My Favorite "Summer Song". (Joe Satriani)

I just came across a blog where the author mentioned her favorite summer songs. This is mine and yes, it is called "Summer Song". It's quite a few years old now, but I still love it. I remember listening to it when my husband, then boyfriend, took me to the train in Chicago (December, 1992) and then again at our wedding reception (June, 1994). I still like Joe Satriani, but I must've really been going through a faze those two years. Enjoy it.

Paperback Swap

(I just signed up for this online book exchange and thought I would share the below info with you from their website. It's kind of wordy, but it really does tell it all. So far, I've sent out two books and have ordered one. So far, I really like the idea.)

Do you have any used paperback books lying around? I did, and I finally found a great way to share them with other people.

It seems that a few guys were sitting around one night talking about all the paperback books that they purchased over the years when they traveled on business. Each of them had a stack of books that they had read. So they decided to set up a web site http://www.PaperBackSwap.com/ that allows all of us to swap paperback books with each other. Now it's grown to include ALL books--hardcovers and audio too!

Let me tell you how it works because it is so easy. I listed a bunch of books on the site (you have to list at least 10 books to get in the club) and I got 2 free book credits to get me started. So you can order 2 books right away - free of charge and have them mailed directly to you. No strings attached. No gimmicks. No spam mail. Nothing! You just have to love reading.

Then when another member selects one of my books that I have listed, I mail it to them. Yes, I pay for the postage. But then I get a book credit and I can select a book that I want. So another Club Member returns the favor and mails me one of their books free of charge. For every book I mail out, I get another book in return - a true shared system!

And when someone requests one of your books, all you have to do is print a two page document on regular paper from your printer, and use them to wrap the book. The wrapper includes the mailing address and the amount of postage. Then drop the package in the outbound mail. Hey, most of the time you don't even need to go to the post office!

Right now the annual club membership is FREE! Eventually the founders will ask everyone to help contribute to pay for the upkeep of the web site, but for now the annual club membership is free. The annual dues will probably be between $10 and $20 based on the number of people in the club. But again, right now you don't even have to pay any dues for one year if you become a Charter Member.

You really need to check this out! And if you do sign up, please list my email (libbyriemersma@gmail.com) in the referral section because then I get another free book. This is a great club http://www.PaperBackSwap.com/

Wooden Bracelet

I bought this wood bracelet at Michael's the other day. They had them in their ad. I wood burned the design on it and filled it in with watercolor then coated it with some kind of triple thick, clear coating. I thought it turned out pretty well.

Drawing Day 08

Here are my drawings from Drawing Day. I got off to a good start; but didn't do as many later on in the day as I would've liked to. Oh well. This was a great exercise and I did draw more than I have in a long time. I also DID use the Moleskine book and it was wonderful. My son actually did a little drawing in it that day too.

"New post" day and other news.

I haven't posted anything is quite awhile, so instead of spreading all these posts out over several days, I decided to share everything at once.

Please check out my "other" blog for a couple of new paintings too. There is an ATC sized one from a beach on PEI and one of "Lulu" that was done for a gift. I've started painting again since I've got a lot of photo reference material from our trip last summer to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. I have a piece of 300# watercolor paper stretched on a board and will start the preliminary drawing soon. The photo I'm working from is the one from an earlier post of these lobster shacks on PEI (Prince Edward Island).

And...This Saturday, June 7 is DRAWING DAY! See the link to the right for more details. I'll be drawing in a Moleskine that I bought months ago and haven't touched because it's all nice and new and clean. But now I have this new idea (new to me at least) that I'm not going to save my sketchbooks, I'm going to USE them! What good are they if they are kept on the shelf?

Mom... Can I take apart my laptop?

Jarod came to me the other day and said, "Can I take apart my laptop?" This laptop was an old one that his grandparents gave him and really didn't work any longer. So, I said, "Sure." and take it completely apart he did. Above is a picture of the keyboard that now serves as a nameplate on his bedroom door; complete with his name spelled out. (Just his first name though, since there is obviously only one of each letter on a keyboard and we ran out of letters quick.)

Artistic License

I painted this license plate when I got this car back in 2002 (I think.) I wanted to say to the public that, "I'm an artist." I used to not be able to say that. I always thought that you had to be doing something full time and earning a living at it to say that that was what you were. I didn't want to show my art. I didn't want people to think that it wasn't good or that they could do better. I cared what people thought too much. To be honest, I still care what people think of me and my art, but it no longer stops me from saying that, "I'm an artist." See the video in the post below.

Mixed Media With Suzi Blu: yOu aRe an aRtist!

If you don't think you are an artist... watch this video.

Hooping update

This hula hooping thing is far more complicated than I originally thought. I've got my first hoop done and have been trying to practice and watch the videos on You Tube; but I still don't have it down. I guess I need to practice more.

We think we are going to get a video camera soon because we gave Bob a glider ride for his 45th birthday and he would love to take video to document this flight. So, if we do, I may be able to post my own hooping video or at least my progress. We'll see.

I still want to make a slightly heavier hoop when I can find the right tubing sold by the foot. I just don't want to buy a whole roll.