CREATIVE SNIT AWARD- OH, YEAH, BABY!

You heard me right..............an award for being a snit.

BUT a creative snit! There's a difference! LOL

Instead of writing more about it myself, I'm going to cut and paste Lennea's blog post - it'll be much simpler that way!

From Lennea's blog post:
The AMAZING, TALENTED and VERY FUNNY Jan Thomason (that'd be me - thank you, Lennea) presented me with the FIRST EVER CREATIVE SNIT AWARD!!!!!!!!
Unlike many other blogging awards, THIS award requires much thoughtful deliberation and strict adherence to the following CREATIVE SNIT AWARD criteria.
This award shall be presented only to worthy artists who have shown evidence of being in a creative snit. To help with the selection, we need a common frame of reference. I found this definition of snit: snit - noun. a state of agitated irritation; "she was in a snit.". However, I think a CREATIVE SNIT requires a somewhat different definition....creative snit - noun. a state of creative chaos, creative frustration, or a state of obsessive creativity: "she was in a creative snit.". Therefore, worthy recipients of this prestigious award should demonstrate one or more of the following criteria: 1) photos of their chaotic creative studio spaces (see my blog for example). 2) reports of staying up till the wee hours of the morning while consuming large amounts of coffee and/or chocolate in order to finish a swap or prepare for a show. 3) documented frustration over the creative process. 4) evidence of a large quantity of art created over a small period of time. 5) photos of the recipient at vendor night at any art retreat because it goes without saying that ALL attendees at such events are either in, or will soon be, in a creative snit.

AND FINALLY,
6) (created especially for Jan) witnessing the recipient in a SNIT at a CREATIVE EVENT!
(note: Jan is a lovely, kind and generous person, who would not normally qualify for this award - However after traveling several hours on a plane to Art & Soul, she arrived at the hotel in the wee hours of the morning only to discover that THEY HAD GIVEN HER ROOM AWAY! And, they didn't have any rooms available!

Now, if that's not cause for being in a SNIT, I don't know what is!)
I am quite honored to be the FIRST EVER recipient of this most prestigious award. Thank you Jan!!!
AND now, I award the following AMAZING and TALENTED artists with the INAUGURAL CREATIVE SNIT AWARD!!!!!!!

Jan Thomason -

for being in a SNIT at a CREATIVE RETREAT and for creating the CREATIVE SNIT AWARD!......................

Whew. . . . .see why I didn't try to write all Lennea had to say??? LOL So, as the creator of this prestigious award I deem to bestow it upon the following artists: Now understand, I'm ASSUMING that the following artists will in some way qualify for the CREATIVE SNIT AWARD!!

Angela - http://re-angelarae.blogspot.com/

YoLisaLisa - http://www.bloggingqueen.com/

Michelle - http://faeriedustdreams-michelle.blogspot.com/

Laurie - http://loudlife-laurieblaumarshall.blogspot.com/

Cheryl - http://roseyposeyconfections.blogspot.com/

And, girls, you keep this award going by awarding it to those artists that you know that would get a kick out of it.........and be deserving at the same time!)

YOU MAKE ME SMILE!

My good friend, Shelly, gave me the BIGGEST compliment this week when she gave me the "You Make Me Smile Award" - wow, when I think about the fact the something I've said and/or the way I've acted has blessed someone, has uplifted someone, makes ME smile.
It's my intention every day to be a blessing to the people that I interact with - my hope every day is to give someone a reason to smile and to be told by Shelly that I've accomplished that *at least with her!* blesses ME.
And there are people in my life that make ME smile! A lot of them don't blog so won't be listed, but they know who they are......so below you will find just a few of the people in my life that make me smile! I'm supposed to pick seven people - that part DOESN'T make me smile! There are so many of you that make me smile every time you leave a comment on one of my posts or send me an email of encouragement.
So please accept this award and pass it on!
Pass it on!!

Deirdra http://www.deirdradoan.blogspot.com
Keesh http://www.lemoncholys.blogspot.com
Twink http://www.sweeteyecandycreations.typepad.com
Roberta http://www.rcscreations.wordpress.com
Dana http://www.eccentricitiesstudio.blogspot.com
Kathi http://www.outonawhimstudio.blogspot.com
Lilia http://www.fleamarketstudio.typepad.com

A WINDOW TO MY WORLD

I've posted photos of my *new* studio for you before.....right after I set up.
Remember last spring when my pink barn flooded twice and I had to move to the house because of all of the damage? Water and paper art just don't mix!
So I moved what I could fit into my new digs and took pictures for you all to see.
I was fortunate that our house has a breezeway *does anyone NOT know what a breezeway is?* that I took for myself and turned into my *new* studio.
After I got everything just like I wanted it, I started to work.
Well, "getting to work" changed everything very quickly!
That's why I'm posting these new pictures for you.
These photos represent what my studio looks like today!

This first photo shows you everything that I keep at my fingertips.
Everything that I use constantly as I create...jewelry makings, melting pot, embossing products, glitter, tapes, paints and brushes, mediums and adhesives, scissors, etc., most often used embellishments and papers, and commissioned projects waiting their turn.
Finished projects waiting for you to go to my etsy store and buy them for Christmas presents, dried roses, and my fabric, old quilts and vintage tableclothes.
Below is a full view of where I work.
Yes, it appears that every inch of work space is covered and that's because, well, because it is.
Don't we all work better in about 6" of space?

This picture shows the right side of my work station. You see that I like to keep a lot of personal gifts of art around me...hanging from the air vent, taped to the window frame and perching on the short shelf. It makes me feel that I'm surrounded by artists that "get" me! That's a nice feeling! Oh, and there's my computer. I keep it close so that I can keep in contact with my artist friends and the art world!

Whenever I work I open the three cabinet doors behind which are more art supplies. This way I can see what I've got and I'm not as likely to forget anything! I'm so glad that these built ins were in the breezeway as they make fabulous storage space!

So I had this turqouise shelving unit down in the pink barn - I used it to display finished works for people to see *and buy* when they visited the studio. So I'm thinkin' that it would be great for holding art supplies in the new studio but oh, my gosh, there's absolutely nowhere to put it!All of the wall space is used up. Hmmm, what to do...
Oh, I know, I'll just set it in the middle of my long, not wide, new studio....and you know what?
It's works just great! Now I have even more important supplies at my fingertips - woohoo!
Just extra supplies - not all of them - but the important ones! Oh, and different adhesives and other assorted products that I have seen used on different creations that I just had to have in case I ever decide to make that something new! Oh, brother.
This corner hasn't changed. This is where my teenage girls that work for me sit when they actually show up to work! It's also where you would sit if you ever came to the ranch to create with me! You always have a seat so come on down!
The wooden rubber stamp, printed paper, ephemera file cabinet, big paper storage corner.
So that's the way it looks today! It's my own little space where I go to create, relax, refresh and feed my soul. I love it.

ART & SOUL - JUST A FEW THOUGHTS

I was going to start this post with a photo of one of my class projects but Blogger is not cooperating so, no photo.....just me!
I went to the Art n Soul retreat in Portland a week ago and have just a few thoughts I wanted to share with you. I'm not going to use this post to show you my class creations - when I finish them I'll have separate posts and show you the finished pieces then.
Today I just wanted to tell you a couple of things......
First, if you've never attended an Art n Soul retreat, don't put it off - do it. I had the most amazing time and met the most wonderful people, took the most awesome classes, shopped in the most wonderful Portland shop (Collage), drooled at Vendor's Night, met my really good friend, Keesha, in person, met other friends that I knew from the Charmster's board, and had the most amazing time.
Secondly, I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to be surrounded with women that "got" me! You know what I mean? Other mixed media artists that didn't think what I did was "unusual". Didn't look at my creation and respond with a, "Hmmmm. Nice.".
It was just so much fun to be in classes with other like minded people.
And, oh, the people....the women that I was blessed to spend time with....some I can't even remember their names, some I never knew their names, and others I already "knew" from the board.................it didn't make any difference to me. Everyone was amazing and that doesn't even begin to describe the warmth I felt from every woman I spent time with, whether in the classroom, the lobby trading charms, happy hour or simply passed in the hall.
And if you will be attending Art n Soul in the future, make the decision to participate in the charm trades or the regular trades. It's a wonderful way to meet other attendees and in the process you will make friendships that will last past the last day of classes.
Art n Soul is a retreat that I will attend again. I absolutely loved every minute of it.
And if you were one of the lovely ladies that I crossed paths with, thank you.
Thank you for making a "newbie" from south Texas feel so at home and accepted.

I love every one of you so much that I want all y'all to come over on Saturday for a bar-b-que!