Sidetracked . . .

Hi y'all! I am here - life has temporarily sidetracked me in some good and some not so good ways. Wedding good, mom in hospital not good.

The last 2 weeks have been a little up and down. My mom-in-law, who we share a house with, was out of town visiting my sister-in-law 2 weeks ago and had a heart attack. It was totally unexpected - she's so active and fit. In fact she had just hiked 3 miles before she experienced the neck and jaw pain that prompted a trip to Urgent Care which resulted in an ambulance to the hospital. Lesson 1 - women don't worry about inconveniencing anyone as we often do! If you suspect a heart attack for any reason, call 911! Remember, women often don't experience chest pain with a heart attack.

She had an angiogram, angioplasty, and a stint put in and allowed to fly home a couple of days later. As my nephew (her grandson) was getting married here last weekend, my sister-in-law came with her and we were later joined by her sons. So things are in full swing for the wedding - shopping for wedding clothes, a slideshow for the reception to make, reunions with family and friends, people to pick up at the airport, kids going to bachelor parties, and all the family wedding stuff when we ended up with mom back in the hospital for 2 days and nights. Lesson 2 - do not continue to walk 3 miles a day within days of having a heart attack and sleeping a little more than usual might be a good idea.

She missed the wedding rehearsal but got out in time to go to the wedding. Sister-in-law and family went home the next day, my husband left for a business trip and we thought we'd get back in the swing of things and caught up on life this week but ended up back in the ER most of yesterday and last night. There's more to the story but those are the crucial parts. It is just never a dull moment around here the last couple of years. Mom is doing better today - we're sure there is more to find out and work on with the doctor next week and look forward to things hopefully settling down soon. I think a little anxiety is setting in with all that has happened recently. On my end of things, between mom and my daughter this year, and my dad the last 2 years before he died, I think I have been in the hospital and doctors' offices enough, I should get to be an honorary doctor of some sort. Dr. Fishy . . . maybe that will be my next piece.

So, needless to say, I am once again way behind on work and blogs and everything art or computer related. And once again I am a little overwhelmed and upside down. But if we can get mom lined out again and feeling good, I have nothing but time to work to look forward to in the near future. I did manage to finish up a kit I had started 3 weeks ago . . .

Cartes De Jeu



Last Chance Sale reminder . . .
Everything in my shoppe at DeviantScrap.com has been on sale for the last 2 months. That sale ends August 1st on most items! Don't miss this chance to stock up on things while they're on sale! New kits are added frequently and always on sale their first week in the shoppe.

Fun news . . .

I'm so excited about this!
Last year I was asked to do the cover for the art and Justice issue of Trespass magazine, a British arts and literary publication. Just after completing the work, the magazine went from being published in paper to a new digital format and is now available at ExactEditions. It was such a thrill to scroll down and see my cover amidst all the other magazines on the site! Many thanks to Sara-Mae Tuson, Managing Editor for New Trespass, for approaching me and giving me this incredible opportunity. It is such an honor to be part of such a provocative publication.


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen June, 2010. All rights reserved.
Hand cut, hand colored collage. Image credits: dress altered from Crowabout Studio B's Funky People Parts kit; paintbrush from Holliewood Studio's The Thing Finder kit; ground from Clemetine Design's Tommy Town kit; everything else from my own image stash and digital kits at DeviantScrap.com. All images were used with permission.

Brand new kits in the shoppe today!
Finally, I've got most of my "old stock" in the shoppe and had a chance to get some brand new kits made and listed at DeviantScrap. This is a big turning point as after a crazy family week ahead, I will finally have time to breathe and get some of my own art made, visit blogs, and visit other people's work. I am really thirsty for that. Well, anyway, the kits below are on sale along with every other TFS kit in the shoppe until August 1st!

Ooo La La



Fight for the Limelight (sample piece)


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen July 2011. All rights reserved.
Digital collage. Image credits: Everything from Tumble Fish Studio kits at DeviantScrap.com including Ooo La La, Odd Magic, and Divas.

Perfumed



Don't forget!
~ You can still sign up for the ATC swap at DeviantScrap.com. I'm hosting it and it's free and you can use images from anywhere. The sign up deadline is tomorrow, the 15th. You can do cut and paste OR digi or any other medium. Sign up here!
~ I'm also hosting a "get to know you" game at DeviantScrap.com in the forum section. It's called the Queen of Everything and all you have to do is answer some silly questions to be entered into a drawing for one of 2 $10 gift certificates for Tumble Fish Studio products at DeviantScrap. Anyone is welcome to play! You can play the game here!

Inclinations . . .

Clever connection to post title #1 . . .
I got a new piece done this week that used a small image from a kit I'm re-releasing today. The image said "You may be inclined to use fish in your art more". I'm inclined to use fish more often than I can reasonably work them in.


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen June 2011. All rights reserved.
Digital collage. Image credits: everything from my own images at DeviantScrap.com. Kits used include: Divas, Hats Crowns and Wings, Get Freaky, and Random Favorites.

The piece above uses some images from my Random Favorites kit and the one below uses images from Frames & Words. The are both a part of several kits I've released today and recently . . . Random Favorites, Inkoporated, That's the Ticket, and Frames & Words. Bad news . . . These are some of the last value priced bundles I have to re-release so don't miss a great opportunity to build up your stash. Good news . . . There are some brand new kits on their way to the shoppe very very soon!


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen July 2011. All rights reserved.
Digital collage. Image credits: everything from my own images at DeviantScrap.com. Kits used include Frames & Words, Winged Splendor, Hats Crowns and Wings, and Couture Glamour.

New kits in the shoppe . . . Tumble Fish Studio at DeviantScrap.com



Clever connection to the the post title #2 . . .
At DeviantScrap.com, it's not all just about selling images but also building a community that wants to work outside the box, color outside the lines, and use images in a variety of ways. Part of building that community is just plain having fun and getting to know one another. So, I hope you might find your self with the inclination to go play a game I'm hosting there.

All you have to do is answer some "get to know you questions" and you could win one of two $10 gift certificates to my shoppe at DeviantScrap. The worst case scenario here is that you don't win but get to know some new artists and deviant creative types out there. Everyone is welcome to play! When you get to DeviantScrap.com, go to the forum, and then go to Fun and Games and then to Queen of Everything. The picture below shows the start of the game, but you can join in anytime between now and August 1st.




Clever connection to the post title #3 . . .
I have an inkling (kind of related to the word inclination in an artistic license kind of way) that you will not want to miss all the great art that Seth Apter has been sharing in recent posts of his new The Pulse project. Trust me, you won't want to miss any of it. Make sure to scroll down the page and see all the recent "Style Files" where you get a taste of an artist's work and some introductions written by the artists themselves. I love reading what artists have to say about their own work . . . the insight can be so inspiring and affirming for me.



Okay, so maybe I'm not so clever in my connections but . . . I tried. Hope you have a happy July week ahead of you! And, please know, I always love to read and appreciate your comments.

No boom boom

This isn't a very patriotic post, unfortunately. I love the 4th of July but it is different for me these days. It was a holiday I celebrated with my parents, always my vacation every summer for the last 20 some years or so. Last year was my first 4th without them and still this year I have a hard time getting in the mood to do much. So, while I consider myself very patriotic, not so much on the obvious day I guess. No big boom boom here. (Though there is enough going on around us that my dog Scout is hiding under the bed for the third day in a row.) Anyway, how wonderful to live in a country where you are free to do as you wish . . . so I am exercising my freedom and right to work and be artsy today and a little untraditional. I do wish you a very Happy 4th of July, if you are here in the United States and a very happy summer day for everyone else!

You are a Goddess and Beautiful Sideshow


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen, July 2011. All rights reserved.
Digital Collages. Image credits: all from my own Tumble Fish Studio kits including Divas, Journal Words, Journal Scraps, Journal papers, Hats Crowns & Wings, and Paper Things.

New Stuff . . .
I've been working hard to catch up on work work and house work this week and have a lot of irons in the fire to finish up this week. I do have a couple of new little pieces done and some new kits in the shoppe at DeviantScrap.com. I'm nearing the end of listing all of my "old stock" with the last few re-releases in the next 10 days or so before starting on all new kits. Most everything in my shoppe is on sale now through the end of July (with just a couple of exceptions) so don't miss out on stocking up on a lot of great deals for your image stash!

Journal Words



Journal Papers



Journal Scraps



Beloved and Life Shrines


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen, June 2011. All rights reserved.
Digital ATC's. Image credits: from Tumble Fish Studio - Happy Place, Vibrations, Borders Bunch, Jiant Journaling, Miscellany, Divas, City Skies, Remembrances, East is West; arrow and crown in Beloved ATC are from Sherrie JD's SteamPunk kit; paper clip in Life ATC is from Christina Renee Designs.

Altars & Shrines . . .
There's a lot going on at DeviantScrap.com this month including a very fun ATC swap to compliment our theme of Altars & Shrines. The picture ad below is from DeviantScrap.com's The Deviant Muse . . . you can get the July issue FOR FREE from here! And we'd love to have any one of you join in on the swap! Anyone is welcome, any medium, any images . . . it's just a friendly swap! You can join in and get more information here.


Image credits: cards contributed by Balinda, Anubis 1, Glitterbug, and me. Full credits can be found on the last page of July's The Deviant Muse or in the swap gallery here.

Inspiration . . .
While perusing one of my favorite sites to peruse, Creative Souls, I found the gorgeous work of Mary Jane Chadbourne. Mary Jane lives and works in the Las Vegas area and her work can be found in numerous galleries in the Southwest. It was a stroke of luck that I discovered her work just as we were preparing July's theme of Altars & Shrines at DeviantScrap. Not only did I fall in love with Mary Jane's work but found endless inspiration for possible themes I look forward to exploring myself. One thing I find very exciting is her ability to use images in her dimensional pieces that many of us might limit to flattened cut and paste or digi work. She thinks "outside the box", literally, in her work and I get lost in the details of her dimensional compositions. The photo's of Mary Janes work below were used with permission and are linked to Mary Jane's Facebook Fan Page, Desert Dreams Studio.

The Beauty Within


Journey This Day



Frida & Diego - Unsettled Showers



Find Your Way