January 30, 2009

This journal page came fast and furious to me today!! Some days, I am aware that I have to put a little more "jelly" on the toast of the day!! A little more sweetness into my thoughts...my actions...my life....Lately I have been addressing things that are a bit uncomfortable...thoughts, and situations that have been left unspoken....although that is somewhat "uncomfortable" I am breaking it in (like a new pair of shoes) and I am sure that soon I will feel as if it is my favorite place to be...my favorite pair of shoes despite the blisters I might be feeling at the moment...because "WHO SAID" that I must stop living my life as if it were my own? Certainly not me....IT MUST OF BEEN SOMEONE ELSE!!! (that inner negative voice!!) So as my friend Royce, wrote....BE...GIN...BE...GIN...BE...GIN (with the beating of your heart) again...I hold on tightly to that saying and I breathe slowly...in and out to feel the beating of MY HEART while I work through the fear!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

January 29, 2009

Do you ever notice that some days you just have to pay a little more attention to your soul...to your passion...to YOU? Today, is one of those days for me....So today, I am reminded to take 2 soul vitamins instead of one!! To pay closer attention and listen to what it is with a better ear that my heart is telling me....With the prompt about carnations a sweet and wonderful memory came flooding back...of how my Dad (who has been gone for over 20 years now) would buy them for me...for my sister and for my mother....not wanting to look like a sentimental softy (which he was by the way...all 6 foot 2 of him!!) he would say he got a good deal on them...and that they lasted a long time so they were so worth the money!!) It still brings a smile to my face knowing that my father would go to the florist and purchase these for his girls...with love...silently letting us know how very precious and sweet we were to him!!! I used the prompt from Oprah...to write to myself about the lessons that I am learning as I journey down my path...how, I am growing into my wisdom...listening closer to my messages...and becoming aware that I can change my thinking....ENJOYING life more and more...
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

PS: Don't forget to pop over and see Shelia!! She is full of life...A STELLAR artist and a MARVELOUS person!!

january 28, 2009

This morning as I worked on this AWE journal...once again AWING MYSELF with the things that it is revealing to me...I am aware that I am picking the sweet fruit from my own vine...I am taking the "berries" of life and enjoying them...Allowing myself to be "GOOD ENOUGH" ...taking the steps to allow perfection to fall a bit and rising above that need...Trying to be "perfect" to everyone and all things is an exhausting thing to do!....So today, I honor my creative time...connecting with others...doing NOTHING and not feeling guilty about that....but most of all allowing myself...with all my insecurities...with all my mistakes...with all my imperfections...with being a little off center... to BELIEVE that is GOOD ENOUGH!!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

January 27, 2009

I did not get to journal till late tonight...life just got in the way....but there was a prompt on the page today that it was National Chocolate Cake Day!! That made me laugh right out loud...so I decided it was a good reason to celebrate!! To remind myself to celebrate the day for any apparently silly reason!! The Ode to chocolate cake was a fast and furious writing...but you can see...I really like vanilla cake!! LOL....Got to love the fact that one can find humor in the simplest of things!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

PS: While doing these journal pages and interviewing Jill...I was reminded of how many very talented friends I have here on the net....So next month I will be interviewing my friend Shelia over at Halo Hill...Stop by her blog...say hello...and watch for her interview in February!!

January 26, 2009


Today, as I give myself a toast....I am reminded to FLOAT....Not to weigh myself down...to ENJOY and sip life slowly! To look for the good things today...the ice cream of life...the happy things...the things that allow me to float...to not take everything so seriously...to be grateful. There were many prompts today...but my focus seemed to be on the one where you make up a bird to represent your work...This little bird tells me to nest and hatch my creativity...my dreams...and to believe in all the tools that I have to do that. I have also, been aware of playing tag with questions...especially here on the net...I have played it many times and have revealed things not only to others but also to myself...Try it....it's FUN!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

January 25, 2009

Today, is Sunday....and although I have some domestic goddess things to attend to...they are FEW and so I get to PLAY ALL DAY in my studio....my studio...my room!! No one but me likes to be in here....so cluttered...so messy...so full of creative chaos!! My "dream" room would be organized...neat and orderly...a place where tops were on paints and things were not piled on the floor...I was looking at a magazine....WHERE WOMEN CREATE...dreaming of these nice clean orderly places...and realized that I would NEVER be able to find anything if it was that clean!! LOL....The chaos somehow fuels my energy....Wonder if they will ever show a REAL working studio in one of those magazines?!?!?! One of the prompts today, was to use the word "pieces" and I made a list of the first 5 things that came to mind when I thought of that word...and then wrote a small quick story for myself using those thoughts....Causing me to realize that the "pieces" of my life come together so much BETTER when I do allow my creativity (even in the chaos of life) to shine through!! So, now....I am off to PLAY and ENJOY this creative day!!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

January 24, 2009

I will EAT...DRINK...and BE MERRY today....It is Saturday...and I have no where to go and nothing pressing to do....So, I am just going to ENJOY this creative day!! The prompts on this page had a lot to do with compliments...I listed some of them for those who read this journal...
YOU have touched my heart by being here....Thank you for listening...I BELIEVE in you!!
Using as many B's as I could I gave myself a compliment!! LOL....A BUNDLE OF DREAMS!!
Of course, I had to get the extra credit for using a title from a Neil Diamond song and make it my own....Now, if I could just come up with a little music for it...that was of course danceable!! I would rate it a 98!!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

January 23, 2009

I have had a very busy day today....but doing my journal page tonight lightened me up quite a bit!! Thinking of my feet...what a wonderful instrument that we do not pay homage to as often as we should...we say a lot of negative about our feet..."oh, my feet hurt"..."I've been standing on my feet all day and they hurt"...oh, my aching feet"...but the truth is...they are marvelous!! And we should pamper them more...tonight I think I will decorate my toes with new polish to let them know just how much I appreciate them...I adorn my toes with rings and bracelets...and try very hard to wear "sensible" shoes to pamper them...SO tonight I toast my feet!! There was a prompt about X-RAYS...and I was reminded of an altered book of Muses I did several years ago with 4 other extraordinary women and the X-RAY Muse came to mind...So I wrote a little about her and that brought a smile and a memory to me....and the feelings that my creativity makes me feel....PRICELESS!!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

January 22, 2009

Today, as I set about doing my journal page with the prompts from the Awe-Manac...my imagination was playing....The conversation with my cats caused me to laugh right out loud...what would they say to me??? Better yet...how would I answer?!?!? Thanks to Kitt and Ivy I have learned the fine art of the CAT NAP!!! and do so enjoy it snuggled under my blanket mid afternoon with one cat at my side and one nestled behind the bend in my knee!! The Journal Juju was to take the book title...Lines and Shadows and see what came of it....It was a negative and positive thing for me....and the little drawing showed me no color....But it also make me aware that if I am in the negative all I have to do is flip the coin...turn a corner...take another step...or a CAT NAP and things change! I am also aware of how many times I don't make opportunities for myself...that I transfer things from list to list and that at the moment of the thought is when I should react...I should just allow the opportunity to be written down...and made available to me...not putting it off....It was a good journal day of learning and allowing my imagination to play!!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

January 21, 2009


The journal prompts today gave me some food for thought....What I am most aware of as I toast the day is how full my cup of life is...and I will sip slowly in order not to spill any and to savor every drop of this day....So I breathe deeply...and relax into this day. My credit report looked good today....I did some very important things for myself...in order to take care of myself...and I am looking forward to going to the movies with my sister and mother this afternoon to treat myself...I try very hard NOT to envy people...As I made my envy list...I just could not help but give myself a counter balance for each envy!!! And what would people envy me for??...it has been said that it is because I create every day....I do that...in many different ways...but it started very slowly...with first dreaming it...then allowing it...now doing it....one small step at a time to arrive to where I am....It 's a good job if you can allow yourself to have it and enjoy it!! LOL
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

January 20, 2009


There was a lot to ponder on today's page...but today is the Inauguration and I have been lost in the media hype of it all...and then, I watched a movie about Ernie Davis, a football player in the lat 50's who played for Syracuse University (Express) both of these things reminded me of doors..opening doors...going through doors that might have been locked at times...but continuing on to follow your dream....So today, I write my favorite Door quote by Joseph Campbell...and I see a door before me...that welcomes me...and behind it lies all sorts of wonderful and happy possibilities! Today, may your doors open before you...and may the door to our lives be ones that never have locks on them.
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

January 19, 2009

Working on the journal page today, I raise my cup of coffee in a toast to the sunny day outside...to the sunny day inside...and remind myself to make it a ... GOOD morning....a GOOD afternoon....and a GOOD night!! The magic potion that I drink today...is a MOTION POTION...filled with sparkles...filled with sunshine...filled with gratitude for this day...I recommend it in HIGH doses (especially during the winter months here in upstate NY!!) For it will make you SING...make you DANCE....and allow you to ENJOY life to the fullest while continuing to dream BIG even if the sky here is Grey!! The Juju today was to use the line...
"I wish I could write..." and so I did my wishing...but while doing so....my heart gave me the answer that I was looking for....FOR I am happy to write...I am happy to share my hearts thoughts with myself every day....from the inside ....out!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

January 18, 2009....AND THE WINNER IS.....



Big drawing for the Awe-Manac book....and the WINNER IS: KATE! (I will contact you for your addy ASAP....so the book can be sent off and started!!)
Today, as I did my journal page...the prompt that spoke to me was that of MAINTENANCE!
And as I focused on that word...it brought to my attention WHY I do these pages...WHY I sit with the Awe-Manac every day....I do it to clean up and clear out the negative...the cobwebs...and it makes me focus on the positive side of my creativity....I listed 3 things that work for me when I stay creative....and the fruit of my common sense tells me to take ONLY as much as I need....sometimes I am very guilty of biting off more than I can chew!! Doing to many things at once and then not finishing anything!! Losing interest before completion...So today, I work on completing things here in my studio...one piece at a time!! Slowly ...chewing to completion...maintaining a positive attitude!!
CONGRATULATIONS KATE!!! May you discover your MAINTENANCE every day while doing the Awe-Manac. Thanks to all who joined in on leaving a comment....I appreciate it! You can run out and buy the book....you can order it over the net....(do yourself a small favor today...don't put it off...start your maintenance!!)
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

January 17, 2009

I have just now gotten to my page in the Awe-Manac....it has been a busy day here in the studio trying to complete custom orders....I choose not to make a mosaic for my parachute for one of the prompts...but rather choose words that HOLD me UP....I use these words as much and as often as possible!! The Journal Juju was to write about the various relationships with your hair....I have lost my hair completely twice in my life time...Once when I was sick and I wore my baldness as a badge of honor....a survivors helmet!! The second time was unexpected and for no reason that anyone could tell and no one could say if it would ever grow back...my eyebrows and eyelashes fell out too....At first I was so sad...somewhat embrassed...and tried wigs...but they never looked like me...one day I looked into the mirror and saw myself for the first time in a long time...the inside self...and it was at that moment that I never wore the wigs again...because the baldness did not define who I was.....MY HEART SOARS now as I learn more about myself from the inside out....And after 4 years my hair grew back....GO FIGURE!! (perhaps it was just a SELF lesson!)
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

January 16, 2009

Today, I am enjoying the "nothingness" of this day....Right now...nowhere to go...nowhere that I have to be...Relaxing and Enjoying this morning with myself...with my creativity with this journal age!! Does that mean that it won't change today....WELL...I am HOPING it won't change as there is a wind chill factor here in upstate NY of 10 degrees below zero (can we say BURRRR!!) and I do not want to go outside and leave the comfort of my toasty house if I do not have to!! So sticking with the theme of "nothing" I am hoping against all odds to do just that...relax and enjoy whatever it is that I want to do...and if that is nothing...then so be it!! LOL....Again...I love to play with the word pool....and I just write without thinking of the outcome...After I finished this game I read the snippet and it made me laugh right out loud...because all though it appears to be "nothing"... words strung together quickly....It actually says SOMETHING....It tells me to be aware of the sparkling whispers around me...to wield my sneaker at any bump in the road....to not go down the black tunnel but to STOP and be quiet...to relax and enjoy...and to weave dreams out of the emptiness ....And to of course...NEVER LEAVE THE HOUSE WITH ONE SHOE ON!! To always try to be present!! ( All that from a funny little run on sentence!! )LOL
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

PS: Only 2 days left to leave a comment to win THE AWE-MANAC by Jill Badonsky....
Go HERE to enter!!

January 15, 2009

Approaching this days journal page I was reminded of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Jill and to wish him a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! While doing so, writing my own I HAVE A DREAM speech for myself...Picking words from the word pool provided...I wrote without thinking to much...straight from the heart! Because I do have a dream for myself....I try to follow it each and every day...
As I checked the back of my mind what small step can I take with comfort in new shoes...I can step out...step up...and continue to honor who I am and what I do without to much judgment...without to much criticism...by breaking in those shoes...slowly...one step at a time...and my holding onto the string of my hearts balloon that floats before me.
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

January 14, 2009


I have been popping my SOUL VITAMINS lately....I have been experiencing a great deal of creative energy from doing so...allowing myself to FLY on the Wings of my Dreams...Writing the JUju...quickly brought the thought of the series of UPS and DOWNS that one experiences in life...how we allow them to affect us to the point of stopping us in our tracks...however, if we treat ourself with compassion we can slow down....look around...and carry on with the flow a whole lot better....I am not always compassionate with myself...I am usually compassionate with others a lot easier...a lot quicker....the need for perfection often enters into how I treat myself...I am feeling SO creative these days...and with that comes some frustration when I am not getting the results I think I should be getting....So today, I am reminded to ENJOY this process and to be gentle with my heart....
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

PS: 5 days till the book drawing....DON'T MISS OUT!! Leave a comment...HERE!

January 13, 2009

As I read the prompts today in the Awe-Manac I doodled what music would look like to me...the notes dancing around full of color ... I do not play a musical instrument...I do not read music but I can hear quite clearly the notes of my musical colorful creative soul this day....I am listening to my internal wind chimes and reminding myself to SING...to FLY...to BE FREE...to dance (to my own beat!) and to ENJOY the process of this creative energy. Wanting....HA! there are so many things that we THINK we want....and I am reminded with this page that the things that are most important to me are often over looked...and I ALREADY HAVE!! Today...I am flying with my creativity....it is a colorful...magical...day and I am wanting no more than to stay right here in this energy!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

January 12, 2009

There are many pens that I like to play with....but they have to feel comfortable in my hand...they have to have a balance that feels right...and they have to have ink that flows freely!!
There is something about a permanent pen that speaks to me....It might be because I can't erase what it is that I am saying...with the mis-spelled words and all....allowing ME to be ME!
Today....I celebrate ME....I drink in the JOY of this day!! I give myself permission to CATCH A STAR...to DREAM A DREAM. To toast MYSELF as I celebrate this day!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

PS: ONLY 7 more days till the GIVE AWAY....Have you left your comment? If not...do so HERE!

January 11, 2009


Today, is a day, now that I am home...where I DO NOT have to go out again!! I can put my PJ's on and stay in them all day!! I can lounge on the sofa watching football, or taking a nap, or sketching!! For the rest of the day....this day is mine to do with it whatever makes my boat float!! PUDDLES....this was an interesting prompt to think about....and "every path has its puddle" proverb reminded me of what I do when one appears in my path....Sometimes I jump over it (paying it no never mind as if it is not even there!!) Sometimes I walk around it (taking a look at it, but making sure not to disturb it in anyway!) Sometimes I tip toe thru it (just barely getting my toes wet, trying very hard to only hit the surface of the puddle!) BUT most of the times I SPLASH right into it....FEET FIRST...Stomping and romping ...without any boots on...getting myself wet from head to toe...or toe to head...knowing fully well that I just might catch a cold...or get dirty...muddy...but also knowing that I will come away from that puddle with a knowledge that it wasn't as bad as I had thought it would be....there was a lesson to be learned...and I allow some of the UNDERWATER DRAMA to DISSOLVE...to ESCAPE... There is just something about puddles...I just seem to want to go through to get to the other side! (mud and all!!)
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

PS: Next Sunday is the drawing....comment HERE to win a copy of the Awe-Manac by Jill Badonsky....Join in the fun!!

January 10, 2009


Today you could use a prompt to write about chocolate!! HA! I ate the chocolate instead!! Nothing there to write about anymore!! LOL.....There were many prompts on this page in the book, but the THINGS THAT FRUSTRATE ME prompt was one that jumped off the page and spoke to me....Because I have been feeling a bit frustrated lately!! (So what else is new!!) and I need to sit and remind myself of the lessons that can be learned from the frustration...I mean, we all know the Count to 10 one that we learned as children (do we actually use that one often when we react from frustration?...NO, at least I can honestly say I do not) and then a friend of mine has the 24 HOUR Rule (sit on something for 24 hours and then react!! HA! this one is not one I use either) I am a quick reactor...some have even said I shoot first and ask questions later...I am not sure WHY I do that...but I do....SO today, with this prompt I am reminding myself that when things frustrate me I DO have the option of not reacting so quickly.....I DO have the option to learn the lessons that frustration can teach me....I DO have the option to be very aware and grow....and when all else fails...
EAT THE CHOCOLATE!!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

January 9, 2009


I name today....Wave Day....because I am feeling as if I am riding a wave...one that is peaking at the moment...one that is making the ride something to ENJOY! I am waving hello to all the new things that are being revealed to me...and waving good-bye to those things that are better left behind me....and more and more I am waving to myself...making sure that I am aware to ENJOY the little things in my life....I love the color YELLOW!! I am not sure why...I don't wear it ever, but I paint with it all the time...it is the first color of any of my paints to run out....it offers to me a freedom of peace...of warmth...of love...as if I could just wrap myself up in it....When I do feel the blues coming over me....I give it some time...I often embrace it for a little longer than I should at times...but to pull myself out of it...I usually take a nap! (I know the classic sign of depression!) but it energizes me....I paint with soothing colors...blues...and greens and of course yellow !
I read children's books that I love...Max Makes a Million...The Little Prince...Oh, the Places You'll Go....and I will help someone else (that always makes me feel better) it may be help just with some kind words...it may be help that is physical...but it is a way to get out of myself and focus on someone else....and I play...I dance...I sing...I paint...I play! So today, is Wave Day...and I am waving my flag that reminds me to ENJOY!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

PS: Enter for the book drawing by leaving a comment....HERE...
GOOD LUCK...the drawing is on the 18th of the month of January....AWE YOURSELF!

January 8, 2009

A friend of mine loves to drink martini's....I think it is because they get a little treat at the end of the drink....which got me to thinking about looking for the treats in life (the little things that make me smile...a bird singing in the middle of winter...a squirrel looking for a nut across the frozen lawn...the delight of a child's' laughter..dreams that I ma making come true...) Focusing more on the little treats at the bottom of things...to the side of things...around the corner....So today, as I journal I am going to be more aware of the little treats....One such treat that I am going to have today, is a 3 hour relaxation time....I have to be at an appointment...which I usually don't like going to...but today I look at it differently...today...I am looking at it as a "treat" which will give me the luxury of sitting in a comfy chair...relaxing and reading a good book quietly. I love my morning ritual of bath time....It is my think tank and today, I found my mind wandering to several thoughts...a little different than dreaming about my next creative project...And I started singing the song...I'm forever blowing bubbles! which made me laugh right out loud....POSITIVE THOUGHTS!! My echoes of love call to me....back and forth....from me to you...from you to me...from me to me...Today....I ENJOY the little things!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

PS: Is this journal book a way that you would like to explore your inner feelings...leave a comment here! Drawing for book on January 18th!

January 7, 2009


It is mid week....and I am calling this Wednesday....DANCE DAY....for today, I am aware of the dance that I do....I step forward....I step forward again...small steps...light on my feet...and then suddenly I am standing still...I step to the side...still standing in the same area....and then suddenly I am stepping backward.....I change the music....I put on a different song....I let myself be collected...and then I begin the dance again.....I step forward....I step forward again...small steps...light on my feet! I am taking a SOUL VITAMIN today.....it is red and heart filled.... allowing me to hold on to the little things that bring ENJOYMENT into my life...And I take a call from across the universe....from ME to ME.....The humor of the day comes from the prompt of passing gas....which just made me laugh out loud...because I have always said excuse me when doing this....and yet most people laugh....Where is that duck behind the chair anyhow that my father use to blame....I have never found him...but I laugh today as I remember that!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

PS: Don't forget to leave a comment HERE to win a copy of the book!! Drawing is on the 18th of January!

Leave a Comment!!



Have you been enjoying my new Art Journal...would you like to play along??? Leave a comment for a copy of the Awe-Manac to be sent your way by myself and Jill....We would love to be able to inspire you to reach new heights for yourself by daily journaling....
Looking forward to hearing from you....I will draw a name on Sunday....January 18th!
GOOD LUCK!!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

January 6, 2009

Today, as I do my journal page I give myself CREDIT!...Now, that is not always the easiest thing to do, but today I give myself that permission. Every morning I do my daily affirmation and mandala...to start my day listening to the whispers of my heart....it allows me to center myself, get past and around the things that trouble me....it allows me to be aware of what is concealed. I have read Gibran so many times...and this is one of my favorite quotes of his....Today, I toast myself for one of my own inner thoughts...."even if I lose a feather...I realize I can still fly"...I know that there are times when I am in the middle of a muddle and I think that perhaps I cannot continue to do what I do...and it is then that I realize that I am only dropping a feather...a feather that holds memories...a feather that has brought me to the place that I am NOW....A feather that perhaps will lighten my load and allows me to fly....Sometimes....you have to lose a few feathers in life....
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

January 5, 2009

...What a wonderful interview I had with Jill this very day...and the coffee sending me lessons....to make each day FRESH...and to SAVOR each moment....to ENJOY every drop of this day....I dream of a tropical island where I could rest amongst the marshmallow clouds and calm breeze ...making sure to not sit to close to the falling nuts and the swirling surf of life.....Today, I embrace the humor once again before me...."lettuce" have a great day.... As I worked on my journal page tonight....I was reminded to BREATHE....breathe deeply despite
all that is going on in my life right now....
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

PS: Read the interview I had with Jill ....HERE...

January 5, 2009....INTERVIEW WITH JILL BADONSKY!


It is my great pleasure to introduce you to my mentor and friend, Jill Badonsky! I have known Jill for about 8 years now...when I was going through a difficult time in my life, I picked up her book, THE NINE MODERN DAY MUSES AND A BODY GUARD....from the very first page, my life started to change...I wrote her...and discovered, that in my heart, I had known her all my life! And now, I am pushing new boundaries for myself with the Awe-Manac!

So picture if you will....two woman sitting in big comfy chairs....hot coffee in steaming mugs...smiling... laughing...and talking...

THE INTERVIEW:
ME:
I have to tell you Jill, I am extremely happy to be the first person to start you off on your blog tour...and I am overloaded with questions for you....But I know so is everyone else and you will be off to other blogs...so I am keeping this to 5 questions for you...allowing a sip of coffee here and there!!

ME: Being a published writer, how was this book a challenge for you? And what did you do to overcome those challenges?

JILL: This book was a challenge because I obsessed endlessly over how to work the graphics and the content together. It actually took me a year to figure it out. Half the time I tried to incubate an answer by staring off into space waiting for inspiration to emerge, and the other (more productive) half I played and experimented with a lot of trial, error, frustration and finally coming up with what was published. Now I wonder what took me so long. It was really difficult getting the concept of what I wanted the whole to look like across to the graphics department at Running Press but because they are so about making it the way the author wants it, we all preserved. Staying calm and not being too attached to perfection is a big help. I am also an incredibly talented procrastinator, painfully so. It was a challenge to focus on the Awe-manac as sometimes it is with anything in my life. I dealt with this by making it as fun to write as possible. Luckily I had a terrific editor who likes my wacky sense of humor so she left in most of my quirky comments.

ME: How did writing the Awe-Manac change you?

JILL: Great question. There are a few ways that it changed me. It made me believe in the process of creativity to lift me above the darkness in my life, to remind me of my resilience and that space of joy that's untouched by anything or anyone one on the outside.. I went through a great deal of loss and stress while I was writing it, but in the process of writing and creating, I was in bliss. Writing The Awe-manac also cultivated my quirkiness even deeper and made me get back to my art – it has inspired ideas for lots of future books.

ME: What are your hopes that the Awe-Manac will do for readers?

JILL: I believe in the book's tagline: A Daily Dose of Wonder. I think if we expose ourselves to inspirational quotes, juicy writing and art prompts, ways to align our thinking with our higher more creative selves, we truly can be ageless and filled with joy. I hope this book will inspire people to experiment with small ways to be creative, to open it when they need a lift, and shift their thinking when life smudges it a bit.

ME: Is there another book idea on the wings of your dreams? What advice can you give readers to stay true to their passion?

JILL: I'm working on a few books. I'd really like to do a sequel to The Awe-manac called Awe-manac Reloaded but that's a little premature. I'm working on a book that goes with a creativity coaching club I run called Body Blissmas (and a Happy New Rear http://www2bodyblissmas.com). I'd also like to write a novel about a self-help author that is a basket case and I'd like to do another book on the incredible ability of the creative process to save us from ourselves. Pattie, you're a great example of someone staying true to your passion. You inspire me with how much art you do and how regularly you do it. Making just a little time daily to do a little something, to always be asking small questions about what's next, to take small steps and believe in yourself – if you do not have confidence, practice just a little more confidence daily. Practice, patience, persistence. NO COMPARISON to others.. do your own thing.
ME: What will you do in the next 1/2 hour?

JILL: I will work on creating and sending you the page to post in your blog, then I'm going to a birthday party.Thanks for being the first Blog-Tour host. You are awe-mazing.

Thanks Jill for your insight...for your humor...for your ability to share who you are with all of us so that we can allow ourselves to take one small step at a time to unlock our passions....I for one am grateful! Jill has graciously offered to share the January 5th page with all readers here today....Do not worry that you have not started this book on the 1st of January...You can pick it up and start any day of the year....give yourself permission to do something just for you this year that will help unlock your dreams...
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

PS: I will post MY January 5th Journal page after I finish my coffee with my friend Jill...
ENJOY the Awe-Manac page....ENJOY your day....ENJOY LIFE!

January 4, 2009


Day 4...
The toast of the day....A flower...EYE-RIS...which gives you a fresh new view!! ...I am trying to add more humor to my life!! ... LOL....SURPRISE! the prompts here were about gravity...and I just kept seeing bubbles...bubbles floating in the air...some popping...some continuing on into the unknown...and the song came to my mind....Row..row..row your boat...gently down the stream...merrily...merrily...merrily...merrily...Life is but a dream....That song always makes me smile for some reason...and to that I say keep dreaming!!!! I have never thought much about boxer shorts...which also made me laugh...(it seemes to be a good day for laughing!) So I designed a pair...that were Questions and ASS-ers!!! (I know...somewhat junior high school level humor...but I am laughing!!) And the Goddess in me....well she needs a NEW TIARA!!! and it definitely has to go to the top of the list!! Every good goddess wears a tiara....(note to self...get one to wear while you do these journal pages!!) I am so ENJOYing these pages of discovery!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

PS: Tomorrow along with my journal page....I will be interviewing JILL BADONSKY right here about the AWE-MANAC...along with sharing a page from the book and my own page! What a wonderful day it is going to be!!

January 3, 2009


Day 3...
Today I get to follow the direction my heart points me in!! Which means I can do art all day!! I can try to clean up the studio...but I do not have to leave the house to go out in the cold winter weather here in upstate NY!! ...JOY OF JOYS!!! There were prompts on this page about sleeping...about napping...I certainly am no stranger to the nap!! I try to take one every day as I exist on about 4 perhaps 5 hours of sleep every night...(and I often wonder why I am cranky!! LOL)...I am hoping to GET MORE SLEEP this year!! ...seeing as it is only the 3rd day of the new year writing down 3 things I am glad I have done this year was EASY!!! That short term memory was working today!! The best part for me on this date in the book was the word pool...
I love word pools...making up a little poem or story with a list of words...trying to make something from my imagination come to life on paper....it tests me...it challenges me...and it certainly makes me think outside the box!! So I wrote the Purple Ribbon Poem...although I would not quite call it a poem....but I had great fun!!
Jill will be with me here on Monday, January 5th as I kick off her BLOG TOUR!! I am so excited I can hardly wait to share some questions and answers here with you from this very special MUSE EXTRAORDINAIRE!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

January 2, 2009

I could not wait to get to the journal till this evening...perhaps I will get into a different routine as time passes, but like anything else my excitement to get to the next page of the journal and the book called me early today! Viewing my life from a cat's point of view made me laugh (and I thank Kitt and Ivy, my cats for showing me what a cats' life is all about!) ....especially if I could sit on laps more...but then I thought...wouldn't that be just the thing to do for comfort...wouldn't you just love to crawl up on someone's lap during a moment of sadness and have them hold you...stroke you...love you...it brought to mind that I need to be more mindful of the way I treat others...and to be more gentle with them and myself....The kindness I bring to myself today is to allow myself to step back and NOT COOK....to not have to always be what I envision is the "perfect" suburban housewife!....thus helping me to add more humor in my life!! letting go of perfection...laughing more...to remember as I walk the tight rope of life that if I should feel myself at a dip...at an uneasy spot that I only need to take one more step to get past that...that the dreams are there for me to reach by holding on...going on...one small step at a time to keep my balance...gently leading me toward my stars...where my art and writing complete me...where love surrounds me...where I can ENJOY LIFE more!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

January 1, 2009

This is the first page of my new ART JOURNAL that I will be keeping inspired by prompts from The Awe-Manac by Jill Badonsky (who is a personal friend and mentor of mine) ...Today, as I read the January 1st prompts from the book I was very much aware of my word for the year which is ENJOY! (I am facing toward the positive in any given situation...and willing to ENJOY my life more because of it)...I am looking forward to a year of BELIEVING in myself more...and taking care to let myself BLOOM everywhere possible....I am holding on to the one most important thing that worked for me....LISTENING TO MY HEART!
I have done this new art journal on 140 wt watercolor paper...with sharpies...acrylic and watercolor...how they will change over this year will be interesting to watch as each prompt for the day is used....the pages are 9 inches wide by 6 inches ( I bought a 9 by 12 tablet and cut each page in half....and I will use both sides ...hopefully binding them at the end of the year!)
COME ALONG AND JOIN THE FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!
You don't have to worry about where you start...what day you start on...the thing is just to start!
You have 364 more days to play!! Share your pages by putting a link to your blog on the comment section here...I would love to see how you are playing!!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie
PS: most of you who know me...realize that I do my affirmation in the morning...so I have decided that I will be doing this Art Journal in the evening....Look for me then ...right here!!
AND THANKS JILL!...I needed this!