of gingerblue.com is the culmination of three online journals/blog (the adoption blog, the baby blog, the art blog), plus the personal web page I have been maintaining since 1995. Here you'll find updates on Gracie, updates on my jewelry making, what I have going on in my art studio, and what's going on with life in general.

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I have found that the art of simplicity simply means making peace with your complexity
-india.arie

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list of all archives

BY CATEGORY
gracie girl
gracie's adoption
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quotes
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About Me
Koyaanisqatsi: A Life out of Balance
Distractions (on hiatus)
Spirit
Wishlist Info (mine & Gracie's)


Gingerblue Beads
Etsy Shop
My LiveJournal
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Flickr Photos
www.flickr.com



get in touch with me





 



 



 



CLAY & BEADS
The Clay Store
Prairie Craft
Fire Mountain Beads
Stewart-Gill Arts
Poly Tools
Cool Tools

STAMPS
Above the Mark
Purple Onion Designs
Fontwerks
Michael Strong
Barbara McGuire

PAPER GOODS
Paper Shop Ink
Knock Knock
Quirks of Art
Making Memories

INSPIRATION
Ali Edwards
Donna Kato
Dale Chihuly
Georgia O'Keefe
Claudine Hellmuth
Amy Butler

WRITERS/POETS
Elizabeth Berg
Mary Oliver
Alexander McCall Smith
Muriel Rukeyser

COMEDIANS
Jim Gaffigan

MUSICIANS
TEGAN & SARA
india.arie
Neko Case
Duran Duran
Paul Simon
Innocence Mission

ANGELS
Christopher Reeve
Fred Rogers

MISC. & SUNDRY
Sagbottom
Adventures of LawMommy
DoodleGirl
Small Sweet Life
AllSorts
Misguidedangel.nu
In the Life Of...
Chickeny Goodness
A Typical Woman
Faisal dot com
Twisted Stitcher
In Wonderland
Bea's Log
Ellessu.net
Chaos Theory
The Onion
dinyel.com
Jeanne's Bliss Blog

more soon

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For the Love of Cats
Alley Cat Allies
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
Vietnamese Orphans Relief Fund