Sarah*n*dipitous

Serenity Now

For all of those who enjoyed Seinfeld back in the day, I loved Seinfeld by the way, there was an episode where when George's Dad felt his blood pressure raising, he would exclaim, "Serenity Now" as a coping mechanism to bring balance back into his life.

Whenever I feel stressed, I tend to just get out of the house and go somewhere. It does not really matter where I venture off to, I simply take my journal and my camera and go and seek that "Serenity Now" type place where I can reflect on the things that fill me up rather than suck me dry. Today, I ended up at the lake down the road. I saw this majestic Blue Heron just sitting there. I am so grateful for these little moments.

New Blogs of Interest

I told you all before, I am VERY grateful to have so many ultra Mega Talented (yes, this is the exact term) Friends. I wanted to point out a few new blogs I am listing in my Eye Candy Section.

Mary Jo McGraw is one of those folks who is just so insanely talented yet, she is one of the most humble and down to earth folks I know. She recently started her new blog and already, the artwork there is to die for. I should add that, if it were not for Mary Jo and her books and classes, I would not be a stamp artist today.

Judy Belcher is a Polymer Clay artist that just ROCKS my universe. Her book is an endless source of inspiration and the artwork she creates is mind boggling. I know that Judy has a DVD coming out soon and I will be first in line to get that one!

Karen Elaine is one of the coolest folks I know. I had the privelege to hang out with her in California while we were filming Carol Duvall's new DVD. Karen is the real deal. She is vibrant, full of life and truly one of the most amazing ladies I know.

Suzanne Lamar is the genius behind PageSage. For those who are unfamiliar with PageSage, they are the company that makes all the cool Crafting DVD's we all covet. I personally own all the titles she has put out and they have a special place of honor in my studio. I love the fact that I can take classes with the very best in the industry from the comfort of my own studio.

Second Life

Ever heard of Second Life? I have been experimenting on Second Life for almost a year now. I find the platform incredible and the possible applications in terms of having an online classroom a real possiblity. Many of my students are house bound or scattered across the country. My Second Life Studio offers an online place for us to meet and interact with one another. I am dismayed that Second Life has become the playground for folks pushing rather questionable material however, I am still smitten with all the good things about this virtual world. Incidentally, if you'd like to look me up, my virtual self is named Levi Watts, and you can link into the Second Life area directly here.

For those wanting to know more about the applications of virtual worlds and the part they will play in the future, you may want to check out the upcoming conference.

Sand Art

I have never seen sand art like this before. Enjoy.

Sonya Style

Sonya Style is on of those blogs that I just love. I have been following Sonya's career for sometime and she truly embodies "cool. Enjoy.

We Aren't In Kansas Anymore Toto

Well, we finally have internet connections and such after the tornadoes ripped through here on Friday. We had 5 confirmed tornadoes go through our area. The tornado that leveled Fenton went right over our house. It sounded like a freight train and the house shook like no tomorrow. Thankfully our house was unscathed.

Making a difference

Kiva is an excellent example of how cool the internet is when used for amazing things. What I find fascinating is that many of the kids I work with, my own children included, see the world as a global community connected. Helping your neighbor and treating folks the way you want to be treated takes on a completely new meaning when the whole world is involved. I think the next generation has an amazing opportunity to create businesses in such a way that those involved are enriched. I will be following this company closely.

Eat your Veggies

I had the honor to teach a business class last school year and one of my students, knocked the ball out of the park. He started his own blog (one read by my kids) and he posted the funniest entry today. I thought you would all get a kick out of it..... He has his blog with Blogger so I could not comment on it- y'all visit him and make sure to link it and send it to as many people you can...

Catching Dragonflies

Many of you may or may not know, I am a dragonfly junkie. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Dragonflies. I own practically every stamp ever made featuring dragonflies and, in some cases, like Michelle Ward's Donata stamp from Stamper's Anonymous, I own at least 5 (just in case......)

I am very thankful to live in an area teeming with Dragonflies. My children and I spend countless hours watching and studying them. Getting them photographed is one of those tests in patience and determination; I call it a character building exercise but, truly, it is just one of those humbling and frustrating torturous type things in my world.... Today however, I did it, I got the Holy Grail of Dragonfly pictures. My daughter and I were out in the front yard and we spotted a beautiful red dragonfly. Being the true Mamarazzi that I am, I feverishly started snapping pictures praying that at least one of them would capture it..... I got the picture and was doing a little happy dance when my daughter said, "Watch Momma." There she stood hand outreached and the dragonfly simply landed in the palm of her hand. Click. Picture taken- no focus, no looking through the viewfinder, nothing. And just like that, it was gone. I looked at the digital camera in my hand and reviewed the picture I had taken, it was perfect. These are the moments you can do nothing but give thanks. I am thankful for the time with my daughter, I am thankful for the opportunity to witness something truly "cool" and I am grateful that we got the chance to preserve the moment for posterity.

Art Unscripted

I know I get a lot of flack from folks wanting to see the stuff I have going on in my studio. I always end up having to show you all after the stuff has been published- part and parcel of the Designing gig I suppose.... Well, I finally get to spill the beans on a project I have been working on- BEFORE it comes out! I am truly grateful to have had the opportunity to be one of the invited guests on Carol Duvall's new DVD. I still cannot tell you everything we did or the amazing projects that were created, but, here is a clip from the retreat to give you a sneak peek. The DVD is slated to be released before the end of the year. I will keep you updated.

Real Women Scrap

I think I might have mentioned this before, but, I really like a book called Real Women Scrap. Tasra Dawson is one of the most amazing women I have come to know. I am a firm believer in Providence and I do not think people are just randomly put in your life by happenchance..... Tasra is an amazing blessing in my life. A week or so (probably more now) Tasra wrote me an email explaining this "thing" she was up to.... Well, I finally got around to figuring out how to link stuff and you can read more about it here..... I am donating a tea set to the list of prizes (created especially for you in whatever theme your heart desires.....) even though it isn't on the list..... that would be because I was a dork and did not respond early enough....Leaving the prizes out of the equation, this is a wonderful opportunity to meet some really cool folks around the world that share your quirkiness and passion for paper and scrapping and stuff....yup, these are the folks that "get" your addiction :) I will say, it was a different blog type celebration that introduced me to Tasra in the first place and well, I am thankful for that opportunity- you never know who you will meet.....

The Rubber Stamper!

I just got my Rubber Stamper today....How cool! It is such an honor to have work published in such an incredible publication. I am and always will be, a stamper in my heart of hearts and, the Rubber Stamper is just one of those magazines, I *HAVE* to have. Thank you so much to the Editorial staff over there for their hard work!

Vickie Enkoff

For those in the stamping world, Vickie Enkoff ( read about her here, here and here) was known for her generosity, her rare and sparkling sense of humor and her willingness to help anyone in need. She had long battles with various illnesses but, she always seemed to find the silver lining and continue on. She was an inspiration to so many people. I got word today that she went to her reward this afternoon. My thoughts and prayers are with her family. My dear Vickie, you have wings, no more illness, no more wheelchair, just wings to soar. I will miss you dear friend, you made this world a much more colorful place.

Fun new discovery

My friend Sandra Evertson has a wonderful blog.

Sandra is such a wonderful and gifted artist. I love poking around her blog. She is such a inspiration. Enjoy her handiwork!

Stampaway

Well folks, the 5 hour car ride to Cincinnati was.....TOTALLY worth it! Stampaway Stamp Convention was AWESOME! I took the kids with me to wander around the booths. What struck me was how many people were there. There were aisles so crowded with people that we simply had to stand still for a bit to let the masses pass us by. My sons really got a kick out of watching their now "best friends" Mary Jo McGraw and Judi Watanabe demonstrate and then a bit later, my son Ben was in awe of Beckah Krahula and Magdalena Muldoon over in the MercArt booth making pumpkin scenes from metal..... Stampaway is an amazing convention and I encourage everyone to mark their calendars to attend!