Counting my blessings this Christmas

Greetings Everyone, I hope that you have all had a wonderful Christmas day. Yesterday I spent 12 hours at Kaiser Hospital in San Francisco with my parents. There was some concern that my mother had some heart troubles and her doctors wanted to admit her right away for testing. Luckily we learned that there was very little to be worried about and that medication would improve her condition. But this has caused me to reflect upon my blessings. I have been blessed this year by having wonderful people take my classes and enjoy them. I have been blessed to be a part of a community of incredible artists and to feel like I belong there. I have been blessed this year by having met incredibly kind business owners and staff at LaDiDa Cafe in half Moon Bay, M Coffee in Half Moon Bay, Pilates studio 4 in half Moon Bay, Lunas Memories in El Granada, Scrapbook Depot in San Carlos, Scrapbook U in Fremont, Scrapbook Territory in Berkeley, Scrap-it in Santa Cruz and Art Max in Seaside. I thank them all for their kindness in allowing me space and time to teach and exhibit. I have been blessed in my family and knowing that they are all healthy and continuing to achieve their dreams. I have been blessed in my husband, family and friends for standing by me and believing in me even when I did not. They have indulged me with gifts, companionship and understanding. I have been blessed with two lovely dogs and their unfailing companionship. I have been blessed with a beautiful place to live and work. The coast is a constant source of inspiration. I have been blessed to live in freedom which allows me the right to indulge in art. I can only hope that Americans start to wake up and realize that the history of the world is tyranny. That the United States is a small miracle admist a sea of tyranny. That is miracle comes at a price that needs to be defended and protected. I have been blessed with the story of a baby in a manger which teaches us all the value of love and the spirit of giving. This is the short list of things that I have to be thankful for. But there are many others. I hope in the coming year at those times when my life doesn't quite turn out the way I want; that I can try to remember these little miracles and be thankful for them. Please have a wonderful New Years day. I hope to see you all in the coming year. Collage on!

Last class of the year!

Greetings Everyone,

Christmas is almost here and I am wrapping up a wonderful year with one last class. I am already working on my class schedule for next year. I am hoping to really mix things up next year working with shrink Plastic, Altered Books, collage, assemblage, dominos and a few assorted project based classes. I am hoping that my students will be as excited about these classes as I am. Here are the particulars for this weekend:

Saturday December 19th Class: Chandelier Crystal Ornaments Where: Art Max in Seaside Time: 11:00 to 2:00 Class Description: What can be more beautiful on a Christmas tree than Sparkling Chandelier crystals! Add collage images, transparencies, glitter, wire and beads and you have created a unique one of a kind ornament or gift to enjoy for years to come. Each student will create two crystals. Items to bring: Please bring paintbrushes and scissors. All other materials will be supplied. Fee: $40.00 See examples attached above If you would like to sign up for this class please email me at connie@isbjorn.com

As with last weekend I will again be setting up a small boutique of handmade items including Chandelier Crystal ornaments, Dominos, Glass Glitter skulls, a few tin ornaments, and small collages including my guardian Angel collages.

If you are in the area come by and say hello. Even if you cannot take the class-come by anyway and take a short break. If you are feeling sad, mad or bad -again just come by and exchange some Holiday cheer amongst friends and art. A little of either can go a long way to making your Holidays a little bit brighter.

I hope to see you soon!

Mummy Dearest class

Greetings everyone!

To remind you about my Mummy Dearest class this Saturday in Seaside California I am posting this classic Gem. Enjoy

Dominos, Mummies and Crystals oh my!

Greetings everyone!, I thought it high time to post my December class schedule.

Saturday December 5th Class: Rubberstamped Dominos/Finish your Dominos Where: Scrap-it in Santa Cruz Class descriptions Rubberstamped Dominos Did you know that you can rubberstamp on a Domino? Well you can and in this class you will learn two different methods of rubber stamping and coloring dominos. These dominos can then be made into fantastic Jewelry, art pieces or gift items. All materials are provided for this class so come and play! Price: $30.00 Time: 10:30am-1:30pm Finish your Dominos Do you have a ton of Dominos that are just lying around? Would you like to learn some ways to make great gifts out of your wonderful creations? In this class we will learn to Drill holes with a dremel and add free form wire work and beads. Please bring your unfinished Dominos. These Dominos should be unvarnished so that you can learn to use the dremel and drill holes. If you have dominos with holes already in them they should be varnished and ready for wire and beads. I will bring some stamps so that you can stamp more dominos and finish them at home as well. Fee: $40.00 Time: 2:00pm-5:00pm ******Note******* For any student that takes both classes this day there will be a special discounted rate of $55.00 for both classes If you wish to sign up for this class please call Scrap it at 831 475-2380 or email me at connie@isbjorn.com. Saturday December 12th Class: Mummy Dearest Where: Art Max in Seaside Time: 11:00am to 2:30pm Class Description: In honor of King Tut’s return to our shores we will be decking the halls this Christmas with Mummies! In this class we will be altering small coffin tins to recreate an Egyptian Sarcophagus. We will be using two part metallic Patina, acrylic paints, rubber stamps and even real Papyrus. Each student will receive a coffin tin, preformed mummy, sarcophagus Tut molding and instructions. So join the class and walk like an Egyptian! Items to bring: Paintbrushes and scissors and any small ornament you would like to deck your mummy with. Fee: $40.00 See example attached If you wish to sign up for this class please email me at connie@isbjorn.com Saturday December 19th Class: Chandelier Crystal Ornaments Where: Art Max in Seaside Time: 11:00 to 2:00 Class Description: What can be more beautiful on a Christmas tree than Sparkling Chandelier crystals! Add collage images, transparencies, glitter, wire and beads and you have created a unique one of a kind ornament or gift to enjoy for years to come. Each student will create two crystals. Items to bring: Please bring paintbrushes and scissors. All other materials will be supplied. Fee: $40.00 See example attached above If you would like to sign up for this class please email me at connie@isbjorn.com

NOTE

This will probably be my last Dominos class for a few months while I move on to other projects. I have a varied schedule in mind for next year that will include collage/texture classes, altered books and some assemblage as well as smaller project classes ( dominos, shrink plastic etc...) so stay tuned for my Jan 2010 schedule to be posted soon !

Holiday Art Fair

Greetings everyone!

Today's Holiday Art Fair was a fun and festive affair. At least 17 aritists were there with goods ranging from jewlery and ornaments, collage and hats and wonderful stitched and knitted goods. We had a steady stream of people shopping through out the day. I want to thank Amy Hoffman for organizing the event and giving some local artists a venue to have their work seen and hopefully to make a little extra holiday cash.

I would also like to thank all of my students, friends, fellow teachers and my mother for stopping by to say hello, talk Art and to spend your hard earned money to support some starving artists.

You guys rock. I thank God for all of you each and every day!

Holiday Art Fair

Greetings everyone,

I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving. This year my family and I had planned a roast, Yorshire pudding and Butternut squash for dinner. Unfortunately my Yorkshire pudding this year was a no go because of slightly rancid Shortening! Yeah it was a bummer. But other than rancid Yorkshire pudding I really had a great day.

Now to the shopping! Yes its officially the Christmas shopping season! What better place to find your Christmas gifts than at the Holiday Art Fair in Half Moon Bay. Everything there will be handmade and unique from local artists.

There will be at least 18 different artists including me and we would love to see you. Instead of going to the mall how about coming over to beautiful Half Moon Bay to do some shopping. Say hello, walk down main street, have some Lunch and relax before the Holiday Madness starts. You deserve it!

Have a Great Thanksgiving!

Greetings! I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!

Published in Somerset Studio!

Greetings everyone!

I told many of you in class that I was due to have a technique published in a special edition of Somerset Studio titled Black and White. However last week I received an email stating that the special issue would not be published after all. Of course I have been very disappointed and a little down. But imagine my surprize when I went to the post office today and found this issue of Somerset Studio with my technique spotlighted! This was a much needed boost this week. My technique and collages are on pages 146 and 147 of the Winter Gallery. Many of you that have taken my classes will recogize this technique from my class Designs in Gesso. As you can see from the scans above I have chosen to leave my Designs unpainted-a very difficult thing for me. All of the photos in the collages are my own. They were taken from Grave stones at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma.

Classes this weekend

Greetings everyone!

This weekend was fabulous! I taught my Chandelier Crystal class at LaDiDa cafe on Saturday night and at Scrapbook U in Fremont on Sunday. Both classes were filled with wonderful artistic people. Sheer bliss! I want to thank all the students that took my classes this weekend. You guys are awesome!

I am attaching just some of the incredible Crystals that were created this weekend for all to see.

I also want to thank Luz from La Di Da cafe and Monica Martinek and her staff at Scrapbook U for allowing me once again to invade their space with all of my stuff.

Chandelier crystals and more chandelier crystals

Greetings everyone! As you can see above I have been working, working, working. I have been busy making product for the upcoming Holiday Art Fair at Studio 4 Pilades in Half Moon Bay at the end of the month. More about that later. In the meantime I wanted to take a moment to remind everyone about my classes this weekend. What class is it you ask? Yes Chandelier crystals! For anyone looking for a fun no pressure class this is it! Not only is it fun but you walk away with a couple of beautiful and very unique ornaments for you or a loved one. Here are the particulars for this weekend:

Chandelier Crystal Ornaments Description: What can be more beautiful on a Christmas tree than Sparkling Chandelier crystals?! Add collage images, transparencies, glitter, wire and beads and you have created a unique one of a kind ornament or gift to enjoy for years to come. Each student will create two crystals. Please bring paintbrushes and scissors. All other materials will be supplied Fee: $40.00 Saturday November 14th Where: La Di DA Café in Half Moon Bay Time: 6:00pm to 9:00pm Description: See above Fee: $40.00 If you wish to sign up for this class please email me at connie@isbjorn.com Sunday November 15th Where: Scrapbook U in Fremont Time: 1:00 to 4:00pm Description: See above Fee: $40.00 If you wish to sign up for this location please call Scrapbook U at 510 490-5065 I hope to see you soon!

November class schedule

Greetings to all of you Ghosties, Ghoulies and Long Legged Beasties,

I hope you had a Happy Haunting last night.

Yes I'll admit it. I've been hiding this week. I had a small break in my teaching schedule and took the opportunity to rest a little and also make product for the Holiday Art Faire on November 29th in Half Moon Bay. But I've had to stop for a day to let my fingers heal from all the wire work that I've been adding to my Dominos!

My Coffin Shrine class on Saturday October 24th at La Di Da Cafe in Half Moon Bay was a blast.

The assignment for this group was to make their shrines dirty, grungy or rusty. No cute smiley ghosts allowed. After a little grumbling the group took up the challenge wonderfully. I've included a couple of the shrines for all of you to see below. Aren't these awsomely grungy?!

On Sunday the 25th I had a full house at Scrapbook U in Fremont for a Finish your Dominos class. In this class the group learned that yes the Dremel is your friend. This group brought in tons of Dominos to finish . It was amazing. All of the finished products were absolutely beautiful.

I want to thank the staff of both LaDiDa Cafe and Scrapbook U for again allowing me into their space to teach my classes. And also thank you to all the students who attended the classes.

I also wanted to finally post my November class schedule. You will note that the only class that I will be teaching is the Chandelier Crystal Ornament class. I have posted class samples at the top of the page. Here are the particulars:

Chandelier Crystal Ornaments What can be more beautiful on a Christmas tree than Sparkling Chandelier crystals? Add collage images, transparencies, glitter, wire and beads and you have created a unique one of a kind ornament or gift to enjoy for years to come. Each student will create two crystals. Please bring paintbrushes and scissors. All other materials will be supplied. Fee: $40.00

Here are the dates and places that I will be teaching this class:

Saturday November 7th

Where:Scrap-it in Santa Cruz

Time: 11:00am to 2:00pm

If you wish to sign up for this class please email me at connie@isbjorn.com or call Scrap-it at 831 475-2380

Sunday November 8th

Where:Scrapbook Depot in San Carlos

Time: 12:30 to 3:30pm

To sign up for this class please call Scrapbook Depot at 650 592-2767

Saturday November 14th

Where: LaDi Da Cafe in Half Moon Bay

Time:6:00pm to 9:00 pm

To sign up for this class please email me at connie@isbjorn.com.

Sunday November 15th

Where: Scrapbook U in Fremont

Time: 1:00 to 4:00pm

To sign up for this class please call Scrapbook U at 510 490-5065

Saturday November 21st

Where: Art Max in Seaside

Time: 11:00am to 2:00pm

To sign up for this class please email me at connie@isbjorn.com

Sunday November 22nd****No Classes************

Saturday November 28th ******No Classes********

Sunday November 29th

**********Holiday Art Faire***************

Where:Studio 4 Pilates in Half Moon Bay

Time: 11:00 to 6:00pm

More information to come!

As you can see this is going to be a busy month as we head into the Holiday season. I hope to see you all soon!

Coffin Shrines and Dominos

Greetings everyone! After a great weekend of teaching a World in a Matchbox at Art Max in Seaside and being lucky enough to take Michael De Mengs Holy Rolling Hotwheels class its time to come back down to earth and remind everyone about my classes this weekend. Here are the particulars: Saturday October 24th Where: LaDiDa Café in Half Moon Bay Class: Halloween Coffin Shrines Description: In this Halloween themed event we will be altering small metal coffins! Using collage, assemblage and pretty much anything else you can think of we will turn these small coffin shaped mint tins into personal shrines to Halloween! These tins would make great Halloween ornaments or even gifts! Items to bring: variety of paintbrushes, scissors, any small personal item or image that you would like to include in your shrine. Time: 6:00pm to 9:00pm Fee: $35.00 To sign up for this class please email me at connie@isbjorn.com.

Sunday October 25th ******Sorry this class is full****** Where: Scrapbook U Class: Finish your Dominos Description: Do you have a ton of Dominos that are just lying around? Would you like to learn some ways to make great gifts out of your wonderful creations? In this class we will learn to Drill holes with a dremel and add free form wire work and beads. We will also learn to make ribbon necklaces using your dominos. Please bring your unfinished Dominos. These Dominos should be varnished and ready to go for ribbon necklaces. If you want to drill through some dominos please leave them unvarnished for now. I will bring some stamps so that you can stamp more dominos and finish them at home as well. Time: 11:00 to 2:00pm Fee: $35.00 If you wish to sign up for this class please call Scrapbook U at 510 490-5065.

Please see my class samples above.

I want to thank all of the students that came to my World in a Matchbox class. Unfortunately I once again forgot to bring my camera and so didn't get pictures of the wonderful Art that was created in class. But I can assure you it was beautiful and strange. In a word the matchboxes were awesome! I want to thank Germain Hatcher manager of ArtMax and her always friendly and helpful staff. If you are in the Monterey area stop by ArtMax sometime-its filled with Art Treasures.

And of course Michael DeMengs class was just wonderful as always. His unique style continues to blow me away. He's a very very good teacher and I can't say enough good things about his classes. I think that every aspiring artist should take at least one of his classes. Not only will you have a great time but most of you will definately want more ! I will try to get a picture of my dapper yet nasty little Hotwheels man and post it soon.

Creature in the backyard

Hey check this lovely creature out! It wandered into my backyard just in time for the Halloween season!

More Matchbox Worlds!

In Motion

Hannah's Dream

A Tribute to one of my favorite books "The Lord of the Rings"

The World In a Matchbox

Greetings everyone! I had a great class this Saturday. We made sugar skulls! And no there was no real sugar on the skulls! It was all done with Vintage Glass Glitter. Unfortunately I did not get any photos since they just don't photograph well. Or more like I don't photograph them well. But I assure you all the students made incredible one of a kind art pieces. They were all just beautiful.

This Saturday I am teaching "A World in a Matchbox" at Art Max in Seaside California. Here are all the particulars: Saturday October 17th Where: ArtMax in Seaside Class: A World in a Matchbox Description: Have you ever dreamed of finding a secret door, opening it and stepping into another world? Did you know that you can find this world in a matchbox? In this project based class we will utilize everyday matchboxes, paper towels, collage and assemblage to create our own worlds. Matchbox worlds make very personal and special gifts to give for any occasion. Instead of sending your loved ones a card, send them the world! Items to bring: Any personal images or items that you might like to use that are small enough to fit into a matchbox. I will have plenty of little items with me as well. Scissors and small paintbrushes. All other materials supplied Time: 11:00 to 2:30 Fee: $40.00 If you wish to sign up for this class please email me at connie@isbjorn.com.

Please see my samples above.