Words to the cheer with Descriptions: Countdown to a Victory (high V, broken T, low V, right punch) Everybody yell go on three (grab wrist above head, swing clockwise to stomach, clap, clean) 1-2-3 Go! (clap, clap, clap, right punch) 1-2-3 Go! (move) Countdown to a Victory (set for stunt) Everybody yell go on three (building...flyers step right foot, then left, up on 'go' to clap and then hit a high V) 1-2-3 Go! (flyers...clap, clap, clap, right punch) 1-2-3 Go! (dismount from stunt, hands-1, down-2, 3-stay down, on Go-clean) Set for dance. (starts in 'clean')
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Okay...major migraine yesterday, didn't post the piece that I started...finished it today and also today's work and the piece from Sunday...now, I am caught up with posting my new work. Besides the pesky migraines, I have been busy..ummm...working on some top secret stuff...to be revealed at a later date... I have been posting my creative happenings to Instagram. My last few postings included #creativeeveryday #teachingartist #fashionillustration #chanel #louisvuitton #artclass #ngakids and #henrirousseau....check me out! Night, ya'll! 
Sunor some day it was rainy and gross. I headed out to the mall with my new heart-shaped bag for some retail therapy...and to look for inspiration...hmmm... there could be some new fashion illustrations in the near future...
 Sparkle is a way of life. I have said it before and I will say it again...if lovin' sparkly thangs is wrong...I don't want to be right. And I mean it. And while I am sharing...headbands give me a headache, I love me some Avett Brothers, you can never have too many accessories, I failed two times at my attempts to take naps today, I bought two black sequinned cocktail dresses today for less than $35 (total!) and...I miss my husband and I am ready for him to get back from NC! Just some thoughts as I try to wind down. Now...here is a overview of my art from the past few days...three daily pieces...three fashion illustrations (Chanel Spring 2013, print ads), a piece I made to celebrate the Avett Brothers on Jimmy Fallon Friday night, a random lady in a bedazzled knit hat I saw on a magazine cover and... CED13-55, drying on my art table as I write this. 
...new arts...new arts...new arts...new arts...new arts...new arts...new arts...new arts...new arts...new arts...
Right off the bat...I posted some final pics today...my daily piece, CED13- 51 and the final pics of my 'Winter Ladies'. Not sure I am feelin' that name. Might have to revisit that. But not tonight. 
(Left) An awesome card from Lexi, my team captain. Seriously brought tears to my eyes. (Top) Marisa and her mom know I love sparkle. Sigh. (Bottom) Gift to myself- I bought that Harper's...now just gotta start sketching! (Right) Bling Blang.
Tonight I met up with my JV cheerleaders to collect their uniforms and poms in exchange for a little treat bag with some candy, a team photo and a CD that Marisa's mom made for each of the girls with the pictures from our last game. I blocked off 4-6pm as the time I would be there, waiting at the Starbucks in Barnes an Noble- my plan was to work on some fashion illustrations. I walked in, picked up the latest Harper's Bazaar and set up, with all intentions to sketch. It never happened, for four reasons. #1... I wanted to draw the whole magazine. I opened to the first page thinking... 'I am going to select one print ad that inspires me and then look up more of the collection.' Problem is...I liked too many. I closed the magazine after the first ten pages...Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Jil Sander, Louis Vuitton...I wanted to just jump into the pages of the magazine and close the cover, trapping myself inside. Sigh. #2... I was too busy chatting it up with folks I adore. Coach Ralston stopped by and sat with me for just about the whole two hours, and cheerleaders were stopping by with their cheer items. With all the hugging and catching up- I just never got around to sketching. And they brought gifts! Wow. Totally did not expect that...thank you Marisa and Lexi! Love you both!! #3...when I got home I was distracted by unpacking from my weekend in Atlanta and then putting away jewelry. Anytime I put away jewelry that is automatically 30-45 minutes. I like to stay organized. I am a little OCD about my accessories. #4...I finally sat down at my art table to sketch and then I decided that I should work on my 'big bow girl'...distracted by the need to add crystals to her bow and uniform. So...not gonna beat myself up too much. Maybe tomorrow I will sit down and do some fashion illustrations after my middle school cheerleading practice. Or...maybe some more winter girls...or more bow heads...hmmmmm.... Trying to catch up on blogging after a non-stop schedule…dramatic pause… It has been cra’y. I would venture to say it has even been cra’y cra’y. There, I said it. The last time I sat down to write was last Wednesday, after I got home from the second basketball game for the week. Thursday was conference night at my school and I knew I would not have many folks stopping by so I brought plenty to do…well, I thought I did. I get to school, check my bag and... my current pad of Bristol board is not there. Now, not a big deal…but to me…kind of a stressful situation. By kind of I mean- I WAS STRESSED. I like to pull all of my paper from the same pad of 11x14 Bristol Board until it’s all gone…and…I had tucked away twelve 4x6 angel sketches that I intended to paint for Atlanta…all left at home. You would figure, no big deal, right? My job is in an ART room for crying out loud. But…it just wasn’t the same…I needed my Bristol board pad…sigh. Luckily, I found a pad of 11x14 watercolor paper probably one I had tucked away for such an occasion. I made myself get over the fact that this paper had a texture to it and moved forward. Instead of resketching my angels to paint I had the idea to create collaged angels, so I proceeded to paint solid pieces of paper, to cut out angel pieces and then construct. I think in my mind I was thinking that this would not take as long. Ummmm…no. Not only did it take just as long, but I had a blister on my hand from cutting the angel parts out by the time I was finished. On a positive note, the angels turned out pretty good, and I did finish twelve to take with me to Atlanta. More on that later.  Angels in the making...trying something different. Next up…inventory. I haven’t completed inventory yet this year, haven’t even started my new spreadsheet. Now that I think about it…might want to check and make sure I did inventory for December 2012…oh man… My pal, Nottage, stopped by to help me take pics...here is what inventory looked like...  Inventory...gotta figure out where I am going to post my January Fashion Illustrations...thinking about a new page on the site...or a whole new site/blog dedicated to only my fashion illustrations...like I need another blog... Next day...it was a half-day of teachin' and then I traveled to Atlanta for CHEERSPORT Nationals. This was my sixth year judging. I had to double check- six years?! Yep. Judging this particular competition is a big deal for me, it is probably one of the largest if not the largest cheerleading competition going on right now. This year there were almost 1000 teams. I get to see awesome cheerleading routines from across the United States...see my 'cheer family'...and...there are vendors there selling sparkly thangs. Wait...and I get paid? What.... Oh...and I got to visit with our cousin Jen and her family. Done deal!  CHEERSPORT 2013...love it! Was a little sad because there was a Frida Kahlo exhibit going on that I could not go and see...but maybe I can go back....  Pic with Shelby and Stuart A highlight of judging CHEERSPORT is finding Shelby Stout for my annual hug. Shelby and her husband, Stuart, started the March Forward with Hope Foundation, an organization that provides financial assistance to families battling cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Stuart and Shelby started this in memory of their daughter, Hope Stout, shortly after she lost her fight with cancer. I met Shelby that first year I judged nationals, I think. It has been so long...anyway, I felt a connection to Shelby. I think it is from losing my best friend, Amy. Now, Amy did not die from cancer, she was killed in a car accident...but I have witnessed firsthand the struggle that her parents, John and Jennifer, have gone through losing their daughter. I can relate to wanting to see the memory of someone you love live on, even when they have passed. So every year I seek out Shelby Stout, sometimes with art in hand, always ready or my hug. I am so inspired by what Hope's family is doing in her memory. Makes me want to do something in memory of Amy...wheels are turning in my brain...will have to think on that a little... So this year, my gift was one of my small angel-collages. Then I started thinking...I need to make a bigger one for the Stouts, they could auction it off...or reprint and use it...something. So I made an 11x14 angel painting and delivered in on Sunday. I hope they can put it to good use : ) Speaking of angels. I left some angels in Atlanta and FINALLY...someone let me know they found one! Yay! I got a notification via Instagram that someone found one of my paintings...hooray! I posted a few pics of my 'angelbombing' from the weekend...I even 'angelbombed' my roomie, Karen! One thing that I was thinking...besides I LOVE the idea of leaving art everywhere for folks to discover...I may have to rethink what I am calling it...now, I picked 'angelbombing' because I was inspired by 'yarnbombing'. I just worry about the negative connotation of the word 'bomb'. For example, when I was leaving my angels in the Georgia Congress Center, I made sure not to use #angelbombing in my Instragram posts, fearing someone might read and just see the second part of the word and panic. Silly? Maybe. Anyway, something that I am considering.  ...angelbombing... ...alright...trying to wind this looooong blog post down, gotta go to the gym and it's getting a little late if I want to get some sleep. (or come home and make more art!) More things worth mentioning...I started some new pieces...one drawing was inspired by the cheerleaders and their big ol' bows...and...ummm...I started a new mini-series on the way back inspired by the ladies I saw going to the church service on Sunday...all bundled up in fancy coats and (hopefully FAUX) fur hats. They looked so glam. I tried to sleep on the plane, but then the word 'baboushka'...it's not the right word, I know...but in my head I thought of that word and I made the connection to these ladies...so I started five new pieces...  ...my 'art show' at the Palm Beach Airport, showcasing the work I made on my trip...my new fancy winter ladies..and my big cheer bow girl...inspired by Cheersport...the last two items still in-progress.... So...that's about it. Oh, wait. I also may have met a contact on the plane to get get some of my work printed on shirts...hoping that will pan out, fingers crossed...and...about to send some designs I have been working on (not shown on the site) to my contact in CA...again...send me some positive vibes, folks! To end...here are the pieces from my 6-day hiatus from my blog...just posted 'em tonight to the site and to my blog, FINALLY!  Wednesday night...trying to make it to bed before 11pm...can feel that I need more rest...but anyway, today was a modge podge of teachin' art, makin' art, coachin' my middle school team, getting back from the gym and seeing my obese cat lying on the floor all crazy-like, and...posting my finished piece, CED13-44! And...Jess sent me a preview of my upcoming article in Art Hive....wowza! Ummmm...and I have 13 watercolors I am finishing up for my contact in CA...and I started 12 cheer angels so I can 'angelbomb' this weekend in Atlanta...I...need...more...hours...in...the...day!  Where to start? Well, I wasn’t able to update my blog, but I did make my daily pieces over the past few days- even threw in some extra pieces. So…let’s back up, travel back in time... Thursday, Feb 7th… I went to the Armory with the Art Hive girls as press for the first annual Fashion ARTillery event. It gave me a chance to wear the super sparkly necklace I made on Wednesday night, to look at fashion/art creations and to hang out with my friends- all good things. One thing that was not…one of the main reasons that I was excited to attend the event was that Iris Apfel, fashion icon, was the Honorary event chair. Seriously, version of who I want to be when I grow up and I was so excited to have a chance to see her in person, or maybe even meet her via Art Hive official business. But alas, no Iris. At the start of the event they announced that she had been called back to NYC unexpectedly. I imagined her hurriedly packing some LV luggage, her rings on all fingers making a gentle clinking sound as she quickly folded silk blouses in vibrant colors, textured scarves, a motley crew of multi-hued and bejeweled bracelets and baubles…tipping her thick black glasses down as she did the once over and then dashed out, designer shoes clacking as she walked away. Yeah, it was probably just like that. Wait, where was I? Oh yes, there I was, in my black dress, crazy necklace, red heels, channeling my inner fashionista. Trying to fit in at this fancy event. Iris or no Iris, might as well make the most of it. So we did. The first look down the runway- literally, there was a gasp from the audience. This was my first runway event, I watch them all the time on TV, but I wasn’t prepared for the real-time reactions, and it made it that much more exciting. Literally- a gasp. The first look was a wedding gown made of coffee filters. It did not look like coffee filters- the artist had manipulated the material to have the hand of fabric. The piece really moved as she walked down the runway, and had the appurtenance of ruffles. I was in heaven. What a way to kick off the event. What followed was a mixture of looks, some more wearable than others, but each representing someone that had taken the challenge to create a piece for this event. There was an evening gown that included roving and felted wool, an AMAZING gown out of trash bags with canned soda tab embellishments, structures made of wire, and bodices constructed of ceramic tile pieces…hand dying…sigh. I was in my element. Jess and I vowed that next year we would make pieces for the show- and we will. Expect- sparkle and shine. 
Armory Art Center, First Annual Fashion ARTillery Event
 Iris, please let me be you when I grow up. But again…no Iris. On my drive home I decided I needed to pay tribute to this lady who I had hoped to meet. So…as soon as I got in, I bolted to my closet, grabbed some chunky bracelets, layered on a few more necklaces and found a pair of black-rimmed glasses leftover from Jess’ birthday party…and…I did my best ‘Iris’ as John took a picture. This is the picture I posted Thursday night before I cried myself to sleep. Sigh.  I.heart.Florida. Then, I rotated between finishing up my art piece for the day and packing for Orlando. Friday, February 8th…off to school to teach a half-day and then I was on the road to Orlando to judge the National High School Cheerleading Championships. This was my second time judging this event. The first time I judged NHSCC was back when I lived in NC, when John and I were in grad school at ECU. I remember taking a flight on a small plane out of Greenville (that was SO scary) and then after another flight I was in Florida, walking around in 75+ degree weather in February. They put us up in the same place, Coronado Springs resort, I can remember walking around by the water and talking to my husband on the phone and commenting that I could get used to living in Florida. Well, a couple of years later that’s what I am doing. Living in Florida. Funny how things work out. Umm…so…drawing by the water judges meeting…took myself out to a fancy dinner and drew while I waited…then came back to the room and got some sleep. That was Friday. 
Friday...artin' at the hotel before my judges meeting and after, of course!
 Saturday and Sunday...a blur of sparkle, cheer and art. Saturday and Sunday were filled with cheerleading and whenever I had a minute- art. Add my own sparkly accessories and the glitzy uniforms and poms and all of my favorite things were in the same room- art, cheer and sparkle. The only thing missing was my husband and the cats, but they aren’t as into the cheer and sparkle, so it’s best that I enjoyed it without them. So..here are the pieces from the past few days. I made the work and posted the in-progress pics on instagram, but I just did not have time to sit down and blog and to take my final pics for the web and FB album. But..here…they…are. 
And this week? Wow. It is going to be busy. Two basketball games at IMS, parent/teacher conference night and another full weekend of judging cheer in Atlanta…and I need to take my husband out to celebrate the fact that he passed the first part of his dissertation defense last Friday…I am so proud of him!
 ...more explanation later on the title of this post and what prompted my to pay homage to Iris Apfel in a photo...
...I am covering an event tonight at the Armory. Iris will be there. Please, please, please....let me meet her! 
Truth.
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AuthorArtist and Art Teacher 
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