WholeLife Mastery

Love and Live Deliciously

I've been hunting for an authentically Southern, i.e. with cocoa and without artificial red food coloring, Red Velvet cake for a few weeks now. The closest I've found so far are at Freed's Bakery, which was featured on $40 a Day with Rachel Ray. It's that neither chocolate nor vanilla flavor without the artificial taste and the velvety ruby color I remember from rainbow teas at church that's driving my search. That nostalgic longing along with today's Gluebook Yahoo Group prompt came together in this Valentine's Day journal page.  I probably won't try the Red Velvet Whoopie Pies pictured in my spread (free registration required to access recipe), but let me know how they turn out if you do. 

Time for a Gluebook Page a Day Challenge

My food clip file is overflowing so it's time to get gluing.  Here are the first three days of alphabet prompts from the Gluebooks Yahoo Group. 

Luckiest Day of the Century

Is today's date a big deal anywhere other than in Las Vegas?

Enjoying Spring Greens

  An easy, true food color at last.  They say there are only two seasons in Las Vegas -- Summer and the other six months.  For the last two days, we've actually had weather that reminds me of Spring back East.  In the morning there's a refreshing undercurrent of coolness in the air, even as the sun shines.  I'm definitely enjoying Spring while it lasts.   

I (still) don't know Ochre

I may be going color-blind.  What in the world is ochre?  Yes, I looked it up.  AGAIN.  Just as I did in June 2005 and June 2006.  Have you ever out-clevered yourself?  If I'd done oranges for orange, pumpkins for ochre wouldn't be repetitive.  Oh my!  I keep forgetting a "life insight" (Jennifer Louden's Life Organizer, p. 34) that I seem to be reminded of no less than 3 times a month: How easy can I let this be?  Reading Lisa Vollrath's artist profile on Layers Upon Layers had me ROTFLOL with recognition: "If you're having a good time and you're making things, you're learning and growing.  Maybe what you learn today is that you shouldn't have done something".  Amen.

Pumpkin Orange

Just when I decided to switch from daily blog entries to posting in my photo album (look to the top of the left sidebar) for this month's gluebook challenge, here I am writing an entire post.  My original intention, inspired by  Mary Ann's blog album of her current visual journal, was to keep it simple and post the picture without futzing over a journal entry to go with it.  Then I sat down to play with today's prompt, Orange, and something interesting happened.  I made THAT way too complicated.  The original intent for this journal was to make it a kind of eating with the seasons book by gluing foods for each color prompt into the calendar around the time it would be in season.  My first thought was cantaloupes.  Then I saw a bunch of winter squash in my freezer and thought "Oh, that would be interesting" only I don't have any pictures of winter squash that aren't already glued down in my recipe journal.  See? I told you I was making it way to complicated.  Back to the easy flip through the food file and see what catches my eye approach.  First, the orange wrapper from -- what's the name of that candy?? -- came.  Next, the pumpkin owl flew out of the folder.  One side done.  Now what about the other side?  Oh, I have pictures of myself with pumpkins.  A brayered Vivid ink background and two transfers later the page was done.  "But pumpkins come in around Halloween and I just did the entire spread in November, which is when winter squash come in...." I finally caught myself being quite silly about the whole thing and laughed as I reminded myself "This is supposed to be fun.  Let it be so." 

I also think all of that gluey navel gazing started with my pondering a discussion on the Artists' Journals 2 Yahoo Group asking "What comes first, the art or the words?".

Candyland Pink

Lemon Yellow

Strawberry Red

Just when I needed some structure, the Gluebooks Yahoo Group Page a Day Color Challenge has started.

Sunday was Earth Day

One of the many things I love about gluebooking is that it's a wonderful opportunity to recycle.  Also TV Turnoff Week begins today.  How much more art play could you enjoy if you let go of the shadow comfort of watching too much TV?