tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139241272011-04-21T21:32:25.267-06:00Artist Susan Reynolds on the miniscule and major; on making art and making a life; the adventure of Ephemeria's artistamps, the challenge of creativity, the struggle for balance, and sometimes what's for dinner.Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.comBlogger821100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1128568325782339322005-10-05T18:13:00.000-06:002005-10-05T21:13:35.996-06:00

While wandering about looking for the necessary link to include with my blog entry on the flat artists a la Flat Stanley, what did I wander into but this good idea to educate about needs and encourage kids to do their part from an early age. Good idea, check it out - but fair warning: while you're nosing around over there try to stay away from the Barney's White House dog house. Those doggies

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1128213348402631042005-10-02T09:23:00.000-06:002005-10-05T21:36:46.330-06:00

One of my daughters lured me over to a certain test-taking site by pointing me to a chart placing her political and social views on a chart that showed her being somewhere between Pope John Paul II and Gandhi. Hmmm, I thought. This was worth looking at. So I did. After I found out that my views put me in Donald Trump's social / political outlook neighborhood, I poked around more and it turned

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1128121729077596202005-10-01T16:33:00.000-06:002005-10-01T14:40:20.493-06:00

There are normally a plethora of blog-able topics at my house, and there are many more for a suburban Washingtonian to blog about. All this before we even get to the topic of ART! But the art making had to suspend while I solved a pressing problem. WHAT was I going to wear to the shindig my husband's company's was throwing?The deal here is that wearing the corporate wife and artist hats at the

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1126142670475298792005-09-30T15:30:00.000-06:002005-09-30T13:54:00.436-06:00

Two weeks ago while watching one more sad image from Louisiana I just up and decided that I needed to create a sunny floral artistamp for autumn projects. I for one want some positive images in front of me for a change and my main criteria was that it should have nothing to do with water or New Orleans. Beyond that when I was thinking about fall colors I really wanted to avoid that "autumn gold

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1128100547719080822005-09-30T11:14:00.000-06:002005-09-30T11:29:59.486-06:00

This morning I was checking in with the Pentagon for a press packet dealing with General Dick Myers' last day on the job. There's always something interesting on the Pentagon site in any case. But honestly today I had one verifiably good reason, and another simply good natured reason driving my visit. a.) I feel called to rib my son that his branch is losing their Pentagon"in" with the end of

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1127859254207080372005-09-28T09:08:00.000-06:002005-09-28T08:26:47.750-06:00

Following up on the emergency preparedness topic, I've run across a book that looks beyond normal run of the mill issues surrounding a crisis. When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance and Survival begins where most emergency books fail and has taken a closer look at the broader field of self-reliance rather than simply beginning with reactions in crisis. There's a lot to think about here

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1127856202647999082005-09-27T20:55:00.000-06:002005-09-27T19:21:30.480-06:00

Along with reading the outstanding book Getting Things Done recommended by Alison Stanfield , I'm also digging into the fascinating Al Qaeda Connection: International Terrorism & Organized Crime. Going into this one I wasn't sure if it would be seriously disturbing or more illuminating. Now I'd say it's a good dose of both. My life has come to one of those moments of synchronicity and I'm in "

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1127170917751381692005-09-22T21:35:00.000-06:002005-09-22T21:02:55.510-06:00

Following up on a music entry which took you to the lovely land of David Gray, I've found some snippets of information to share. It seems that the folks over at NPR are in the same boat as many of others and are trying to catch up. Figuring out that we're all a bit behind on the technology curve they are experimenting with Podcasting. So here are some of their bits and pieces of podcasting

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1127260224857242222005-09-20T17:57:00.000-06:002005-09-20T17:59:33.400-06:00

Michael Yon calls himself an "independent informed observer". I call him a gutsy guy whose writing ability is only getting better. I've been reading his pieces for awhile now and all of it is interesting. But some slice of life stories strike me as particularly important to know about. The one linked here is particularly comprehensive and tells the story on many levels. From where I sit, it

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1127226026438109942005-09-20T12:45:00.000-06:002005-09-20T11:44:36.896-06:00

Last night again I witnessed the often hapless Redskins slip easily into - er - what else can I call it except their normal dismal performance mode when taking on the perennial nemesis, Dallas. Not being able to take any more virtual angst, I went to sleep after three and a half quarters with Dallas leading 13-0. So it was a shock to wake up this morning to this picture. I had to go to three

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1127169884082747872005-09-19T18:36:00.000-06:002005-09-19T19:33:28.966-06:00

The sound-track playing in the background of my life really affects my day. I am attuned to the pace of comings and goings, the burble of various fountains, phones ringing, meowing; all these bits and pieces flowing through my life. Music also plugs into that mix, and the latest musical additions to my sound-track both energize me and raise my spirits. One CD that has slipped seamlessly into the

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1127158849865014952005-09-19T15:30:00.000-06:002005-09-19T13:44:09.756-06:00

Warning: this has nothing to do with art. Even if I was driven to design a stamp when I heard about this becoming an issue, that fact is entirely beside the point. So, here's the scoop. New York Law School , in normal contrarian fashion, is holding a panel discussion entitled, "Is Constitution Day Constitutional: Byrd-Brained Idea or Welcome Opportunity?" This all comes after new federal law

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1127011579699329182005-09-17T15:00:00.000-06:002005-09-17T20:46:19.823-06:00

After tragedies and solemn events this seemed like a good time to do a couple of fun things. Luckily for me artistamps can be designed in a shorter period of time than the bigger stuff, so it's easier to produce a creative response to the drama of current events with the Ephemerian Artistamps. Some issues are planned in advance. But others just kind of bubble up to my consciousness from some

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1126903058544833502005-09-16T14:08:00.000-06:002005-09-16T14:37:38.636-06:00

The artistamp marking the National Day of Prayer and Rememberance has been issued and will be distributed within the next 24 hours as an attachment to the members of the Artistamp Freebies group. If Artistamps are a new thing to you or if you would like to learn more about Artistamps see the Artistamps page on the website. To get this particular issue of the images and any new stamps that are

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1126891044159454832005-09-16T13:16:00.000-06:002005-09-16T14:39:46.720-06:00

I was fascinated with Walking in This World, Julia Cameron's follow-up to her successful book: The Artist's Way. It seem like a natural thing to write about after the National Day of Prayer and Rememberance service at the National Cathedral this morning. Here's the thing; what strikes me about Walking in This World is not how practical and do-able I find her suggestions for creative people.

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1126015266207642992005-09-15T17:20:00.000-06:002005-09-15T16:40:09.956-06:00

Sometimes a graphic image evolves; and suddenly I know just where it should be. This time it was a daisy; simple and lovely in the identity design I'm working on. Then bit by bit a reincarnation of my seventies flower child self asserted herself and the before I knew it the daisy had morphed into a symbol of Love, Peace and Flower Power; picking up the rainbow of colors of a pop symbol. This is

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1126813435463699702005-09-15T13:34:00.000-06:002005-09-15T13:43:55.470-06:00

News worth passing on: You Can Help by Donating very simple stamped cards USArtQuest has put out a call to stampers, scrappers and artisans of all kinds to help build “We Care” Card Art Kits: They are asking that you stamp and emboss at least 6 Christmas/Holiday cards with envelopes and send them to USArtQuest. They will supply the goodies with which evacuees can jazz up

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1126805670840060152005-09-15T09:52:00.000-06:002005-09-15T11:34:30.953-06:00

Well folks they're talking about us over at the trendwatching.com newsletter In fact, they're calling us minipreneurs. Among those included in this classification are cottage businesses, mompreneurs, solopreneurs, eBay-ers, small and micro businesses, freelancers, side-businesses, weekend entrepreneurs, web-driven entrepreneurs, free agents, sponsored bloggers and so on. Doesn't almost everyone

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1126723391923115412005-09-14T12:09:00.000-06:002005-09-14T12:43:11.960-06:00

OK, here's the report on my own Zinio "e" format magazines experience to this point. Without placing an order for anything or giving a credit card number I was able to click on over to the Zinio.com website and within about five minutes I had ordered free e-copies of three magazines of interest to me. I chose Stamp, Step and Dynamic Graphics. And all three were delivered almost immediately.

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1126718464208272822005-09-14T10:35:00.000-06:002005-09-14T11:22:29.606-06:00

Did everyone know that more than just a handful of magazines are available in electronic format? I was surprised honestly that it wasn't just tech mags. And where was I when things like US News & World Report and Playboy went digital? I wandered into this site called Zinio.com and only doing a wee bit of poking around I found Country Living in digital format for $4.99 for 12 issues plus

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1126822576144077782005-09-13T16:06:00.000-06:002005-09-15T16:16:16.146-06:00

The Americana Trio, a salute to the US, to her citizens, and to Liberty itself in the form of a new artistamp collection has been issued by the postal authority of the Empire of Ephemeria. The three images in this collection are being introduced here and you can get a look at a larger image on the website artistamp page.

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1126548385326929772005-09-12T11:17:00.000-06:002005-09-12T12:46:58.876-06:00

Regardless of whether you're a fan of Barbara Streisands music or politics you will want to check out the preview video from the new CD, Guilty Pleasures You can actually click and play this on-screen at Amazon through some miracle of Sony-BMG technology - all without opening your media player. Amazing. Teaming up with Barry Gibb again as she did 25 years ago, this track: Stranger in a Strange

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1126543992651324512005-09-11T09:05:00.000-06:002005-09-12T10:53:15.623-06:00

The people over at Folk Alley are actively using their blog to rail against musicians who publicize that their profits from this or that CD sale will go to the disaster victims. When the term "Marketing Ghouls" was used I just cringed. I'm not sure that those opinion givers have much understanding of how little income many artists on the starting rungs of the success ladder actually have to

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1126200329972891422005-09-08T10:25:00.000-06:002005-09-08T11:25:32.236-06:00

One of my favorite TV characters in the cusp years aound ninteen sixty was that workaphobic, beat generation hipster Maynard G Krebs on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis . The characters may have been stereotypes but Dobie's parents, brother and the others in imaginary Center City generally struck me as being pretty accurately drawn. It was 1959 and the world was stuck in black and white, with a

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1126146486681878592005-09-07T22:14:00.000-06:002005-09-09T12:14:19.336-06:00

The spirit was willing but I didn't exactly get too far along with my "100 Things" list that I've been promising to do. It's been a busy week in Washington and the next three days aren't scheduled to be any less full. But maybe I'm better doing things if I do them by way of smaller bites. I could probably write twenty fairly good lists of "five things." Or ten lists of ten. Or maybe some kind of

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1126138363707681852005-09-07T17:40:00.000-06:002005-09-07T18:27:50.496-06:00

It's kind of weird to get hate mail based on an artistamp; but sometime it happens. This time some folks who did not mind me issuing stamps to commemorate the passing of Pope John Paul, or Prince Renier took issue with the Justice Rehnquist stamp that was distributed to the Artistamp freebies group yesterday, September 6th. Obviously not everyone had a mother that told them that it's not polite

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1126066282394296332005-09-05T20:33:00.000-06:002005-09-06T22:23:39.320-06:00

Until I had a son based in Germany I thought Oktoberfest started in - um - October maybe? Little did I know that it begins in September. Except in Canada where it lasts only a week in October.) All of this is clearly a case of cultural ignorance on my part. So now I've got the idea and voila' - the first Oktoberfest artistamp issued by Ephemeria has arrived in advance of the festivities.(I also

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1125868181899315352005-09-04T14:14:00.000-06:002005-09-04T15:09:41.906-06:00

Joyce who is part of my freebies group asked in an email, "How people who get the freebies group mail on digest get this beautiful sheet of stamps? I am in so many groups that having individual mails would just be too much." I let Joyce know that after much trial and error I've settled on distributing freebie halfsheets by pdf email attachments. This is the way that the other artistamps are

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1125805912037469532005-09-03T21:51:00.000-06:002005-09-08T09:46:08.413-06:00

The Artistamp designed for Labor Day this year in the imaginary but estimable Empire of Ephemeria reminds us that our mothers, daughters, sisters and grandmothers have long been productive in the labor force regardless of whether that service has been in the home or in more public venues. The stamp remembers women like my mother, Ellen Ryan the daughter of a 1902 Irish immigrant. In 1926 she

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1125629036383520462005-09-02T21:01:00.000-06:002005-09-02T19:53:59.800-06:00

If you are set up to get Artistamp Freebies group email as individual messages you will find a new artistamp half-sheet attached to email in your in-box tomorrow. As usual you can open, save and print the sheet with the free adobe acrobat reader program. The stamp is a miniature of the original art print "Gifts from the Earth" released today as part of artists' fundraising for victims on the

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1125711403006008012005-09-02T19:04:00.000-06:002005-09-04T12:38:05.380-06:00

Val from Third Coast Rubber Stamps has pledged to donate 50% of her profits during the month of September to the American Red Cross and the Humane Society Disaster Relief Fund for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. It's hard not to really appreciate folks like Val and the other people on the Gulf Coast on a day like today. Visit Val at http://thirdcoastrs.com/ Direct Link to this

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1125599199830201302005-09-01T11:17:00.000-06:002005-09-15T14:20:58.886-06:00

As part of an effort of artists across the web, a new piece of art, "Gifts from the Earth," is being released today to help support the victims of hurricane Katrina. One hundred percent of all profits from the sale of these pieces will be donated to charities assisting those affected along the Gulf Coast.** The same forces of nature that cause such destruction as Katrina brought to our Gulf

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1125519531762289202005-08-31T12:53:00.000-06:002005-08-31T14:29:07.633-06:00

New images in the Gallery include an assortment of both framed and unframed prints and images on mugs, tiles, etc. in a wide price range. Your support of the Gallery is always appreciated. And it also makes it possible for me to do more special things for my art patrons like you. Bloom I Love Collage Bumper Sticker Ring around the Rosy Tulips There are more

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1125513976908170962005-08-31T12:30:00.000-06:002005-09-01T18:00:24.813-06:00

If you are set up to get Artistamp Freebies group email as individual messages you should find a new artistamp half-sheet attached to email in your in-box. It's licensed to you for your use. As usual, open with adobe acrobat reader The stamp celebrates a.) Eastern/Asian Art and b.) Art Puzzles & Cards as well. I very much hope you enjoy using it. -> Direct link: freebies

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1125243535864981002005-08-27T11:30:00.000-06:002005-08-28T09:54:34.610-06:00

I've stumbled on just the find to go along with my love affair with Lancaster County PA. It's part art, part humor, part offbeat and part one of those things you come across and spend a half hour reading through while wondering what the heck you're doing. Given my Small Towns blog entry from last week, when I was reading along and the Amish family happened to enter the picture, I couldn't say *

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1125209290910071972005-08-26T23:52:00.000-06:002005-09-04T14:11:52.270-06:00

OK, so it turns out that squeezing blog entries out of my pores isn't enough for the great Blogger Solar System. Apparently if I'm a blogger I need to have code to tell other bloggers, blog gurus and blog readers a couple of things about myself. It's probably also to confound normal people who are already scratching their heads mumbling "did she say blogger code? Is that like Morse Code or HTML

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1124990190712613162005-08-25T09:57:00.000-06:002005-08-28T14:27:12.240-06:00

One of the cats in residence loves bags & crawls into them whenever possible. When she heard that I was moving my old blog entires over from *LiveJournal she apparently fixated on the word "moving" and decided to pack herself in an empty shipping envelope. You know how exhausting packing can be, so now she's busy napping. Meanwile I've been moving entries and files, which has given me the

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1124929916704700872005-08-24T20:30:00.000-06:002005-08-24T18:31:56.760-06:00

Earlier I talked about balancing things in artists' lives. It's hard to get my head around something that I know to be true; that the actual making of the art is not always the activity that is the most beneficial professionally or on a personal level in an artist's life. Although it's probably impossible to touch on everything that I, or any other artist, could include in a balanced work life,

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1124832397343674262005-08-23T16:11:00.000-06:002005-09-15T16:48:20.036-06:00

I smell food downstairs at four in the afternoon and know that fall college semester has really begun. Youngest daughter is living at home for at least another semester and this observation is clear; she has an uncanny ability to select classes with a three hour window between them. Thus plenty of time for last minute class preparation; and God and her equally last-minute father both know she

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1124901713152045882005-08-21T10:10:00.000-06:002005-08-28T14:56:57.290-06:00

Have you seen the What's in Your Bag pages at Flickr? I haven't added my bag contents but I'm tempted to take part. It's realy kind of like performance art with masses participating. In the meantime I just wander through for a few minutes when I think about it. Today during my snoopbreak I was listening to "It's a Good Thing He Can't Read My Mind" from *Christine Lavin. There's an interesting

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1124759022904795162005-08-20T11:04:00.000-06:002005-08-22T19:03:43.000-06:00

Part of what I really like about making art is seeing other people actually use the images and get pleasure out of them. That has been easier to do since I discovered my favorite print house a couple of years ago. And to top it all off the Cafe Press concept of printing on demand - and on multiple surfaces to boot - turned the whole art distributing "thing" into twice the pleasure for me. One

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1124510204816886602005-08-19T21:24:00.000-06:002005-08-24T20:30:33.810-06:00

There's just something about southern Lancaster County Pennsylvania that's in my blood. Beyond the rolling landscape that just plain gets to my artist's soul, and the slower pace I yearn for, I admit being drawn by the people, the comfort foods, and the lure of wonderful memories. For me, barns have their own charm; be it big white ones in the middle of green fields or red ones, rickety or

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1124308228416004942005-08-17T12:51:00.000-06:002005-08-17T20:29:12.506-06:00

The days and nights of an artists' life are so glamorous; I can't even begin to tell you. The latest episode began on Saturday when it was 99 degrees and I "needed" to join 3 million other suburban Washingtonians in a marathon of errand-running to every store in the western hemisphere. Apparently the walking in and out, and in and out and - well you see where that's going - just gave me enough

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1124225642645826612005-08-16T16:50:00.000-06:002005-08-16T15:12:38.313-06:00

Susan's 24/7 Eclectic Mix: Clicking on the link above should take you to my very own personal music heaven. This was such an interesting project. When I found out that I could blog my playlist I got serious. Yes, I added and subtracted. And then added and subtracted some more. Repeat all that about five times. Then I played it all the way though to make sure it was what I wanted before it went

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1124134168664008562005-08-15T12:25:00.000-06:002005-09-15T10:46:43.106-06:00

This whole Blog stuff has some of us excited and others left boggled. Not to worry though since there is an easy way to get blog updates & other good stuff as well as get updates on new things happening in the studio as soon as this is available from this or another blog. With Ephemeria's (and others') RSS feed, you can set this up relatively easily. And it's free. Getting up-to-date news is

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1123777595745542152005-08-11T11:35:00.000-06:002005-08-24T17:30:23.196-06:00

Students and artists often ask about is how I do what I do. What's a typical day like? Do I go into the studio like clockwork? How do I handle the business side? Not easy to answer, but a blog entry from art marketing guru Alyson Stanfield got me thinking again about my need for elves. Another option would be a 36 hour day or an invention that makes sleeping 2 hours totally restorative. Art -

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1123701475859442932005-08-10T12:02:00.000-06:002005-08-10T14:53:16.466-06:00

This morning is one of those luxurious sleeping-in days so few and far between. Mounds of pillows and a well worn patchwork quilt made it perfect. Dozing kitties keep me warm company. Another touch of "cozy." Today artwork takes a backseat to overdue recharging from a weekend of full fledged angst and two non-stop weekdays of busy-busy-ness. At 10:30 I give in to a rumbling stomach and pad down

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1123532399466552992005-08-08T14:03:00.000-06:002005-08-08T14:19:59.483-06:00

My mother called them "Flags". They bloom in May and June and never cease to elicit memories of the blooming of summers past. Soft peach, vibrant magenta, sunny yellow and more colors than I can describe blend every year in some of nature's finest displays. Iris blooming are simply timeless, like hollyhocks, lilacs and hydrangea. One glimpse of their lush, overachieving petals and fringe-ish

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1123178034044937962005-08-05T08:05:00.000-06:002005-08-24T13:56:18.423-06:00

It's sometime around 7AM. All the suburban drones in the community are leaving for work. The mothers of young children, having already had their coffee, walk out to pick up the paper. Teachers off for the summer, moms who have put in their 30 years hard labor, dotty old grannies and any teen ager worth their salt are still asleep. This clearly means that I should not be waking up. I have about

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1124912555973514312005-08-04T13:15:00.000-06:002005-08-24T13:56:58.470-06:00

New York's own Origami USA puts out a heck of list of paper folding events so if you're in the market for origami classes or exhibits anyplace around the globe you're in luck. Browsing for new doings at Gadling.com I found updates about the art of folded paper castle making. Yikes; I thought making a folded kimono card was boggling. Anyhow, the castlemakers and more will be hanging out at the

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1123113845913633942005-08-03T17:47:00.000-06:002005-08-24T13:58:26.700-06:00

Thanks to each of you who have supported and continue to support the Susan Torres fund. I'm sure you'll celebrate with me at the news of the birth of little Susan Anne Catherine yesterday. The emerging butterfly artistamp is still available free for you to save to your own computer and print out to help encourage others to support Susan's family. See the bottom of the page at http://

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1123005055931732312005-08-02T11:50:00.000-06:002005-08-02T22:50:13.866-06:00

Part of the fun of artistamps for me is the opportunity to create something off the wall; a comment on life; a bit of fun.These are artistamps that I've designed in the last couple of days and distributed to my "freebies" list; people who are:a.) just learning about artistamps and trying the idea of including them in their correspondence and art work of various kind orb.) fans of the artistamps

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1124933742555581102005-08-01T19:23:00.000-06:002005-08-24T19:35:42.560-06:00

Who knew that even I could syndicate my blog? Alyson Stanfield is the art-business coach ( artbizcoach ) who's paving the path through the jungles of xml and rss and other complicated techno speak so I - and the stuff I do - will be more easy accessable to folks from far and near. I'm doing the heavy lifting and brain burning of figuring it out but without Alyson I wouldn't have an example to

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1122565108211150792005-07-28T09:34:00.000-06:002005-08-04T15:30:16.606-06:00

I want to stress up front that this is addictive. It's also easy, free & has the potential to bring you stuff to use in your art or craft projects - oh - and reading material too. So what if I know I'll never reach Bookcrossing "tell a friend" champ #1, AnonymousFinder who has referred 971 happy people to bookcrossing. BUT I can still do my civic duty for today and let you know about this cool

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1122499914880405372005-07-27T15:31:00.000-06:002005-08-24T14:06:50.876-06:00

It's hard not to complain about the heat on the eastern seaboard. I'm just sensitive to heat issues and would stay year-round in Alaska rather than be in DC in July and August. Please somebody take me away. Who has a nice little air conditioned room over the garage in a little house in a glen? I miss living along the Niagara River. It's probably about 72 degrees under the maple tree by the stone

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1124934639310237372005-07-26T19:45:00.000-06:002005-08-24T19:50:39.310-06:00

Purrfectly Oriental Ephemerian Artistamp issue 102.05 with plain edges make this design one that can be cut with stamp-edge scissors

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1122590501426634532005-07-25T16:36:00.000-06:002005-08-24T15:05:20.886-06:00

Among the ways you can get spondylolisthesis (spon-dee-low-lis-thee-sis) are overextending while doing gymnastics or playing football. I was the lucky recipient at age 17, not doing either. My parents were definitely "old school"; Born in 1905 they were not on the same page I was on in the sixties. Dad thought I needed to learn to type. Mom thought I needed to become a nurse. I finally convinced

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1123105677198584462005-07-20T14:19:00.000-06:002005-08-24T13:52:48.336-06:00

I'm passing on jokes to my friend Jim from high school and my kindergarten boyfriend Dave and asking our old friends Bill and Susan ( yes, two Bills & two Susans) if they would like to go to the Navy v. Air Force game in October. Later - as I'm reading comments on my blog and setting it up to do that fancy RSS or XML or whatever thingie and answering emails and planning what art pieces to send

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1124820443976356112005-07-14T11:37:00.000-06:002005-08-24T22:29:49.096-06:00

It's hard to admit but I've been having an ongoing little clandestine relationship with a blog that's not my own. It started innocently enough, with a puzzle. I didn't understand where my morning news guys, Bill Hemmer and Jack Caferty had disapeared to. So I googled their names and uncovered at least part of the story of being moved around in the schedule by CNN, and Bill leaving for parts

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1124818618386867402005-07-13T11:09:00.000-06:002005-08-23T11:36:58.393-06:00

Baa, Baa, Baa. (I keep hoping someone thought to salvage of all that wool.) From ISTANBUL, Turkey, the Associated press reports: Turkish shepherds stunned after flock of 1,500 sheep leaps off cliff First one sheep jumped to its death. Then stunned Turkish shepherds, who had left the herd to graze while they had breakfast, watched as nearly 1,500 others followed, each leaping off the same

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1124931104722596732005-07-08T18:46:00.000-06:002005-08-24T22:39:48.613-06:00

"One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important." Bertrand Russell OK, then I'm in fine shape. I've got this whole issue of work and importance totally under control. I play with paper and scissors for a living and when a form asks for a photo I submit mine in paper doll format.

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1124919954414914242005-06-30T15:40:00.000-06:002005-08-24T15:45:54.416-06:00

Once in awhile an idea will hit me and out comes an artistamp that tickles my fancy but isn't entirely inappropriate for wider use. That's the new "Boots" artistamp in a nutshell. Ever since I heard that Jessica Simpson was going to be in The Dukes of Hazard remake my funny bone has been tickled. Later when there was a SONG associated with this news my amusement quotient heightened. Now that a

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1126821338107165312005-06-15T15:41:00.000-06:002005-09-15T15:55:38.156-06:00

I hope that you'll enjoy the newest artistamps issues in their debut appearance here. The "Allegiance Sheet" made up of three stamp issues was created especially to mark the upcoming birthday of the USA and to show our pride in the Nation and its dedicated Service Members. You'll find out more about artistamps and see these and other images in a larger format on the Ephemerian Empire's

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1124910865981431522005-06-05T13:03:00.000-06:002005-08-24T13:14:25.986-06:00

OK - since everybody always says over and over to "write what you know" - I'm pleased to discover the book titled: Writing Articles About the World Around You. It is not only full of idea generating insight, but - even better - I found it on Amazon for a measly five bucks through one of their re-sellers. I love those guys. I'd like them better if they offered book rate postage, but that's

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1126821975328934112005-05-30T15:57:00.000-06:002005-09-15T16:06:15.330-06:00

Ephemeria salutes the heros who gave their all for our liberty and to the families who sacrificed for the benefit of the nation. We remember our Service members and all who gave their lives in the pursuit of freedom on this Memorial day. A new Artistamp Sheet has been issued in their memory. See the sheet and others and learn more about artistamps here.

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1124852279948276092005-05-25T15:40:00.000-06:002005-08-23T20:58:00.013-06:00

Yesterday I got an email from someone who first saw my website, then wandered into the blog and said she felt a connection to what I wrote. That reminded me about how valuable writing is to my art too. I wondered what she'd felt drawn to about the journal. I was using LiveJournal in a very simple format so I read through it after not having looked at it in months. It could use a little help

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1126819601085190202005-05-18T15:12:00.000-06:002005-09-15T15:28:39.180-06:00

For those interested in the pledge of allegiance discussions of the past couple of years, or other patriotic issues, you may want to join the Artistamp freebies group . This is the best way to get the high resolution clip-art mini sheet (see the files) & permission to print and use it in your own art pieces or in crafts, mail etc. I issue a new artistamp freebie for every patriotic holiday, as

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1123888312127557712005-05-15T16:47:00.000-06:002005-08-28T14:22:05.543-06:00

Some days I just think I need a hug. And taking a day off earlier this week for general self-care and recharging was very much needed and enjoyed. Apparently there were a few glitches though and an order placed by one customer got overlooked entirely. She got her image files this morning, as soon as I learned of the screw-up. But it was too much of a delay for me to be OK with it. If I ever have

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1123001948975758312005-04-02T10:59:00.000-07:002005-08-24T13:44:25.056-06:00

Working out the bugs in getting text and images sent to a blog via email or another program - perfect journal, deepest sender or loch journal are the onesI'm fiddling with currently - is not for the faint of heart. One inserts so many unnecessary html code bits into each entry that they are nearly impossible to edit after the fact. Another seems to have a problem with graphics in the translation.

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1124919471989297942005-03-24T15:09:00.000-07:002005-08-25T10:10:23.583-06:00

I talk about Ann Hills' "Don't Panic" CD regularly - mainly because it's so lovely on many levels (and if anyone finds someone out there who sounds more like a young, clear voiced Judy Collins I'd like to hear about it.) And this is the CD that made me wonder how artists select songs for inclusion. On this one, so many tracks - for example "Two of a Kind"which is so so engaging - my inclination

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1124997838198263572005-03-01T15:15:00.000-07:002005-08-28T14:13:54.390-06:00

This was an interesting quiz to take, but there so many sides to people . . . It seems as if it could have come out any number of different ways. What color Rose are you? brought to you by Quizilla I had to laugh at some of it - talk about laying it on thick! Here's what it said: "You are an enchanting person, full of mystery. You possess an almost regal quality to you, and indeed you are

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1124996163403434502005-02-06T12:12:00.000-07:002005-08-25T12:56:03.420-06:00

I have not gotten mail in literally days and days or read newsgroups, as some odd GI tract bug has had me in its gnarly grasp for over a week. Now that I’m getting back to semi-operational, I’m trying to be wise and measured. Just achieving that is a trick. But on the upside, this gives me time for laying back a bit and going small scale which just now means I’ve been able to do some

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1124814406486794292005-01-14T09:30:00.000-07:002005-08-28T14:14:47.016-06:00

Without wordsmith I would never have known that anagrams for Ephemeria included: Ape Hire Me, Me Hear Pie and He Am Ripe. Yum; sounds tasty. The wonders of the internet continue to amaze me and lure me into tomfoolery. A visit to the Advanced Anagram maker at wordsmith could lead to equally advanced cases of frittering away time. But it could also provide a name for nameless blogs, dogs or

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1125006018237302952004-07-14T15:18:00.000-06:002005-08-25T15:41:50.836-06:00

Step by step, one thing leads to another and then the day is over. Did I make one stroke of a brush or pen today? No. I comfort myself knowing that I am not only an artist - and that it is living a life that provide the ingredients from which art is made. So I went about the small details of a life: comforting a daughter, emailing friends, ordering gourd birdhouses, vacuuming the little bits

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1124825769813969972004-06-11T12:38:00.000-06:002005-08-23T13:36:09.880-06:00

A friend sent me one of those things you see online about children's quotations about God. I'm not entirely sure that I hadn't seen them before but as I said to my friends, fibromyalgia is like Altzheimers - I read new things over and over every day. And heaven help me I am getting old; I couldn't resist sending them on. Part of the appeal could be that I was tickled out of proportion at one

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1126822998502873472004-05-26T14:26:00.000-06:002005-09-15T16:23:18.506-06:00

Just a few words on the topic of Memorial Day, for which my son serving in Europe would kick me. We just won't mention it to him will we? So since he's not reading this I can admit that when I hear from him there are words that come over the phone that can chill me to the bone. I don't dwell on it, as it's not the norm and doesn't reflect his normal demeanor or attitude but it's there nonetheless

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1124902805414228252004-05-15T11:43:00.000-06:002005-08-24T11:00:05.420-06:00

There are a number of net-gatherings of insightful creative souls I'm been blessed to be a part of, and they discuss just about every part of the creative process. The gamut runs from what families say about paper and related materials covering every horizontal surface in the house to recipes for cabbage rolls. These women dash off such gems of information and insight; a constant supply of

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1124936197204768442004-04-06T19:55:00.000-06:002005-08-24T22:00:49.356-06:00

It's spring break and daughter #2 is on a retreat in West VA with her office group. This means that since her daughter Kelsey is not at school this week she is here. So far she's doing really well helping nanna remember that she's not 20 anymore - or 30 - or even 50. A 5 year old only makes a nanna tired with a capital T. My better and more employed half leaves for work early since his

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1124943896633272332004-03-30T22:01:00.000-07:002005-08-24T22:24:56.640-06:00

It's spring and the first one that we've been in this house. There's lots to do outside. There are still bulbs to put in but have yet to get the heavy lifters to get any beds prepared to be planted. So my energies are going into art, which for me takes making a step back from the net. A lot of work is focused on artistamps when I can manage that, The inspiration seems to come in waves. This is

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1125004543393779892004-02-15T14:33:00.000-07:002005-08-25T15:15:43.400-06:00

I just had a birthday. But it's not a numbers thing, really. It is a mirror thing. I am battling the dark, ethereal, unseen force of the body-mind connection. We've got a struggle for identity and dominion going on; and who knows what else. Contrasted with my own angst, a friend passed on a wonderful piece of writing by Maya Angelou on her 70th birthday. I'm in awe that this woman has gone

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1125000205891821612004-01-24T13:34:00.000-07:002005-08-25T14:31:01.213-06:00

Good grief the wind is up and it's got to be about 12 below outside. That gorgeous sun coming in the west window of the studio is deceiving as hell. I wonder what the cold has to do with the fact that the muscles in my shoulder feel like a rock. Someone should declare me the poster child for old injuries jumping up 20 years later to bite you in the backside. I'm still enjoying the photos I

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924127.post-1125026448586701602004-01-19T21:03:00.000-07:002005-08-27T13:56:06.353-06:00

If Greta Van Susteren can create a blog, I refuse to be left in the dust. OK, so someone at Fox probably did all the set-up work, but still - it's notable. She also got a face lift. I vote for that too. And a tummy tuck here. Surprise, this artist is making progress with technology. At least I know what a blog is. I'm streaking ahead at a breakneck pace for someone with FMS* Recently I met a

Susan of Ephemeriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15250033590225102544noreply@blogger.com0