run this

I’ll tell you who ran this town nation.  Who Dat? Won Dat! True Dat!

My boy opened up the Superbowl with this amazing video:

I have to tell you it was the perfect little video to get me pumped up and ready for the game on Sunday.  The Saints winning well…that just brough tears to my eyes. Tears of black and gold.  Then to finish it up with this image:

well that just puts it all in perspective.  This game was for something bigger, it wasn’t for a trophy.  It was for a city, a state, the gulf coast.  Last in the nation for health and education, but baby, we got faith, we go the Lombardi trophy.

lifetimes of paper rainbows…W the happy artichoke

whole lot to do

Okay so I am slacking on today’s go Venture…I will have it up tomorrow.  the prompt is whole…and well I got a lot to do today…both jobs and such…oh life is hard.  I kid, I kid, but really I will have my new painting and last day of prompt up for tomorrow. Heck I may even have two.  Sunday, well…Sunday is approaching, so I give you this:

lifetimes of paper rainbows…W the “44th” artichoke (ten points for whomever gets the reference)

friends & links

Okay so I have been meaning to do this for a while, andI have been sidetracked by my own nonsense.  I can be quite self-absorbed…I know shocking! Anywho, I have come to meet some great people through the years…and wouldn’t you know they each have there very awesome talents!  From graphics to cookies to organic lifestyles to philanthropy.  They are greatness embodied.  I am here to share with you there story, their site. 

Dr. Snarky.  Let’s start by giving Dr. Snarky a very happy birthday wish.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  Dr. Snarky, shares his snarkalicious thoughts on the rocks here.  Need 1 part sarcasm, 1 part politics, 1 part liberal views, 2 parts human look no further… robalay.wordpress.com

How do you organize your life?  Do you do like me and make piles, piles that have no great order, except that they are piles?  How do you prioritize?  What do you do when Time flies by in a blur?  I have no quite figured out the great organizational system for my life, but I love perusing over timefliespa.wordpress.com where Rosemary Costello, a personal assistant in Pennsylvania, shares her favorite articles, creative websites, and thoughts on all things that I need to absorb.

I love cookies! Who doesn’t?!  Well, I recently met a lovely lady, Sharon, who is awesome at cookie bouquets and such.  Recently she put together her website and I was so excited to check out what she has.  Needless to say, I will be sharing cookies with my favorite people now.  Go check her out at cookie2crumbs.com.

We all know someone who has been affected by cancer of some sort.  One girl who I have mentioned before, Leanne, is fighting for a cure 3 days at a time.  She is a lady on a mission!  I love it.  Get ready to be inspired.  Check out her story at leannethewalker.blogspot.com.  Right now she is doing the facebook challenge.  Read all about it.  I wish I was in a place to donate right now, hopefully my awesome readers can help her out with a donation of just 8 dollars in honor of the 1 in 8 women that experience a breast cancer diagnosis.

Okay so I have a friend, Paris. The girl has decided to live as organically as possible.  I think this is amazing.  She posts her favorite organic items and such.  She is also working on an organic clothing line!  How awesome!  (that was a lot of exclamation points) Go check out Paris at: imawildflower.wordpress.com.

Graphics…My dear friend Ryan Colgin in NOLA is an amazing artist and yet, he has not updated his blog in forever, lets all go give him heck.  Go check him out at Grellowstudio.com.  Then there is Lindsay…love her.  Another brilliant graphic designer. She’s in the Houston area and one of my favorite gals to have a glass of wine with, if only I were a bit closer. Check her out at lindseycroft.com.

Growing up my best bud was a gal named Lauren.  We went on mission trips together, painted toenails, and gave each other fake tattoos.  We even dressed as Siamese twins once.  Our life has taken us in different directions, but I love following her missions and great faith at orphanandwidowministries.blogspot.com.  Her words lift me up and pull at the right heart strings each time.  I love it. 

Well for today I think that will do.  I have so many other friends with amazing gifts and have no fear, I will share them as well.  Hope this Thursday is treating everyone well…till a bit later when I hope to have a great new design to share(fingers crossed).

lifetimes of paper rainbows…W the friendly artichoke

 

 

 

memories are permanent

I had several different ideas for permanent. I doodled, for some reason I had a much harder time with this prompt than others.  I painted and nothing really stuck. Nothing was permanent.  I thought about how nothing is permanent.  Then I thought…well that is b.s.  My memories stick with me forever.  I remember things forever.  They compose who I am. I thought about how in relationships you can’t change the things that define who two people are together.  The memories, the events, the words spoken they stick between the two of you forever.  This reminded me of my relationship with my mother.  How it is the only permanent relationship in my life.  How all the memories, some perfectly imperfect, are there, engraved in stone forever.  Our relationship changes, but the memories of the days before remain.  Time fades away, but the memories of the time before remain.  The paper rainbows in our life are everywhere, each time they show up in a different way, but each day they are there, paper rainbows are permanent.

for the full story on paper rainbows go here.

lifetimes of paper rainbows…W the permanent? artichoke

lap dog

GoVenture 2010 – Day 3 – Coincidence

Let me first say that I don’t believe in coincidence.  Things do not randomly happen.  Things happen because it is destiny.  So when things work out perfectly I can not chalk that up to coincidence.  Not at all.

I have never been much of a snuggler, however, there is one little one that fits so perfectly in my lap, or curled up by my side when I sleep.  This my friend is no coincidence. 

 When you fit that well upon my belly it is hard to stay mad at your when you are a bed hog, or with your wretched toots, or even when you decide the bath mat is your toilet. 

lifetimes of paper rainbows…W the “coincidental” artichoke

the wind blew

Go Venture 2010 – Day 2 – Invisible

Today’s prompt, invisible.  Yesterday was a rather dark and dreary painting, today is a bit more cheerful.  I thought about all that is invisible.  I had a long list, my favorite invisible thing, the wind.  I love how the wind can move us. I love that we can’t really see the wind except when it moves us, the trees, sometimes houses, water, etc.  When the wind blows…that is when I know I am alive.  That is when I know I can go anywhere.  When the wind blows I imagine myself a flower, a flower at the mercy of the invisible. 

the words on the canvas say: “When the wind blew she knew she was alive. She knew she coud dance. She knew she could move anywhere.  When the wind blew she knew she was not invisible.”

See what is invisible and you will know what to write. 

Bobby Long “A Love Song for Bobby Long”

lifetimes of paper rainbows…W the “not-invisible” Artichoke

among the crazies there are who dat songs

Sidenote: Yes in this video Brees is doing a bit of drinking and driving, however, I know he doesn’t condone it. Drew says, “No Drinking and Driving!”

sunset today

Go Venture 2010-Day 1-Wander

There are days that I find myself just wandering.  Not really walking with a purpose…just wandering until I can’t wander anymore and I just wait for the sun to set and a new day to begin.  There are those days when I wander, looking for something and nothing all at the same time.  Yes there are those days when I am just wandering looking for silence…looking for a life that is as big as a stage.  There are days when I wander…

I am told that this is the darkest of paintings…however…there is something I really like about that.  Sometimes, things are not so bright. There is always the silver lining though. 

lifetimes of paper rainbows…W the wandering artichoke

goVenture 2010

Many of you may remember the earlier days of the Kal + Elise goVenture.  If not, please type in Go venture in the search box to your right and research.  I don’t have time to catch you all up.  I kid, kinda, I really don’t have time.  But while my finished product is drying, please go take a look at Elise and Kal’s explanation of goVenture.  I will give you this:  A sneak peek at my go venture today…for wander…

lifetimes of paper rainbows…W the “venturing” artichoke

work hard

Conan, Conan, Conan. I was never a real fan of your comedy, but my friend you are an inspiration. I am a fan of you, in that know you will do amazing things.

This is poster love. You know how much I love my keep calm and carry on posters…well now I keep thinking of all the things I could sum up in this sentence.

I have put this on shirts. If you want one go here. I am getting it printed as a poster myself email me a red.gray.design@gmail.com if you would like a 16×20 print.

These are in people shirts too here. Who doesn’t want their pup to support the team too!

Anywho these clothing items have been provided at request. Hope you enjoy!

lifetimes of paper rainbows…W the @rtichoke