Candice Windham Design Studio

Way back in June of this year, there were several of us who attended Artiscape in Jackson, Tennessee and stopped at a local eatery for dinner before the trek back to the Memphis area. We were talking about all the wonderful people we would like to learn from, and an idea was born. Robyn Sharp, Michelle Murphy (Wilkerson), Roxi Phillips and I pursued this idea and it has come to fruition. Now, we need help from you. Mixed Media Mélange (M³) is excited to announce a three-day artist retreat to be held September 2009 in LaGrange,Tennessee. We are currently searching the globe in a quest to find talented artists/instructors to offer a variety of dynamic mixed-media classes. If you are interested or know someone who you'd like to recommend, please email us at mixed.media.melange@gmail.com, and we'll send the proposal forms. I'll be posting some photos of the area tonight, so check back.

It's 4:22 a.m. and I have been awake since 2:45. I don't know why I couldn't sleep, but when I can't, I get up and go to the computer. A quick game of Spider Solitaire usually does the trick, but this morning it didn't. I went into my e-mails and found the sad news that our dear friend Mozelle Smith had passed away. Now all I can think about is her dry wit, her tiny little shape and her quick smile. She was a joy to be around and brought sweetness everywhere she went. She was a wonderful stamper, always wanting to learn new techniques. She was also a world traveler. I remember her trip to Egypt and her ride on a camel. She always brought treasures back from her trips for her friends. I still have a packet of bits of flotsam and jetsam from that Egyptian trip - some papyrus paper with a King Tut image, a couple of postage stamps, just little things that may not have been much to anyone else, but they were symbols of her letting us know that she thought about us on he...

I know that Vermont is beautiful in the fall. I've been there. I know that New Hampshire is drop-dead gorgeous in the Fall. I've been there. I know that Maine kicks butt in the fall. I've been there. BUT....have you ever seen such a beautiful autumn in Tennessee as this year? I have taken about 300 pictures of the sugar maple tree in my front yard in the last week. I can't walk out the door without pulling my camera out of my purse and snapping a few shots. When Larry and I leave the house, no matter where we're going or how late we are, we always take the long way through the backroads surrounding our neighborhood. The colors just take my breath away. That's it. Just wanted to comment on what a great artist God is.

I'm not sure if this will come through. The colors were off the last time I tried to post. The blood is really red, not purple as it may appear, but you get the idea. Also, the Diamond Glaze doesn't show up, but it makes that Ruby Red blood really pop! Thanks to Cynthia Jerkins for coming up with the idea for this swap!

I did a little creative work this weekend, bought a great filing cabinet for my office, went to a family reunion, went to a surprise party and heard missionaries from Nepal at church today. The creative work: I was in a wonderful swap that was due today. It was a paperdoll swap and the theme was "Wicked." I have been thinking about this for a while and had thought about using my face on the doll, but nixed that idea. I ended up using Lizzie Borden, the forty whacks lady. I found a photo of her from the waist up and created the lower half in Photoshop for the paper doll. I then made an extra outfit that was a long white gown, kind of like a butcher's coat and added a hatchet and photoshopped in her hands from the original photo. I used the Stampin' Up! air art tool and my SU Ruby Red pen to splatter blood all over the coat, then dripped the Ruby Red reinker on the chest area and down the hatchet blade. I finished it off with Diamond Glaze on the red drips for a tru...

I just finished a 12 X 12, 72...count em'...72-page scrapbook in 48 hours. It is for a local dignitary and I am scrapped out.

As I understand it, the Orphan Works bill (see Oct. 3 post) has been tabled until next session unless they decide to come back for a short one and sneak it through. Please continue to contact your people in Washington. This is an outrage.