Days of my life

Happy New Year 2012˚. ★ ˛ ˚♥♥ ✰。˚ ˚ღ。* ˛˚ ♥♥ 。✰˚* ˚ ★ღ ˚ 。✰ •* ˚ ♥♥

2012-01-01T19:37:00.000-08:00

"I hope you will have a wonderful year, that you’ll dream dangerously and outrageously, that you’ll make something that didn’t exist before you made it, that you will be loved and that you will be liked, and that you will have people to love and to like in return. And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now), that you will, when you need to be, be wise, and that you will always be kind."
~~Neil Gaiman
★ *˛ ˚♥♥* ✰。˚ ˚ღ。* ˛˚ ♥♥ 。✰˚* ˚ ★ღ ˚ 。✰ •* ˚ ♥♥
“‎Do not allow people to dim your shine because they are blinded. Tell them to put on some sunglasses, cuz we were born this way ...!” ~ Lady GaGa

“May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.”
― Neil Gaiman
˚. ★ *˛ ˚♥♥* ✰。˚ ˚ღ。* ˛˚ ♥♥ 。✰˚* ˚ ★ღ ˚ 。✰ •* ˚ ♥♥

˚. ★ *˛ ˚♥♥* ✰。˚ ˚ღ。* ˛˚ ♥♥ 。✰˚* ˚ ★ღ ˚ 。✰ •* ˚ ♥♥

˚. ★ *˛ ˚♥♥* ✰。˚ ˚ღ。* ˛˚ ♥♥ 。✰˚* ˚ ★ღ ˚ 。✰ •* ˚ ♥♥
Never think that what you have to offer is insignificant. There will always be someone out there that needs what you have to give.
˚. ★ *˛ ˚♥♥* ✰。˚ ˚ღ。* ˛˚ ♥♥ 。✰˚* ˚ ★ღ ˚ 。✰ •* ˚ ♥♥

December 2010

2010-12-10T08:57:00.001-08:00

A bit of my home to yours, wishing for you a wonderful day full of creativity and peace. Griselda

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-25T21:01:00.001-08:00

Long ago and far away...

2010-10-02T11:43:00.000-07:00

Don Agustin Desentis Villegas, my great grandfather in 1916 the day of my grandparents wedding (it is only part of the photo that is being restored)

When we were kids, we used to think that our great grandfather looked as handsome as Maximilian...it was said that he had been a guest to the family home in Tulancingo Hidalgo amongst a long list of "personas ilustres" of those times. Don Agustin had a long white beard and pale blue eyes which enchanted me as much as the Austrian Prince. I used to stand in front of his portrait by my grandmother's bed and dream about those long ago days in the beautiful family "casona" which had been witness to so much history in our country.

The Archduke Maximilian of Austria was executed in Queretaro at a young age, Edouard Manet painted three versions of a painting called the Execution of Emperor Maximilian between 1867 and 1869

You can read about El Ultimo Principe himself or you can order the book based in the life of Carlota and Maximilian by C.M. Mayo... la novela basada en una historia de la vida real (Grijalbo Random House Mondadori, 2010)

2010-09-02T17:32:00.000-07:00

Sepember 3, 2010
Here are the two Mourning Dove squabs, about a weeks old, the mother is trusting me a bit more, she did not fly away when I took the photos.

Nesting Mourning Doves

2010-08-23T20:43:00.000-07:00

This Spring I noticed a nest hidden just outside our back door. We have a gardener so my husband is not using those tools and the dove had built a nest on top of our gardening rack about 6 feet off of the ground.

I tried to get a small container with water near the nest but the dove did not appreciate my gesture, so I just left her alone, I am surprised the nest still occupied after so many months, may be this is a second family of doves. I am interested now in documenting the movement around the nest, I hear that mourning doves take over a nest when they are spotted from nearby trees.

At the moment they have two large eggs, and I look forward to taking photos of their squabs.

I did a search on mourning doves and found some wonderful pictures and also some very moving stories of people trying to help the doves with their nests.

My Grandparents, Somewhere in Time

2010-05-01T10:37:00.001-07:00

My grandparents Wedding day January 24 1916

My grandparents, Roberto and Clemencia courting before their marriage.

The Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City is in the background

The wedding

2009-05-27T22:39:00.001-07:00

I have been gone for so long...but I am back to share my joy.

Our older son Jordee got married to Sherry. It was a beautiful ceremony...like my daughter Veronica said, "you could feel the love in the room" Tissues were being passed around. It was a also a really cool night because it was a reunion of their childhood school friends from San Jose and Fremont days. We drank, we laughed, we danced our booties off and like good Geeks that we all are, there were plenty of references to Star Wars. It's a good thing the bride's family is almost as nerdy as ours.

We got together for Jordee and Sherry's wedding rehearsal and then went out for dinner. The two families got on famously. It was a riot and I miss being with my clan walking the streets of San Francisco.

"Let there be spaces in your togetherness, And let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together, yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow."
— Khalil Gibran (The Prophet)

Spring Cleaning

2009-04-26T15:32:00.000-07:00

It only look 3 weeks, but I am happy to say, I know where everything is (more or less, and I still have to go though several boxes of paperwork under the tables)

Here are the witnesses of all my hard work... :)

So you wonder what did it look like before?
it was worse than this, which was taken a year ago...

Lets Celebrate!!
May be I can get some painting done now.

Our Vacation

2008-12-21T19:48:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful vacation, 7 days in a ship to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas....nothing better than that to cure the Winter blues. Now back at home, I can dream of more days in the sun.

Winter 2008

2008-12-07T12:16:00.001-08:00

Fog

2008-12-01T16:32:00.000-08:00

Fog

by Carl Sandburg

The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

Thanks for the Poem Jerry...it is almost as if you anticipated my experience of this morning, because our cat has parked himself near the door, and now that is his space. We had a mind conversation this morning, he said, hey lady, this is not fancy but it suits me and you don't have to get wet by going looking for me...he was the one who told me it was foggy at 5:00 am. :)

Wake up...wake up!

2008-11-29T19:43:00.001-08:00

How would you like to be awaken like this?

Concert Night

2008-11-20T00:59:00.000-08:00

His first guitar concert...a great success!
He has been playing for only 3 months

2008-11-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

Thank you for a new day!

He won...we did it!!

2008-11-04T22:20:00.000-08:00

It is amazing...He won...Obama WON!
we are dancing, craying...so much hope!

Can you say multiplepersonality?

2008-10-23T13:53:00.000-07:00

So, this is the week where kids dress up at school...it has been fun.

Then and now

2008-06-23T15:09:00.000-07:00

What a face!
...may be someone told them in 28 years Jordie would be getting married and his sister Veronica will be the one to officiate in the ceremony...No way!!!!!!!!!

Yes way...
and the best man is going to be his baby brother...I love it.

Minus a Mohawk I hope!

Let the light in...

2008-05-06T22:03:00.001-07:00

I was reminded this morning about the beauty
of imperfection, and the great opportunity this offers for
more compassion for myself and others.

Ring the bells that still can ring.
Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack in everything.
That's how the light gets in.

--Leonard Cohen

Don't turn away. Keep looking at the bandaged place.
That's where the light enters you.

RUMI

Happy Birthday Son

2008-04-12T12:00:00.000-07:00

It is hard not to think of him as "our baby"
He is 15 years younger than his sister...and 19 away from his older brother !

Creative cooking

2008-04-12T01:13:00.000-07:00

My younger son and I have been watching the Food Network, and he decided that we had to "create" a Pizza and call it a work of art...I think this project took me longer than a doll and it is not cheap at all!...but he and I had the best time, we went to the farmer's market and everything came out to "perfection"even if it looks a bit uneven...:(

Outdoor studio?

2008-04-12T00:56:00.000-07:00

I went to an open house last week, a lady in her late 90's had moved to her daughters house and they were selling all her things...I just had to have her kitchen table...given the fact that I have no room in the house, it will sit in our patio for a few days and I am already making plans to use it while the weather is good for my art table...we have a red one which is more like my husband's desk at the moment...just when I was telling myself not to spend any money on things that are not necessary... I paid "only" 100.00 considering that I paid 250.00 for the red one, that is how I make myself feel less guilty...laughs* The oven you see next to the table is where I bake my Polymer faces, it gets smelly inside the house.

Spring time magic

2008-04-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

My grandmother used to have some wonderful flowers in her garden back in Mexico...those were not usual plants and it took me a long time to find them here, but I have forgotten their name, they are grown cover with blue flowers and right now they are out in all their splendor...can you help me identify their name?

(my husband took this pic yesterday of our dogs and me in our garden)

A good challenge

2008-03-22T01:08:00.000-07:00

My friend Stacey was posting in her blog photos of her beautiful studio...and I turned around with camera on hand and took photos of mine...thinking this will be a good challenge for the rest of the week. We will see... :)

Pink Parade of Squares

2008-03-04T22:04:00.000-08:00

"the pink artist" community art doll project for charity

A community of artists joining together
to create an art doll to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
When doll is complete, it will be mailed in to Art Doll Quarterly™
before finally being auctioned off on eBay at a later date.
ALL PROCEEDS WILL DIRECTLY BENEFIT CHARITY.

My pink squares made it to the long parade of 2x2 works of art...
Please come to visit The Pink Artist Parade of Squares, mine are on page 3

Curandera and Queen of Hearts

2008-02-17T22:16:00.000-08:00

I made two self standing spirit dolls this weekend, it was fun to figure out how to add weight to the bottom part so they would not tip over. If anyone ever does "surgery" to these dolls they will find pebbles and coins inside, I imagine this makes them more mysterious...laughs* Hey...if you ever want to hide a treasure, you can make yourself a doll with your "stash" inside the body! That is a great idea, let me know if you want me to make you one of these with a "secret door" on its back.

Friends?

2008-02-16T23:31:00.000-08:00

Well well well...
I can only say, I am happy there is harmony between these two, even if it is only for now...do you think the cat had any choice?

The guardian

2008-02-16T23:09:00.000-08:00

I went on my "artist date" looking for something metallic to add to my work and found not one but 3 pan scourers in a bag for only .99 cents!!

You can believe how many possibilities this material presents.

Cats and Dogs

2008-02-15T15:37:00.000-08:00

Since we got out dogs two years ago, our cat has become a hermit, it is sad, but that is how it goes in relationship with these four legged creatures. He lives in the neglected area beyond the garden, where he has made his world (the dogs do not go there) I visit with him but he seldom comes near the house anymore.
This is part of my artist date...for what is worth, I look forward to my next visit when the sun is out.

Memories of childhood

2008-02-15T15:27:00.000-08:00

There is a forgotten area on the other side of my garden where weeds grow and we seldom go there. I found these next to the neighbor's fence.

"Artist Date" with Buddha

2008-02-13T23:29:00.000-08:00

I have always enjoyed taking photos, and today I knew I would not have more than half an hour for do my daily "Artist Date" so I went about the garden trying to find something interesting. I found a statue of Buddha which has been falling apart, the great thing about this, the older and more deteriorated it gets, the more beautiful it looks.

I wonder if we are the same, there is so much beauty in the textures that time leaves behind, the elements have given this statue a patina it never had before.

Noche de luna

2008-02-11T09:07:00.000-08:00

Art as Flirtation and Surrender

In your light I learn how to love.

In your beauty, how to make poems.

You dance inside my chest,

where no one sees you,

but sometimes I do,

and that sight becomes this art.
~Rumi

Jewel's Passion, Gypsy Art Doll

2008-02-09T17:02:00.001-08:00

This is the second doll I made, she has warmer tones