I can not decide if the all the planning posts make me sad or glad about missing Pennsic.

I am wondering if anyone knows of a nice piece of software that lets you manage multiple blogs and social networking media from one place?
That would make my life so much simpler.

Disturbia by ~pixelsandquills on deviantART

I finally set up a deviantART account. More artwork will show up here now.

The good news is that I am working again. I am working in a law office as a secretary.
So far everyone is really pleased.

I have the flexible hours that I need, They have someone who understands that alphabetical means more than just putting something behind the intial letter in the file.

Yay.

I may try the pursuing art full time again later, I just will not do it when the economy is in the tank.

For Costumers:

http://yourwardrobeunlockd.com/content/view/80/132
THere is a great free tutorial on drafting your own pattern.

I did it, I finished writing a book.

Now I need to edit it.  This is proving to be harder than writing it was.
In knitting, it is easy to tell when you are done. I think writing is going to be a lot like painting. It is hard to know when it is done.

I was listening to a podcast about editing and their advise was to find readers outside of your own family and friends because they will be more critical.  Rosemary, my youngest daughter, may prove to be my harshest critic. I do not know if it is a side effect of having learned the grammar rules more recently, or just being picky she catches all the minor stuff.  She also looks hard at how stuff is said and why.  I have always thought she has a future as a writer, but she may also have a future as an editor.  I love that she makes me work harder to be better.

But for now, Back to editiing

I was taught the basics from an early age, and feel very confident in a Kitchen. I love and am fairly good at improve cooking.  

Recently several people I know have made the comment that they wish they were capable of going to the pantry/larder/cupboard and just being able to take what was there and whip up a meal.  Common cooking errors are seen as disasters, and thus they are not capable.Chicken did not thaw in a timely fashion, and yet at 9:30pm they ended up with a pot pie.
If I ended up with a pot pie at anytime I would be excited. I am impressed with anyone who can. It is one of those things that I have never made successfully.

Improvisational cooking is just like improvisational acting or dance. It takes a strong knowledge of the fundamentals, lots of practice, and a willingness to risk and learn from mistakes.
( Read more... )

I will have to think about this and do some market research. I know that none of my cookbooks help with the idea of how to be able to go to the pantry and find the perfect meal.
They are all about how to make a shopping list and buy the special ingredients to make a perfect meal.

I several of these on my itouch right now. Some rereads, Some new. I am not sure where the list came from. I do wonder that so many Terry Pratchet books made the list, when books like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn did not make the list, nor did anything by Hemmingway.


The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books theyʼve printed. (My note: I take this to mean top 100 in volumes printed, and no sign of quality whatsoever. Although they must be counting each edition of the Bible separately for these purposes, because the Bible has been printed far far more often than LoTR).

( the list, What have you read? )
44 books read. Not too bad.

Good News or Bad News?

 

Good News- the girls and I got out of the door and to school on time on the first day back from Holidays. The bad news was a two hour delay.

Good News- over the weekend I actually put together a plan for my time, so that I can make progress on all the scattered areas of my life. Bad news I am driving kids to school in the middle of today's writing time.

Good New- I have just been asked to show my jewelry in a local store and teach classes for them. Bad news they want product today.

Okay, so I think I can pull the jewelry that has not sold from the Children's Museum and replace that with new stuff as soon as I get some made. Good Idea!

Good news. all of the Jewelry at the children's museum has sold. Is this good news or bad news?

I had scheduled down time to get caught up on my reading of forums and live journals, but see above problem.

Catching up will come later. I was flipping through quickly and wanted to say that a photo a day is a cool idea!  One of the things I love about Livejournal and facebook is how many of my friends post photos there.

More later, off to create and write.

Yay, I did it.  I finished the 50,000 words.  It is really only a start, but I am happy with it and will keep at it till it is done.
Eventually I will post all the photos of the stuff I have made too, but  now I shall take a break and enjoy that my experience bar on WoW works again.

As I said at the start of the month, it is Nanowrimo, Create-every-day and blog-every-day month.  I started the month with no expectations of winning the Nanowrimo, I was just going to write everyday as well as creating. I thought the blog would naturally follow.

I am not an everyday blogger. So we have a catch up page.

 ( See more... ) tents here.</div>

When it comes to creating there is an interesting question. Which is more important, the process or the product. I am a firm believer that sometimes it is the process, and sometimes it is the product.

I can look at the collage I created on the first and see any number of ways to improve it. I can also look at it and enjoy recalling the process and the enjoyment of just throwing things together. It was a process piece. I may someday use what I learned in the creation for creating a product piece, but for now it was the process that was important.

Today I started playing around with ideas for Christmas cards. A rough sketch turned into a quick painting.  Then I played with it more on the computer.

 

There are many times that I spend any number of hours waiting. Today's creation is perfect for those times.  Super Quick Fingerless Mitts They are small enough to fit into a pocket book. 

Today I created a light hearted image based on the quote:

Whatever you do may seem insignificant to you, but it is most important that you do it.
Mohandas Gandhi

While the piece I created is very light hearted and sparkly, I take the quote very seriously.  Many people feel that their own attempts at creativity are insignificant or not good enough. They turn away from creating, and give up or belittle what they do.   One of the most common things that I hear when I say that I am an artist is some form of " I wish I could do that, but I can't create anything."   This always makes me sad because it is not true.

I have yet to meet a group of young kids who can not sing, dance, draw, paint, and tell stories.  Somewhere along the way  we lose this belief in ourselves.  I can still sing, but I make no promises about staying on key.   I do not have enough passion for developing my music skill to be a singers or a musician.  Developing creativity is something anyone can do.  It takes practice and a willingness to explore and try. It also takes a willingness to not worry about the significance of what you do, but to be willing to do it.

News from the Artists Foundation
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Information about this mailing list, including unsubscription information, may be accessed through the link at the end of this message.
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Excerpts from - The Voice of the Arts on Cape Cod

The Arts Foundation of Cape Cod's Weekly Arts and Culture Insider Update

Submission deadline is Wednedays Noon.
 

The Arts Foundation of Cape Cod
3 Shootflying Hill Road
Centerville MA 02632
508-362-0066
www.artsfoundation.org
 


Calls for Work, Grants, & Applications



Shakespeare on the Cape is hiring an Administrative Assistant in a half-time
position: 10 hrs/wk October-April, 20 hrs/wk May-September. Shakespeare on the Cape, a Provincetown-based non-profit theater troupe entering its fifth season, is expanding the administrative management of the company in order to meet the demands of its continued growth. SOTC performs throughout Cape Cod each summer, with a base of shows on the Lower Cape, and various tours to other destinations. Please contact Raphael Richter, Executive Director at
774-722-1422 or raphael@shakespeareonthecape.org for more information and to apply.

The Chatham Drama Guild is initiating its second Director's Choice opportunity. The opportunity is for any Cape director to produce his or her favorite play in the January-early February time slot. The Guild provides the venue, lighting, publicity, tickets, front of house, etc, and some help
(limited) with production (sets, costumes, stage management, crew, etc.).
After expenses, the gate is split 50-50. For more information email garrymitchell@lycos.com

The Cape Cod Playwrights¹ Competition announces the 3rd Annual Full-length Play Competition, which is open to plays written by both new and experienced playwrights who live on Cape Cod, Martha¹s Vineyard or Nantucket. One play will be awarded the $1,000 Kaplan Prize and will have a staged reading in June 2009 as part of Eventide Arts¹ 2008-2009 season. Submission deadline is October 30. For more information and for play guidelines, please email jmljake@capecod.net

The Massachusetts Cultural Council applications forms are now available for several programs that will benefit individual artists:

Artist Fellowships offer grants of $10,000 as direct support to individual artists in recognition of artistic excellence. In addition to these grants, finalists will receive an award of $1,000. This cycle's disciplines are Crafts, Film & Video, Music Composition, Photography, Playwriting, and Sculpture/Installation. Submission deadline is December 5. For more information visit www.culturegrants-ma.org/index_artists.php


Creative Teaching Partners connects schools, social service organizations, and others with outstanding artists, science educators, cultural organizations, and folklorists qualified to conduct in-depth residencies, professional development workshops for educators, school and district planning projects, and youth development programs. Artists can apply to join MCC's panel-reviewed list of Creative Teaching Partners. The next postmark deadline is November 7. For more information visit www.massculturalcouncil.org/services/partners.html

Have you mastered a traditional art? Do you want to ensure it is passed on by teaching the next generation? Or do you want to increase your skills, technique, and artistry by studying with a master traditional artist? If so, take a look at our Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. New guidelines and application forms have just been posted. The next postmark deadline is December 5. For more information visit www.massculturalcouncil.org/programs/apprenticeships.html

The Provincetown Theater needs box office workers and bartenders.  Contact Kristin at 508-487-9793 x4 or email at operationsman@newprovincetownplayers.org.
Hyannis Art Gallery seeks sculptors:  Curator is holding portfolio reviews for downtown Hyannis art gallery. For more information call Meaghann Kenney at 508-775-9926


Auditions


Open auditions will be held on November 3-5 for The Sunshine Boys  from 7:00 - 9:00 pm at the Barnstable Comedy Club, 3171 Route 6A (Village Hall) in Barnstable Village.  Director Ann M. Ring seeks a cast of seven for this comedy hit by Neil Simon.  Roles are available for 5 men (playing age range of 20-75) and 2 females (playing age range of 22-55).  Actors will be asked to read from the script. Performance dates are slated for January 8-25, 2009. For more information, please call 508-362-6333 or visit www.barnstablecomedyclub.com



The Academy Playhouse announces auditions for David Ives' adaptation of Mark Twain's Is He Dead? Auditions will be held Tuesday, November 11 and Wednesday, November 12 at 7:00 pm at the Academy Playhouse. Please prepare a monologue. Roles for 7 men and 4 women. Directed by Stephen Russell. For more information please call 508-255-1963.

The Cotuit Center for the Arts will hold auditions, dates and times TBA, for The Arabian Nights by Mary Zimmerman. Mary Zimmerman's The Arabian Nights takes lesser known folk tales from the collective surviving manuscripts from Persian, Indian and Arabian sources, One Thousand and One Nights, to weave a rich tapestry of myth, fable and morality play. For more information visit www.cotuitcenterforthearts.org/auditions.htm



A new troupe of the Wild Thyme Players will soon be formed on Cape Cod, to be led by Diana Finegold who has spent the past thirty years acting, directing, writing, and producing plays. For more information call 516-457-8450 or email DFine135@aol.com.
 
Submit Your Upcoming Events!
 
Submit your events to
The Voice of the Arts on Cape Cod

The Arts Foundation of Cape Cod's Weekly Arts and Culture Insider Update

Submission deadline is Wednedays Noon.
 

The Arts Foundation of Cape Cod
3 Shootflying Hill Road
Centerville MA 02632
508-362-0066
www.artsfoundation.org
 

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I came to realise today that I have not posted in a long time. I have not even been reading for that matter.
I was so sad that we had to miss coronation, and then when the big _you have to be here_ turned into a big
nothing, I just could not stand it.
I decided to dig into the basement and clean out stuff, and even go through the stuff I have been putting off for years.

This was both a good and a bad move. Good in that it needs doing, bad in that I have been shutting myself away from
everyone in my basement. The more I started going through stuff the more I went to an alone and lonely place.

For some odd reason, I kept going to knitting, and staying partially up with my new writting critique group, most likely because they are
new and I really did not know anyone all that well so it was okay.

I dug myself out and went to Rhinebeck this weekend, because I had already paid for the bus ticket.
I had a great time, and it was such a good thing being out in the fall and the open air.  It made realise what I had been doing,
which was a bunch of nothing.

So, I am out of the basement, and realising that October is nearly over, that meant that November is coming.
I have been should I Nanowrimo or not. I have decided not. 
As the point is to just write and write and write to get a word count, no not for me.

So I have decided that I shall participate in Art Everyday Month Challenge.
Part of the rules say:
The idea is to bring more creativity into your life, not to make you feel overwhelmed, pressured or guilt-stricken. Art is also loosely defined here. I mean art in the sense of anything creative, whether that be painting, drawing, knitting, sewing, cooking, decorating, writing, photography, clay, jewelry-making or whatever!

Being that I have been beating my self up feeling overwhelmed, Pressured and guilt-stricken this seemed a better choice.
So I am going to be posting that here, If anyone would prefer not to be included, let me know and I will create a filter.

I am gathering a contact list for those who are, were, or friends of the Weresheep.

Recently there has been good news that needs spreading and also bad news.

If you are one of the above, or know of those, please spread this message to them, that I am collecting an updated contact list for all.
If this not make any sense, we return you to your LJ messages.

Rennata  (@) pensandquills  dot com

CALLING ALL MASSACHUSETTS ARTISTS CREATING IN ALL DISCIPLINES STAND UP AND BE COUNTED!! The Artists Foundation (AF) has collaborated to create on-line tool to better determine how many artists of all disciplines are living and creating in Massachusetts. www.artistsfoundation.org

Hugs to all my friends who are having a less than great time. I wish I could make it all better for you. Know that I care and I am thinking of you.


Our flights went well,  We actually left the house early because for once there was not the last minute scramble to get everything done. 
I am not sure why, but I will attempt to do this more often. We got through TSA with out a hitch, Between goldsquare's bad experierence and my fear for my knitting needles I was worried about that. On the flight I read the newly released  Dead to Me .  

We have been haiving a great time down here, visiting the Mouse. I can not express how much I am liking the warmth.