Category Archives: Triple Eight Challenge

2 February 2008

Wrap-Up of January Simple Abundance

By Nicki

Hopefully, you are reading along daily as opposed to waiting to hear something from me.  I have lead a book group around Sarah Ban Breathnach’s Simple Abundance for three years now and I never seem to get out the things I want when I want to but I keep trying.

From the middle of January until the 19th, Sarah went over – in great detail – the six principles of simple abuncance.  These six principles will be the themes, individually, for six of the months in the upcoming year, starting with February and gratitude.  They are also the backbone of the journey.  If you are thinking you don’t recall these, please go back and re-read January 13th through January 19th.

My favorite reading of the year was on January 24th – “Blessing Your Circumstances.”  So many parts of my life make this reading ring true.  First, this particular year the 24th of January was the 21st birthday of my twins.  Second, my faith leads me to believe that my circumstances are a blessing to me as yours are to you.

Finally, in wrapping up the first month of the new year and new journey, please be sure to look at the days following January 19th.  Look at what Ban Breathnach calls the basic tools for the journey.  She introduced the one tool you MUST use back on the 14th – the gratitude journal – but the rest of these tools are wonderful for your journey.  Read about the illustrated discovery journal, the daily dialogue (which, if you have ever read Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, I find similar to morning pages), your personal treasure map, and golden mirror meditations.

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31 January 2008

Wax Resist

By Nicki

Wax Resist on Cold Pressed Watercolor Paper

In our (a group of artists online) neverending way to work our way through Mary Todd Beam’s Celebrate Your Creative Self, we have been working on some white space in paintings. I understand the need for white space but I have trouble keeping it in creations.

One method discussed in the books is wax resist. This time I took a piece of cold pressed watercolor paper. I lit a candle and dripped wax on it. If you don’t think my two teenage boys looked at me like I was nuts, think again. After this, I mixed a combination of a pearlizing tint and red and gold acrylic paints to get an orangy paint color. This was still way too thick so I added water to get the consistency I want.

After I painted the entire page with this color combination, I let everything dry. After drying, I took clean newsprint and ironed the wax off the paper. I had tried to direct the wax so as to make shapes but the finished product does not look as if I did.

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17 January 2008

More Marbling

By Nicki

I finally received my book – Paper Transformed by Julia Andrus in the mail.  The more I read about marbling, the more I was sure I wanted to use some of the other supplies I have around to marble additional papers. 

 I have mordant mixed up so that is not a problem.  Both boys had events last night so I was home alone for a good two hours.  I had several projects I am in the middle of but I set up a marbling station.  The station consisted of a 9×13 aluminum pan with about a quarter of an inch of water in it, a set of papers already treated with mordant and dry to be marbled, a place to dry the marbled papers, a plastic knife for scraping and several plastic forks for swirling the marbling.

Blue Pastels

 This particular attempt was made using about a quarter inch of water in the pan.  I, then, took the plastic knife and scraped pigment off three different blue pastels.  When I placed the treated piece of cold pressed watercolor paper in the water, it came out like the yellow and orange piece below.  I had a paintbrush near by so I wet it and ran it across the paper also.  This is how I got the piece above.

Sunrise Pastels

The particular piece above is just the pastel without any help from a paintbrush.  What I just noticed as I was scanning these papers is that the pastel pigment in this example was not really – even after treating the paper to accept the marbling – take.  I have orange and yellow pastel all over my scanner.  I just took a tissue and rubbed this particulare one and it looks more like the blue one now – just yellow and orange and red.

Iridescent Ink Marbling

The marbling above was also done using water as the size.  I found, in my craft stash, old iridescent inks from Stampa Rosa – a company that has long since gone out of business.  I splashed inks on top of the water.  I, then, laid treated cardstock on the water and lifted it off.  It dried overnight.

1 comment   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Art, Triple Eight Challenge

16 January 2008

Button Swap

By Nicki

Snowman ATC

So maybe the background on this ATC (artist trading card) looks familiar to you. I did write about it in a workshop I am doing – marbling. The workshop is based on Julia Andrus’s book Paper Transformed.

I used denim, espresso and eggplant to create what I was hoping would look like a stormy sky as a background. Then, since the swap required that you sew buttons on the ATC, I took my white buttons and made snowmen. I love snowmen!

Above is the finished product!

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14 January 2008

More About Gratitude

By Nicki

My Simple Abundance posts are not quite daily.  As the year goes on, they will be come less frequent also.  Just making sure you know.

 As I was reading on the tenth about old cemeteries, several thought quickly ran through my mind.  First was how grateful I was to be alive.  The second thing was maybe this was what put the thought in my head that I wanted to visit old cemeteries and photograph headstones.  I know even my teens think it is weird but I just love the idea of a book of cemetery shots in black and white.

I was also struck by the quote that started the day by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross.  I have been thinking about her work on grief a lot lately.

January 11th had a new meaning this year.  I truly believe that the US is headed into a recession.  The sentiment that men know how to live with money but women know how to live without it was interesting.  All the while, Sarah Ban Breathnach continued to point out that the most important part of this was gratitude.

Still thinking about recession, the scarcity discussion on the 12th made me think of more recession talk.  It was true that when items get scarce, laser focus comes into play.  When gas goes up to $5 a gallon, the focus will be on ways to conserve, on ways to get around without a car.

As we continue to discuss gratitude, SBB says that she finally realized that it was not security that she was searching for.  She was searching for serenity, for peace.

 The reading on January 14th discusses the one item that Ban Breathnach says is essential to the journey to authenticity – a gratitude journal.  This year I am using a composition notebook I received in an altering swap last year.  It is beautiful.  Every night I will write in it five things I am grateful for.  These things can be anything from the standard health, family – these come to mind when the days are long and tiring and hard – to the flowers and the birds – when days are brighter and lighter.

What are you thankful for?

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14 January 2008

Creative Self

By Nicki

Flowers and Pumpkin

Okay – so as part of the Triple 8 Reading Challenge and as a year long workshop, I am reading Celebrate Your Creative Self by Mary Todd Beam. I have been patiently awaiting the mail delivery of my book and have had a friend tell me the basic concept.

Unfortunately, one of the promises I made to myself this year was to use what I had. In other words, no new purchases for workshops and such. This is not really difficult as I have enough paper, paint, ink, etc for a lifetime. Then, I needed illustration board and contact paper. I didn’t have either. I opted for a smaller gessoed canvas that came in a three pack and masking tape – lots of masking tape.

I covered the entire canvas with masking tape – overlapping so that I could not see the canvas. Then, I quickly drew my elementary flowers – which I tend to draw on a lot of things. I took my knife and cut around the outlines of my flowers and peeled off the other tape but left the flowers taped up. Then, I mixed acrylic paints. I wanted my favorite color d’jour – pumpkin. I had crimson and gold so mixed away until I had an orangy color.

Above is the result. I am trying something else with the process and different colors tonight so look for more tomorrow.

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9 January 2008

Simply Happy

By Nicki

The last few days in Simple Abundance have talked about happiness – our inability to find it within ourself, our inability to get happy ourselves, the source of happiness being outside our control.

More than anything, the January 8th reading, which I just re-read, spoke to me.  I was at a funeral yesterday – a funeral of a young man who died too young but who lived to the fullest while he was here.  While I am sure he was in pain near the end of his life, he didn’t stop living.  He definitely showed those of us who knew him – and there were thousands of us – that happiness was not dependent on a remodeled kitchen as author Sarah Ban Breathnach mentions nor on what is going on around us but it was dependent on a faith in our God or a higher authority and on ourselves and knowing our authentic self.

Then, as this morning awakened, I read about the differing between wants and needs.  When I read this, I always think of children.  They seem to “need” every new gadget they see.  As they become older, their “needs” get more elaborate and expensive.  We, as parents, need to teach children the difference between want and need.  These things are usually wants.  When I think of what I “need” as a woman and as an adult, I realize that there is truly little I need.  But the list of wants could get long.

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9 January 2008

Marbling Papers

By Nicki

Combining several things I am doing this year, I am reading a book called Paper Transformed by Julia Andrus. Lesson one is on marbling so off I went.

Marbling ATCs

I used shaving cream – the old fashioned actual cream type. Then, I put drops of dye re-inkers in the shaving cream. I took plastic forks and “marbled” the ink in and then pressed the cardstock into the design.

As the shaving cream got rather thick, I pressed one piece onto another piece. You can almost see which two are the pairs.

These were done in ATC (Artist Trading Cards) size – 2.5″ by 3.5″. I have a project in mind!

Marbling Doorhangers

The second marbling was also done with a predetermined project in mind.  I used precut door hangers that I have had on hand for years.  They are from Stampin’ Up! and are glossy.  I used shaving cream and dye reinkers again (Stampin’ Up! colors – Marvelous Magenta, Pink Passion – or is it Passion Pink and Pretty in Pink).  I am putting fun
foam hearts around the top where there is no marbling and stamping or decorating, not sure exactly yet, with Valentine items.

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1 January 2008

The Triple 8 Challenge – Reading

By Nicki

booksIf you are interested in participating, please visit the “official” site for details. Below are my entries and partial lists. I will be updating as I can.

Books by Jimmy Carter – CAT 1

   1. Beyond the White House: Waging Peace, Fighting Disease, Building Hope
   2. Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid
   3. Our Endangered Values
   4. Christmas in Plains
   5. An Hour Before Daylight
   6. Always a Reckoning and other Poems
   7. Sources of Strength: Meditations on Scripture for a Living Faith (overlap)
   8. Talking Peace: A Vision for the Next Generation

Penguin Paperbacks – CAT 2

   1. Sun Kissed by Catherine Anderson
   2. The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell by Lillian Jackson Braun
   3. Sister, Sister by Eric Jerome Dickey
   4. High Heels Are Murder by Elaine Viets
   5. French Fried by Nancy Fairbanks
   6. The Lipstick Chronicles by Kathryn Shay, Fiona Kelly, Vivian Leiber, & Lynn Emery
   7. The Corset Diaries by Katie MacAlister
   8. Hot Dish by Connie Brockway

Self-Improvement/Learning – CAT 3 

   1. Life Makeovers by Cheryl Richardson
   2. Ready for Anything by David Allen
   3. Time Management from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern
   4. Get with the Program by Bob Greene
   5. Make the Connection by Bob Greene and Oprah Winfrey
   6. Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach
   7. Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, MD
   8. The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living by His Holidness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler MD
Books about Church/Bible – CAT 4

   1. The Bible
   2. The Catholic Faith Handbook
   3. Sources of Strength by Jimmy Carter (overlap)
   4. They Were Women Like Me: Women of the New Testament in Devotions for Today by Joy Jacobs
   5. Women of the Bible: A One-Year Devotional Study of Women in Scripture
   6. The Confessions of Saint Augustine (overlap)
   7. Prayers Before an Awesome God by David Haas
   8. What Paul Meant by Garry Willis
Books for Creating/Creative Help – CAT 5

   1. Paper Transformed by Julia Andrus
   2. Celebrate Your Creative Self by Mary Todd Beam
   3. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
Oprah’s Book Club Books – CAT 6

   1. Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts
   2. House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III
   3. The Pilot’s Wife by Anita Shreve
   4. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
   5. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
   6. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
   7. The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier
   8. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kinsolver

Books from College (These books were required reading by my college-aged kids and we still have them.) – CAT 7

   1. The Confessions of Saint Augustine (overlap)
   2. Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi
   3. Escape from Slavery by Francis Bok
   4. The Pact: Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream by Davis, Jenkins, Hunt, and Frazier Page
   5. Watership Down by Richard Adams

Summer Reads - This category will remain slightly empty until June, most likely.  I spend about $35 on books to read over the summer each year – paperbacks that I think will be good while at the beach, at the pool, out grilling dinner.  Those included already are books I love and re-read every summer.  CAT 8

  1. A Salty Piece of Land by Jimmy Buffet
  2. Sammy’s Hill by Kristen Gore

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Art, Just my Thoughts, Politics, Religion, Simple Abundance, Triple Eight Challenge

29 December 2007

The Triple 8 Challenge – Reading

By Nicki
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If you are interested in participating, please visit the \”official\” site for details. Below are my entries and partial lists. I will be updating as I can.

Books by Jimmy Carter

  1. Beyond the White House: Waging Peace, Fighting Disease, Building Hope
  2. Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid
  3. Our Endangered Values
  4. Christmas in Plains
  5. An Hour Before Daylight
  6. Always a Reckoning and other Poems
  7. Sources of Strength: Meditations on Scripture for a Living Faith (overlap)
  8. Talking Peace: A Vision for the Next Generation

Penguin Paperbacks

  1. Sun Kissed by Catherine Anderson
  2. The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell by Lillian Jackson Braun
  3. Sister, Sister by Eric Jerome Dickey
  4. High Heels Are Murder by Elaine Viets
  5. French Fried by Nancy Fairbanks
  6. The Lipstick Chronicles by Kathryn Shay, Fiona Kelly, Vivian Leiber, & Lynn Emery
  7. The Corset Diaries by Katie MacAlister
  8. Hot Dish by Connie Brockway

Self-Improvement/Learning

  1. Life Makeovers by Cheryl Richardson
  2. Ready for Anything by David Allen
  3. Time Management from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern
  4. Get with the Program by Bob Greene
  5. Make the Connection by Bob Greene and Oprah Winfrey
  6. Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach
  7. Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, MD
  8. The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living by His Holidness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler MD

Books about Church/Bible

  1. The Bible
  2. The Catholic Faith Handbook
  3. Sources of Strength by Jimmy Carter (overlap)
  4. They Were Women Like Me: Women of the New Testament in Devotions for Today by Joy Jacobs
  5. Women of the Bible: A One-Year Devotional Study of Women in Scripture
  6. The Confessions of Saint Augustine (overlap)
  7. Prayers Before an Awesome God by David Haas
  8. What Paul Meant by Garry Willis

Books for Creating/Creative Help

  1. Paper Transformed by Julia Andrus
  2. Celebrate Your Creative Self by Mary Todd Beam
  3. The Artist\’s Way by Julia Cameron

Oprah\’s Book Club Books

  1. Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts
  2. House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III
  3. The Pilot\’s Wife by Anita Shreve
  4. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
  5. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
  6. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
  7. The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier
  8. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kinsolver

Books from College (These books were required reading by my college-aged kids and we still have them.)

  1. The Confessions of Saint Augustine (overlap)
  2. Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi
  3. Escape from Slavery by Francis Bok
  4. The Pact: Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream by Davis, Jenkins, Hunt, and Frazier Page
  5. Watership Down by Richard Adams

Leave a comment | posted in Just my Thoughts, Triple Eight Challenge

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