366 calender challenge

Happy Monday :))
While I was visiting the US, I picked up the latest issue of Somerset Studio and the article that struck me most was about  Kate Krane, and her art calenders.  I have been writing in those tiny Hallmark datebooks since I was 15, and  when I saw her beautiful project I was immediately hooked! so I joined her 2012 challenge.
This is my January spread. I made my own 8x5'' journal out of watercolour paper and card stock, and followed  this tutorial on how to bind your own book.

Meanwhile I'm crocheting like crazy and working on this new painting :)
Have a most creative week!!
xoxo

BB's travels

I've been so obsessed with making brownies the past few weeks and been pouring over old Bon Appetit magazines, that last night I kept dreaming about chocolate. All night! Lol at least I had no bad dreams again!  I'm using my daughters'  bdays  tomorrow as an excuse to make them. Lol ( they both live in NY)  Daisy and I will be celebrating by making them cake and eating it, too. haha. They are both born on the same day! several years apart, and no, it wasn't planned :)

As promised, here is BB's book all finished and I'm so happy with it.    hope you like :)

xoxox

greek farmer's market

Happy Monday :))
  I was going to post my finished book today, but I got a little sidetracked with the farmer's market, while visiting my mom. She moved to Greece over a year ago, from CA and it's a blessing to have her here so close to me :)) One thing she really missed about Greece was the fresh produce at the weekly farmer's market. She goes every week and today I decided to join her.

That's my little mommy :)

 Every neighborhood has their own " laiki agora" once a week, rain or shine and it's a delight shopping there. The merchants yell out their prices and make funny jokes as to attract customers.  Prices vary depending on what time you go.. you get better deals if it's late in the afternoon. Everything they sell is so fresh and high quality.

 I love the noise and the beautiful colours of the Laiki agora!
Have a great week!!
xoxo

"nightmare"

At  Netty's suggestion, to put my nightmare in my journal, here it is...  the fish monster is inspired from my favorite artist Miro and has appeared many times in my work.
 While I was in NYC last month, I walked into this tiny little shop, that sold herbs, candles and religious artifacts. I was greeted by the cutest old man, Mr.George, who was a very gifted man in reading peoples' minds, The first thing he asked me was.. " oh, I see you are having trouble sleeping and are having bad dreams.."  I just stared at him in disbelief!!  I thought to myself, my makeup is really bad today and it shows that I haven't slept well, lol or that he was just trying to sell me stuff. which of course was not the case.  He kept talking to me and in the middle of conversing with me he would just tell me about things in my past that just floored me!!  He told me that he was from Puerto Rico and that he lost both his parents at a very young age and ever since then he would have very scary visions about people he knew and was very frightened. He was just a young boy when this first occurred and didn't know how to handle it, until he had an angel appear in his dream and has been guiding him ever since.
I stayed and talked to him for a while and when I left, I felt this serenity and peacefulness...
Mr. George gave me a prayer by St. Alejo  and I tucked it in the tulle in the bottom of my page.

have a good dream...

My sleepless nights continue and although I've been listening to my rain cd, which helps me to fall asleep, now I'm having nightmares almost every night! and I'm talking about really ugly ones, like driving over dead bodies and dreaming about daylight no longer existing and everything is pitch dark.. yikes!  I wake up terrified and can't go back to sleep. Talking about sleep disorder!!  Well, I must say even though I am sleep deprived, I'm full of inspiration! lol  I have been working non stop on three different projects at the same time.  One is my BB book, the other is this painting, and...

I've started crocheting again!! I'm not really good at it (weaving is my thing) but I don't care. lol  I find it soothing.
I work on my paintings during the day and then at night I crochet! last night I made this really long flower garland :)) 
Stay tuned for more pics from BB's travels.
Have a great week!
xoxo

BB's travels

Good Morning!! We had our first "snow" of 2012! well, on the mountain tops, that is. Athens is surrounded by four mountains and lucky me I have a beautiful view of three of them:) and from what I've been told, that is good feng shui and good luck? The one above is Mount Pendeli.
 It's not really that cold down here in the city, for it to stick, it's 46F but it feels like it's freezing!! lol. Seeing the snow on the mountain tops is just fine with me, because I've had my share of heavy snow and ice storms when I lived in NYC and DC. and that's one thing I can do without. When it does snow here in Athens, which is rare, it's exciting, because it only lasts for a day.Watch me say that and tomorrow we have a snow storm! lol and I jinx the whole thing! hahaha.

This is Mount Parnitha, it's the biggest one.

Well, I told you in my last post, that while I was working on my summer painting I was inspired for the next project, and here it is...  BB's Travels. this is the first of many, and the title is " BB goes to Serifo"   This is the first spread, where BB and Daisy are dreaming and planning their summer get away! lol 

Have a great weekend xoxo

Welcome 2012

Happy New Year!! May all your dreams and inspirations come true! My motto for this new year is to focus! and to make every day count!
2011 was a very mixed year for me..and on those hard days I would drift off to Serifo, the Greek island I spent my vacation at. I would dream I was there again and gain strentgh and inspiration. I felt this wonderful connection and positive energy while I was there. Do you ever feel like that when you visit a new place? like you've been there before?
It took me several months to finish this painting, which is quite unusual for me. I had a general idea of what it would look like, but kept adding to it. The straw at the bottom of the post is from a hat I had bought the year before and finally fell apart on the island! There were a few very windy days!! lol It was part of the vacation, so I added it. and so was the sand. for the tv I cut and sanded a piece of transparent film. I took the "finished" painting to a friend who has a large scanner and he gave me the idea for the stairs to be 3D. so back to the studio I returned and cut out tiny individual card stock for the stairs. And so here it is. "No fishing allowed".
While I was working on this I had another inspiration for my next project. ohhh how I love when this happens!! the "one thing leads to the next".  but that will be my next post :)
Happy New Year, my friend. Thank you for being there for me. xoxoxo