News and Notes from the Happy Shack

Best Shot Monday, Sweet Yellow Daisy

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Mon, 20 May 2013 08:00:00 +0000

I recently bit the bullet and bought the 18-300mm zoom I've been wanting for nearly two years now. It is by far the most expensive lens I own, but by far not the most expensive lens out there! When you really get to looking, it's amazing how much moola you could spend on camera gear if you had unlimited funds!

I took this shot at the zoo with that very lens. The neat thing about a telephoto lens like this is you can get a short range of focus on a long lens. That allowed me to get this sweet little daisy in focus while the pond behind it is completely blurred out. I took this shot in the zoo's garden area. I was about five feet away from the daisy as it stretched its pretty little self out over the pond. Lots more playing to do with this lens...and at the recommendation of a fellow photographer friend, I purchased a monopod to help me with it as one of things I learned while taking it on its inaugural shoot at the zoo is that it's darn heavy!

Hope you had a lovely weekend. The girls and I spent Saturday with several other moms and daughters for our Mermaids and Mamas mini camp. Even though we didn't get the overnight experience this year, it worked out perfectly doing it at the house. We got plenty of art time, the girls got plenty of play time, and my studio was just steps away to grab last minute supply ideas. Sunday, we had a family beach day, our first this summer!

Have a best shot you'd like to share? Post a link to in in the comments!

A Little Book for Mermaids

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Sat, 18 May 2013 01:13:00 +0000

Front Cover

The girlies and I have been getting ready our Mermaids and Mamas mini camp tomorrow! I think we may make some journals like this one. I made this basically from scraps. The three different sections of spray painting are from three different sheets that I cut down for another journal. I simply collaged them on to a piece of watercolor paper and added in the script scraps for contrast.

Back Cover

The signatures are mixed media paper left over from another project as well, sewn in with a butterfly stitch. Overall, the little book is about 4" x 6". I've recently joined the Art Abandonment group on Facebook, so I think I just might abandon this one somewhere when we finish with Mermaids and Mamas tomorrow!

Memory Loss and Frantic Searches

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:59:00 +0000

It's amazing what you find when you do a major cleaning! This time around, I came across a whole little bag of sterling wire clasps I vaguely recall making over one weekend at least two years or so ago (this would also explain the 16 gauge sterling wire I have but couldn't remember why I bought...). Not sure why I never used them, so now that I've rediscovered them I'm finally working them into bracelets. I have nearly a dozen new bracelets I'll be loading into my Etsy shop and website over the next few days.

Somedays I do feel like my memory is leaving me. I'm getting more and more scatterbrained. Not sure if it's just a case of my brain being too full or if I'm showing early Alzheimer's symptoms (certainly hope it's not the latter as that's what I lost my grandmother to). Case in point: a couple weekends ago, the girls and I went to the Avondale Arts Festival here in Jacksonville. We stopped at the food booths to get some treats. Olivia wanted ice cream and Sarah wanted a cupcape, and since these were in neighboring booths, I pulled out my wallet to give Livvie $5 to get her ice cream and then I waited in line with Sarah. When it was time to pay for Sarah's cupcake, my wallet was nowhere to be found. I frantically searched my purse (guy next to me said "Dump everything out! That's what my wife has to do!"), looked all over the ground, asked Livvie if she had it, nothing. The cupcake girl said, "Don't you worry, sweetie, you go ahead and take this one on me. Go find your wallet." The girls helped me look and were beginning to panic. Then I found it. Know where it was? Tucked under my arm the entire time. No joke. Does that sound like a woman who is losing it? I felt a little better when the girls said they couldn't see it there either, but hey, it was under MY ARM. You would think I would have felt it, right? It's a thick little wallet, not filled with cash, but rather all my daily lunch haunt frequent visitor cards! But no, it was at least five panicked minutes before I realized the darn thing was tucked under my own arm.

Am I the only one losing her mind?

Best Shot Monday: Meet Kay

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Now that I've made it through my crazy April, I'm back to my weekly photo shoots at the shelter. I enjoy this volunteer work, I really do, and I feel like I'm making a difference. I wanted to share some stats with you. In April 2012, Animal Care & Protective Services took in 1,462 animals (yes, you read that right: 1,462 in one month, which is not unusual). Approximately 73% of those animals were either adopted, returned to their owners, or taken in by other shelters; approximately 27% died or were euthanized due to illness, aggression or lack of space. In April 2013, ACPS took in 1,220 animals. Approximately 89% were adopted, returned to their owners, or taken in by other shelters, meaning only 11% died or were euthanized. I'd say that's a wonderful improvement! I have to feel that my photos have been a part of that improvement. I started volunteering there in May 2012.

But I will tell you this. As much as I love spending time with these dogs, it can be heart-breaking work. Take sweet Kay here. I photographed her this past Friday. Do you see the wisdom and the hope in her eyes? I haven't looked into her full story yet, but I can tell that she's suffered some abuse. She is such a sweet, sweet girl. And it made me so sad to see her cringe when I went to pet her, afraid maybe that I was going to hit her instead. That broke my heart. I just sat down on the sidewalk next to her, let her warm up to me, and then just loved on her.

I've learned in my year there that Pitt bulls are incredibly wrongly maligned. They are not the mean, vicious monsters many people make them out to be. If you come across a Pitt or Pitt mix that's aggressive, it's because a human has made that dog that way; it's not a natural tendency. Sure, they are protective, but no more protective that many other breeds, including shepherds and even small dogs like Dachshunds and Chihuahuas (I grew up with Dachshunds, and they'd take your hand off if you came near me!). And you try getting near our girls when Molly and Isabelle are around (both Lab mixes). When dogs are given love, no matter their breed, they give love in return. Take a look at the website called "I Am Not a Monster." Pitts are not monsters ... unfortunately, many people are.

Spiral Journal Spread 6...and a Confession or Two

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Wed, 08 May 2013 16:42:00 +0000

Well, let's see. Today's May 8. Last time I completed an art journal page (other than at An Artful Journey)? Apparently it was February 19, if this spread is any indication. And flipping through my Flickr sets, I realized I never shared it with you here. This spread includes several of my secret addictions: magazines (the Coach perfume bottle probably came out of Glamour), old books, and old maps. When you work on a college campus and are good friends with the dean over the library, you get first dibs on the old books and maps they are purging. The circles are cut from painted and inked coffee filters. I also used gesso, acrylic paint, spray inks, Sharpie paint pens, and alphabet and swirl stamps.

So about those magazines...they are my husband's nemesis. And I will confess that I'm a "piler." Recently in one of those magazines I subscribe to, I believe it was Redbook, I came across an article that talked about the different ways people manage clutter. When I saw the description of the "piler," I yelled from my reading perch, "Oh my gosh! That's me!" and immediately read it to Benny. He wholeheartedly agreed (yet I pointed out that my piling tendencies are better controlled and neater than his "leave it wherever I put it down" tendencies). So to come clean, here is the long list of periodicals that appear in our maibox on a monthly, bimonthly or quarterly basis (it should be noted that not ALL of these are for me): Glamour, Redbook, Coastal Living, Good Housekeeping, Better Homes and Gardens, Better Homes and Gardens Do It Yourself, HGTV Magazine, National Geographic, National Geographic Kids, American Girl Magazine, Sports Illustrated (weekly! you know how those can pile up!), Florida Sportsmen, Cloth Paper Scissors, Somerset Studio, Artful Blogging, and Art Journaling (okay, so MOST of these are for me....but I will add that Benny is a closet Glamour and Redbook reader--yes, now his secret is out--and the girls will read anything I do). My longest standing subscription is National Geographic. My mother got me a subscription when I was in middle school, and I have received every issue since. For a while, I couldn't bear to part with them and kept every one in one bookcase dedicated just to those yellow spines. Finally I realized we were about to be overrun, so I donated my entire collection to a couple of local schools (but they are piling up again...).

Then there are those that I just happen to pick up in Publix or Books a Million: Flea Market Style, Flea Market Finds, Sew Somerset, Somerset HandMade, Better Homes and Gardens 100 Storage Ideas (because, obviously, I need storage ideas), the occasional quilting magazine, and random others that just happen to jump out at me. I confess. I am a magazine junkie. But I do read them all! Cover to cover! Once my "I've read these" pile has reached the point of consistently toppling over, the girls and I have a big cutting session, cutting out images to use in our journal pages before I sadly put them in the recycle bin. But it's not just magazines; I'm a big reader in general. In addition to my magazine addiction, I also read two to three novels a month. And I'm a want-to-feel-the-real-thing in my hand kind of girl. I don't have, nor do I want, a Kindle, and I don't like reading magazines on tablets. Last night I started The Sugar Queen, by Sarah Addison Allen, and I've read several of her books recently (The Peach Keeper has been my favorite of hers so far). I also fell in love with Jacqueline Sheehan and have read every one of her books over the last few months (it should come as no surprise that all of Sheehan's books have strong canine characters). I'll have to do a post on all my favorite reads...

...and then there is that HUGE pile (well, to be honest, about four piles) of vintage Popular Mechanics magazines, courtesy of eBay, piled up next to my book table in my studio...don't even get Benny started on those. Sometime this summer, I'll be flipping through those searching out vintage automobile ads, a whole other addiction I'll spare you from for the moment. So, hmmm, back to the point of this post: sharing an art journal page. In a round about way, I believe I have just proven that you truly can share all your deep dark secrets through a journal page, even if they start in your mailbox. :-) Any secret addictions you want to share?

Best Shot Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

We've had an incredibly rainy four days with extremely high tides, so the girlies have been having a great time kayaking in the back yard during high tide (yes, I said kayaking in the back yard...when the tides are this high, the river moves in!). As I mentioned in last week's Best Shot Monday (on a Thursday...) we have several pots of daisies on the back deck. I was lucky enough to catch this one during a break in the rain with some pretty raindrops still hanging on.

My craziness finally wrapped up yesterday with our Commencement ceremony. We do two ceremonies in one day, so it makes for a very long day, but at least we get it all done in one day. With a good nine hours standing on a hard concrete floor, my back and knees are always screaming by the end of the day, but I love Commencement. So fun to see all those happy students cross the stage, particularly those I've had so much direct involvement with. Now that the Spring term is over, I'll be able to catch my breath a bit and hopefully be able to catch up on some art-making and listing new jewelry pieces I haven't had time to post yet. Things slow down a bit in the office for us during summer term as well, so it's end of the academic year report writing time. I hope your May has started off bright and sunny!

Have a Best Shot Monday of your own you'd like to share? Post a link in the comments!

Time for May Free Bling!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Fri, 03 May 2013 22:51:00 +0000

Time for Free Bling Friday! Congrats to Patti from Lafayette, Louisiana, for winning my April Free Bling!

May brings Mother's Day, so to get your name in the hat for these abalone and sterling earrings, tell me about a favorite memory you have of your mother. It could have happened many years ago, or it could have happened yesterday, just as long as it's a favorite! Along with your answer, include your location and a way to reach you by midnight June 6. Want more entries? Tweet, blog or Facebook this giveaway and leave another comment with the link. The next winner will be drawn via random.org Friday, June 7.

My favorite memory of my mom? One that particularly jumps out is when I was in 10th grade, when Michael Jackson's first album came out. I was singing along to MJ in my earphones and then realized my mom was standing in my bedroom doorway watching (and listening to!) me. We both cracked up. :-)

Don't want to miss a single Free Bling Friday? Click here to sign up for free weekly email updates or subscribe in the reader of your choice over there in the right column. And be sure to like my Facebook page or sign up for my monthly newsletter on my website here for specials. Thanks for stopping in!

Best Shot Monday on a Thursday and a Few Thoughts on One Spark

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Thu, 02 May 2013 21:55:00 +0000

Well, I'm hanging in over here, but I'm obviously not doing a very good job keeping up on my blog. I'm taking the liberty to post my Best Shot Monday on Thursday. We have three pots of daisies growing on our back deck, and we've been pretty good lately at cutting them and bringing them inside to put in vintage Coke bottles for a little flowery-ness around the house. Before I brought the latest batch upstairs, I decided to stick one in between the boards on the deck to catch a few shots, and lo and behold, in the middle of my shooting, Molly decided she needed to take a sniff. I caught this shot purely by accident, but I love it!

Taking time to smell the flowers...that's what I've really been needing to do lately. April truly was a whirlwind I don't care to repeat any time soon. I tend to overload myself on my own accord, I realize that, but when I add in an incredibly busy month at work, that overload goes into super-drive and usually ends in a crash. April started with the Springtime Tallahassee Arts Jubilee the 6th-7th, then our annual SGA Conference in Orlando the 11th-14th, then One Spark the 17th-21st, then Amber and Jarrod's wedding on the 20th, then my annual Student Awards Program the 24th, then our annual High Honors Luncheon May 1, and I'll wrap up the insanity this Sunday with Commencement. In between that, I've still had class every Tuesday night and I'm currently trying to wrap up grading to post final grades for the term. Then there's those two little red-heads and that husband of mine who have all been trying to help me keep it all together. There have been quite a few "stress relief bubble baths" set up by my girls in the past month, and they have been much appreciated!

So how do you slow down? This is the battle I've been fighting for quite a few years now. I think in working one full-time job, teaching at night, and running a creative business on the side along with raising a family, I get lost somewhere. Sometimes I feel like I'm getting by strictly on sweet tea and Bit 'O Honeys (side note, I posted a Facebook update recently that I had run out of Bit 'O Honeys, a minor crisis in my world, and my Lord, I now have nearly 10 pounds...no joke...10 pounds of Bit 'O Honeys that have appeared either in my mailbox or on my desk from friends and family....can you feel the love?....sorry, rambling...). I know I need to find a way to better manage the juggle, but I just haven't gotten there yet. I'm open to suggestions (which reminds me of this post)!

I've hestitated to say much about my One Spark experience, but I'm going to share a few things as I feel that's really what's fueled my exhaustion this past month, no pun intended. (Click here to read my initial One Spark post.) Have you ever put a lot of time, energy and money into an event, excited with high hopes that it's going to be truly awesome...only to be very disappointed? Well, that's what happened for me with One Spark. I'll say this. I think One Spark has the potential to be a great thing for the city of Jacksonville, but to do that, a lot of things that happened this first year need to be addressed. The creators in the outer venues, where I was, did not get near the traffic nor media publicity that the creators around the main hub of Hemming Plaza did. That's a feeling that's been shared by many creators in those outlying venues. The whole festival needs to be more centralized. Closing off the streets around the Hemming Plaza area and placing all the creators there could be much more effective. Second, I think the "projects" need to go through some sort of jury process, similar to a juried arts festival. While 95% of the projects were legitimate projects (though they did not all fit into One Spark's advertised "Art. Music. Science. Technology" if I am remembering those four correctly), some truly did not belong there, and when those are covered by the media, I feel they hurt the overall image of what One Spark advertised itself to be. I also asked that my funds be transferred to another creator I was very touched by (check out the J.T. Townsend Foundation), but One Spark would not allow that. That one completely baffled me. Why would they be against one creator wanting to give her funds to another creator? So nope, in order to do that, I have to submit my W-9, get the check and then write a check to J.T. I hope that's also something they'll reconsider should this event go forward next year.

So there's my take. Yes, One Spark can be a great thing for the city of Jacksonville, and I think that maybe it just became far bigger than they expected it to be this first year (466 creators), but in order to be a great thing for the city, changes need to be made. An honest survey of creator feedback would be a good start. That hasn't happened yet. It was definitely a learning experience for me, and a lesson I don't think I'll choose to repeat.

Onward! If this rain quits, I'll be back in the shelter photographing sweet furry faces in the morning. That makes me a very happy girl!

Making Tough Decisions

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 02:40:00 +0000

See that sweet group of girls? This was our end of the retreat shot at Mermaids and Mamas last year. Earlier this week I came to grips with the fact that I wasn't going to be able to see that shot this year. At least not like this.

On Tuesday, I had to make the heartbreaking decision to cancel Mermaids and Mamas Artful Adventure 2013, for now anyway. It was particularly heartbreaking since I had just spent the better part of five days promoting Mermaids and Mamas at One Spark. The basics of the facts are insurance issues. I had to provide the college with liability insurance to rent the Outdoor Center, and I thought I had it all worked out nearly a month ago. I was working with the agent who holds my homeowner's policy (who shall remain somewhat nameless...cough...State Farm), and they told me in early April that everything was taken care of; I'd have the policy in my hand in about two weeks. Well two weeks came and went and no policy appeared in my mailbox. Monday they called with a few more questions. I answered those questions. Tuesday they called me to say they could not write the policy. "But we have found someone else who can do it for you!" Yeah, at about eight times the cost they had quoted me, and non-refundable. Needless to say, I'm researching new homeowner's insurance agents.

I called my former agent who retired about three years ago, an old family friend I knew I could count on for the best advice. He gave me a few leads that might have worked, but there just wasn't enough time at this point. I had to commit to the rental, full paperwork ready to go, by May 3...just not enough time to get another policy written. I gave it a day to sink in, praying for a miracle, and then knowing I just had to let it go, contacted my Mamas who had already registered. But I also had a plan to salvage at least a little something. I knew they and their girls would be disappointed, as I knew mine would (I hadn't told them yet), so I decided to invite them all over to my house instead. We certainly don't have room for everyone to sleep over like we would have at the retreat center, but we could at least make a day of it...a back up Mermaids and Mamas at the main Mermaids and Mama's house. Though all the moms were disappointed, they were also incredibly supportive, and to my delight, said, "We'll see you on the 18th!"

So there you have it. Our Mermaids and Mamas may not be gathered on that particular picnic table, but we have one heck of a picnic table at our house that will serve as a great back up. I told the girls today, and though they are very sad we won't be at the retreat center for a sleepover event, they're happy that they'll still get to have an art play day with a bunch of friends. And us Mamas will still get to have an art play day with OUR friends and our girls.

Thank you, Mamas. You forever have my gratitude. Next year, I'll start on insurance paperwork in November.

Catching Up on Breathing with Best Shot Monday!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 09:00:00 +0000

It's been an absolutely insane three weeks for me, but a good bit of the chaos wrapped up yesterday. I participated in One Spark Wednesday-Sunday and in the middle of it all photographed a wedding Saturday. I still have three big events coming up at work (including Commencement!) but other than Commencement, at least my weekends are free for a couple weeks.

So here's my best shot Monday! I had the pleasure of shooting Amber and Jarrod's wedding, and this is one of my favorite shots. I have tons of editing to do but this one jumped out at me to share quickly. Amber is the daughter of one of my sister's childhood friends (yes, I feel old now). She was a lovely bride and I know she and Jarrod have a lifetime of happy love ahead of them. Congratulations Amber and Jarrod! Thanks for letting me share your big day with you!

Bringing Back Best Shot Monday!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 04:30:00 +0000

I used to participate in Tracey Clark's Best Shot Monday a while back. I've been trying to get back to a regular blogging schedule and wanted to get back into BSM, but when I hopped over to Tracey's blog, I saw that she had stopped doing it. Well, needing some motivation, I contacted Tracey on Facebook and asked her if she minded if I brought it back, and she happily said sure! So here's my first crack back at it!

We've had quite a bit of rain lately. This Queen Conch sits at the top of the stairs on the back deck next to where Molly and Isabelle like to stand and watch guard over their domain. She's about 10 inches long and one of a gazillion shells we have around the house. Benny found her in the Keys years ago. I thought she looked so pretty sitting out there in the rain, so I grabbed my camera, with a 55-200mm telephoto lens, and actually took this picture through the glass of the French doors. It was raining after all!

Have a picture you'd like to share? Post it on your blog, or on Flickr, and share the link in the comments! I'd love to take a look!

And So Are You...

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 02:30:00 +0000

This is all that matters really, isn't it? The little legs and heart and brain that rise above those neon socks? Sure, they are Sarah's neon socks on my front steps that obviously need a cleaning, but they could be any little girl's socks or any little boy's socks. Or even any big girl's or big boy's socks. It's the person that wears them that matters. Today I was reminded that I'm in a position to make a difference in other people's lives, and that is truly a gift I have been given. I'm in a position to do so much more than help a student figure out what classes she should take next term. Or help a little girl figure out what she should wear to school tomorrow. And I hope I did that today. I hope I had the right words.

But you know what? So are you. Every one of us is in a position to make a positive difference in someone else's life if only we take the opportunities that are often sitting right in front of us, so close that we may not even realize it. We proverbially can't see the forest for the trees. What can you do to make a difference? It's sometimes the smallest of gestures that can have the biggest of impacts.

It's been one of those days... By the way, have you seen the documentary Waiting for Superman? I showed that to my ENC 1102 class tonight. Watch it. Find it on Netflix. It's worth your 111 minutes.

April Free Bling Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:32:00 +0000

Ready to get back to Free Bling Friday!? I'm changing things up a bit! I'd still love for you to visit my shops (here for jewelry and here for photography), but each month, I'm going to give you a question to ponder instead of picking a favorite item!

April starts wedding season in these parts, and I'm photographing a wedding on the 20th and another one next month. To get your name in the hat for these lovely aqua crystal earrings, share with me your answer to this question: How do you know when you've met "The One"? Along with your answer, include your location and a way to reach you by midnight May 2. Want more entries? Tweet, blog or Facebook this giveaway and leave another comment with the link. The next winner will be drawn via random.org Friday, May 3.

Sharing a Little Easter Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 00:39:00 +0000

Sarah and Olivia enjoying the lake

I don't have much extended family, so I'm blessed that Benny does, and many of them are right here in Jacksonville. Every Easter, everyone gathers down at the lake house on Lake Geneva near Keystone Heights. I'm so thankful that this gang has accepted me as one of their own and so happy my girls can grow up knowing all these cousins.

Lily loving the tire swing

Even though the lake was pretty darn cold, that didn't stop the kids from swimming. There's also a great tire swing, which I must have pushed the girls on for at least half the day because I'm STILL sore from it! I've also become the official family photographer, so I enjoy taking pictures of everyone, especially the kids. This year, we finally took a large group photo. Had this been planned, of course, I would have brought my wide angle lens, but as it was, I made due with the one lens I brought with me: a 55-200mm telephoto! It's perfect for catching sneaky shots of the kids, but to get the big group shot, I used a ladder placed about 100 feet from the group! Next year, I'll bring my wide angle!

The whole gang! About two-thirds of this group are cousins!

I hope those of you that celebrate Easter had a joyful holiday!

Prepping for Springtime Tallahassee

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 18:00:00 +0000

I think my family was a bit shocked to see me sitting at the jewelry bench Thursday evening, as I haven't made any new jewelry pieces since prepping for Market Days last December! As my last minute procrastination usually does, it kicked in this week with the Springtime Tallahassee Arts Jubilee looming April 6. You would probably laugh if you could see the disaster area that lies just outside the frame of this photo. I still haven't quite cleaned up from unpacking my Artful Journey supplies, and there are remnants are various projects EVERYWHERE, evidence of my easily distracted nature.

This week, I've made a couple books, found ways to use up the scraps on my book table, prepped two book covers, and completed a couple art journal pages. How this was helping me prep for Springtime, to which I'm only bringing my jewelry this year, has escaped me, but I'm sure there's a reason there somewhere. I just finished this bracelet this morning and have added it to the pile I started creating Thursday. I hope to have a few more bracelets and several new necklace pieces done by the time I hit the road next Friday!

Spiral Journal Spread 5: Man's Best Friend

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 23:19:00 +0000

I've been gradually working through this journal...very slowly gradually, that is! Are you as easily distracted as I am? I am so incredibly easily distracted, it's not even funny. Today, I had a goal to get my studio space cleaned up so I could get some new jewelry pieces photographed and maybe even move on to create a few new pieces I've had swirling around in my head for a while. Well, I unburied this journal in my mess and remembered that I'd completed a few more pages I hadn't share yet, so here I am! The studio is still a mess, though it's better than it was yesterday when I got distracted by using the scraps I had on my book table to make two little books, only one of which is finished, and of course, neither are photographed. See, I can even stay on track in one single blog post!

Anywho, I created this page shortly after a group of shelter staff and volunteers gathered at the shelter one early Saturday morning to film our version of the Harlem shake, dogs and cats included! I cut this dog image out of a magazine, but now that I've used my images in my journal I created at An Artful Journey this year, I've love to create a whole journal with my dog photos. Might be fun to include what I think they were thinking when I took their photo! Your can see our Harlem Shake video here. I'm in the cowboy hat and red boa, Benny's in the red shirt and green beanie cap, and the girls are up on top of the cat kennels shaking the dancing dogs and cats. We had fun!

Furry Face of the Week: My Isabelle!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 21:29:00 +0000

Happy Monday! I realized that I'm always sharing photos of my shelter pups, but I haven't shared a picture of Isabelle with you in years. Here she is last week enjoying the sunset off the back deck. Remember this cute little puppy? Quite a change, huh? She'll be six this summer (and no, like most chocolate labs, she doesn't miss a meal).

We're on Spring Break this week so we hope to be doing a lot of playing! I'm sure we'll take Izzy and Molly to the beach at some point this week. The month of April for me is the craziest month I've had in quite some time, so I'll have to spend some of this week getting prepared. I have the Springtime Tallahassee Arts Jubilee April 6, our state Student Government Conference in Orlando April 11-14, One Spark April 17-21, and a wedding to photograph April 20 in the midst of One Spark. (Here's my One Spark project page all ready to roll.) The last weekend in April, I plan to do nothing but lay on the couch and veg all weekend. What are you up to this week?

An Artful Journey Wrap Up!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 21:03:00 +0000

Wow, what a crazy three weeks it's been! I wanted to finally share some of my work from An Artful Journey. Once I returned from the trip, I came home to a crisis at the shelter, so I was absorbed in helping get 15 dogs adopted or fostered or they were going to be put down. We've been working so hard to earn no-kill status each month that we just couldn't let those dogs be euthanized. Thankfully, we found a permanent or foster home for every one of them!

So between the jet lag from the trip, working for those dogs and just general craziness at the day job, it's taken me three weeks to finally get back to sharing some pictures with you. This class was definitely different my other An Artful Journal retreats. Instead of producing a larger body of work like I did the first two years, I came away this year with just one just five-spread art journal. But I learned a lot and still gained immeasurably from the experience.

Each journey I've taken with this retreat has taught me something different. The first year, going there not knowing a soul and as a complete newbie to mixed media, I made many new art friends and found a lot of confidence under the amazing and gentle guidance of DJ Pettitt. The next year, I totally fell in love with paper decoration and book making with the help of Albie Smith. This year, well, this year, I definitely affirmed some things about myself as well as learned a few new things from Orly Avineri.

I will admit, I struggled a bit with this class. And my struggles were tied to the fact that I am just not very good at following rules. It's funny, because one of the trainings I do on campus is True Colors, a personality inventory that we use extensively with our students (take a quick free version of it here). I'm an Orange. One of our qualities, for better or for worse, is that we don't always (actually, we very rarely) follow the rules. We are definitely out of the box thinkers who like to blaze our own trails. This is helpful in many situations, as we discover new ways of doing things because we aren't afraid to take a risk, and it can also hinder in other situations, as sometimes, well, you just have follow the rules. Orly and I had a long one-on-one talk about that, and I think we both learned a lot from each other about perspectives.

In addition to getting a little internal perspective, I also learned some fun new techniques from Orly. My favorite is the way she taught us to work with Tim Holtz Distress Inks and matte varnish. Wow! The mixture gave our pages a beautiful, cohesive finish that made our images just jump off the page. Unfortunately, I also discovered that I must be allergic to the matte varnish because I developed a terrible rash on my hands by Saturday that lasted a good week after we wrapped up. Gloves next time!

Orly also helped me see how fun it is to incorporate my own photographs into my journal pages. Duh. You would think that since I was a photographer before I was an art journaler that I would have figured that out on my own, huh. I want to work more with that, playing around with how actual photographs, rather than color copies, interact with different mediums and varnishes.

The thing that made this trip the most special was sharing it with Courtney. It was fun to see it all through her eyes, and I hope she gained as much from the experience as I think she did. You can see more pictures from my finished journal in this Flickr set. Thanks for sticking with me through my three-week absence!

An Artful Journey Liftoff!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 11:00:00 +0000

This morning, I'm heading to An Artful Journey! This is the third Artful Journey and my third trip, and I am just as excited as the very first time! I took the photo above last retreat on the property at the Presentation Center, where the retreat is held. It's located in the Santa Cruz mountains and absolutely heavenly!

This year, my sweet friend and former student Courtney Ellis will be traveling with me, so that will make the trip extra special. We are taking a three-day class with the lovely Orly Avineri, who's work you see here. Here's more about Orly's class, and while you're at it, take a visit to her blog. It's full of art journaling inspiration. Back Tuesday! Click this link to see posts from previous journeys!

Artful Journey Prep: Prayer Flags!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 02:24:00 +0000

Less than 36 hours before Courtney and I take off for An Artful Journey! I'm in last minute prep state! Of course, I haven't packed yet....I'm well known to be a last minute packer....but I at least have all my supplies out ready to pack. All that will come tomorrow night. The photos above and below are the prayer flags I created and mailed off to Cindy to be hung with all the rest at the Presentation Center. I neglected to read the directions (imagine that!) so my "one" flag was twice as big as it was supposed to be so luckily I was able to just cut it in half!

Below are Courtney's flags. Didn't she do an awesome job!? She's going to rock this retreat! I'm so excited for her to experience it!

Sunday Flower Dance Party

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 19:17:00 +0000

I was dead-heading my geraniums today when I realized they'd look so pretty all clumped together. When I went inside to grab my camera, flowers in hand, Olivia squealed with delight, so we headed back outside to have a flower dance party.

It was pretty windy so we started to try to shake petals into the wind, but that wasn't working so well. Then we decided to just pull petals off with our hands and toss them into the wind as we danced like crazy girls. What a party that became. Since our porch is quite elevated, our little party was very visible to all the cars driving by on Heckscher Drive (essentially A-1-A). Be we didn't care! It made for a lovely afternoon break.

I'm trying to get better at living more in the moment like this, taking advantage of opportunities like these to make memories with my girls. So often we (um, I) get so caught up in the weekend chores of laundry, cleaning house, and spending far too much time on line, that we often don't take the time to just step outside and throw flower petals into the wind, dancing in their colors. For those of you in the cold north, we do still have plenty of flowers in Florida, so come down for a visit! We'll be happy take a break to do the flower dance with you!

Adding my Drop to the Ocean: One Spark

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 01:40:00 +0000

"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop." Mother Teresa

Photo taken on the Black Rock Beach Trail, Big Talbot Island

That quote was a lesson learned for me this week. We have an awesome event coming up in Jacksonville in April, and I've been incredibly wishy washy about whether or not I wanted to participate. You see, I wanted to participate, but I had all these "but..." thoughts stuck in my head. "But I really don't have time..." "But I'm shooting a wedding that weekend..." "But we have two events at school that week..." But I realized today that the scariest "but" of all was "But what if I'm successful...?"

Yep, I think that's what I'm afraid of. See, I'm kinda stuck in a bit of a catch-22. I do feel that I could be very successful if I truly put all my plans into action, but I can't put all my plans into action while working a full-time-plus career at the College, a career that provides excellent health insurance, a great retirement pension program, and an opportunity for my children to attend their first two years of college scott free. There, my friends, is the rub.

But today I decided to throw caution to the wind and take the leap. The leap is One Spark, the first of its kind crowdfunding festival for creatives that's going to be held right here in my hometown, and today I added my drop of water to the ocean. Who knows? Maybe I'll be successful beyond my wildest dreams. If that is the path that is meant for me, then everything will fall into place as it's meant to be. It's actually kind of funny that I was scared of that last but. In most things I'm really not much of a long term planner, but the one area I am is in my retirement and my children's college education! So we'll see where this leads me and take it one step at a time. The next step is finding the right venue, so wish me luck and check out my project profile here!

Anatomy of a Shelter Shoot: Meet Breezy!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 01:33:00 +0000

Meet Breezy! And let me say he was a breeze to photograph (sorry, couldn't resist that one!).  Several of my Facebook friends who see all my shelter photos ask me how I do it...I know they are more asking about how I do it without falling in love with each and every one, and that is definitely the hardest part. I struggle with it often! Oh how I wish I could bring them all home!

So I thought I'd share with you the more technical side of things, like how I actually take the photographs. Dogs like Breezy here are truly easy to photograph. He was truly a poser! Some are definitely not this easy. The process starts with me walking through the runs and making a mental note of who I've already photographed. And, of course, visiting with them all! Once I've done that, I take my gear out to one of the outdoor enclosures and grab a leash. I've gotten pretty good at getting them out of their kennels, but that wasn't always the case! I've lost more than one to a free run around the building!  Using a loop leash, I open the loop fairly wide, say hello, open the kennel door about eight inches, and, if all goes to plan, place the loop over the dog's head and out we go. Now, yes, some are more difficult than others, but it's not the size that makes the difference...it's the energy level!

Once I get a dog outside, I let him run around a bit and do his business. Then I go to work playing ball for a bit if I see the dog likes to fetch. That's when I can start shooting. I keep a couple squeaky balls in my bag that I use to get the dog to look at me, like Breezy here. I'll take at least 10 to 20 shots of each dog. Some dogs, typically those who have suffered some abuse, are scared of the squeak. For those dogs, I keep my pockets full of doggie biscuits.  I give them a little extra love to make them more comfortable, and then pull a biscuit out of my pocket. I break it in half and give the dog half. Then once he's enjoyed that, I use the other half to get him to look at me for the picture.  This process can take several go 'rounds! Once I get some good shots, I give him the other half of the biscuit.

Once I feel like I have enough workable shots, I let the dog enjoy the outside a bit more while I clean up his droppings. Yep, after I photograph him, I have to scoop his poop! Just part of the process! Of course I wait until I'm done photographing him before I scoop. Then, I'll dump the poop pouch in the garbage can, get the dog back on his leash, take him back into his kennel and head over to the hand sanitizer to clean my hands before I start the whole process back up with the next dog.  On a good day, I'm able to photograph 15-20 dogs in one two-three hour shoot. Other days, not so much. And then there are those days when unfortunately we haven't had a lot of adoptions since my last visit, so I don't have a lot of new faces to photograph. On those days, I photograph the new faces, and then walk the old faces for as much time as I have. Then it's home to edit my shots, select the best one of each dog, and send them over to the shelter staff to post on the website.

So, live in the Jacksonville area and think you'd like to help out photographing the dogs? I'd be happy to train you! We need more photographers!

Design by Olivia....

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 20:55:00 +0000

I got this lovely necklace for Christmas from Olivia. She picked out the super cool charm and all the beads herself, and she came up with the design herself. The challenging thing was that I had to help her put the clasp on pretty much with my eyes closed because she didn't want me to see it!

This girl's got her jewelry design skills rockin'. I don't wear my own pieces as much as I should, but even when I do, I don't get as many compliments as I do when I wear this one Livvie made me. Who knows!! Maybe she'll have her own store soon!

Telling the Hard Truth

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:02:00 +0000

Over the past three weeks, we've been installing hard wood floors on the top floor of our house. Any of you that have done any home renovations knows that involves a lot of packing up and moving around. Last Monday when we were home for Martin Luther King day, the girls and I were charged with clearing out our guest room and closet. I keep most of our memories...scrapbooks, high school yearbooks, my wedding dress in a bridal chest, and several boxes of my mom's things, including pictures...in the guest room closet. Well, you can imagine how distracted we got.

At one point, Olivia and I were sitting on the floor surrounded by old pictures. As Livvie was looking at an old picture of my mom, she asked that question again: How did your mama die? I talk to the girls about my mom quite a bit; I want them to at least have my memories of her if they can't create their own. They've asked me many other times how my mom died, and each time I've just told them that she died of a broken heart. I knew they never fully bought that line, but I just didn't think they were ready...or I was ready...to learn the full truth of that statement. But that Monday afternoon, surrounded by old pictures, something told me it was the right time.

I hesitated for a moment before I finally said, "Livvie, my mama took her own life....she killed herself....do you know what that means?" She hesitated for a minute before she quietly answered, "Yes, ma'am." After another moment, she asked me "What did she do, Mama?" I told her that Mom swallowed several bottles of pills, and she just sat there quietly for a minute absorbing that. After a few more minutes of distractedly looking through pictures, she quietly said, "I'm really sorry, Mama. I know you really, really miss her."

Several minutes later, Sarah came back into the room and started looking through the pictures. And then as if on cue, Sarah asked again how my mama died. Livvie looked at me like "Well, you gonna tell her the truth this time?" And so I did, in the same words I told Livvie. And Sarah said, "You mean like Ivy on Smash?" "Yes, sweetie, like Ivy on Smash." (If you watch Smash, you know that last season's cliff hanger ended with Ivy sitting at her dressing table about to swallow a bottle of pills.) Sarah thought quietly for a minute and then just gave me a big, long hug.

I still don't know if they fully understand what suicide means; I didn't use that actual word with them. But now they know my mama took her own life. That I think they understand. In that moment, I realized that I didn't want to wait until they were teenagers to finally tell them the hard truth, and then have them be angry with me that I hadn't been completely honest with them for all that time.

Today is my mom's birthday; she would have been 68. I had pulled a couple of those old pictures to share with you on her birthday and I've unfortunately misplaced them already. So I chose this one of my girls, taken on the first day of 4th grade. I chose this one because they are starting to look so grown up, so much like they just might understand a hard truth like that. A couple days after I told them, Sarah was sitting at the breakfast table with me when she told me she had an idea. She said that I could write a letter to my mama and we could tape it to a balloon and send it up to Heaven for her. I thought that was a fabulous idea. I am so blessed by these girls, and I know Mom had her angel's hand in bringing them to me. Happy Birthday, Mom. I miss you every day.

I shared my mom's story here.