evolution?

do you believe in evolution? spiritual, physical or otherwise? if you are an artist, do you feel your work evolving, progressing? Or do you just make art for art's sake. i love to try so many techniques! when i read about some new technique, i almost always have to try it. it is the challenge of the experience. this is my way of developing myself as an artist. to learn new techniques. to learn what works for me and what doesn't. i went and got a cuttlebug yesterday and i must say, i just love it. i don't usually fall in love with gadgets - but this is so easy to use! it was on sale 50% at a national art&craft chain store this week. such a deal! and the dies are very reasonable. some of their dies are a bit cutesy, but others are more whimsical - so those are the ones i like. hopefully they will come out with a broader selection of dies soon, plus you can use competitors dies as well. i am so indecisive about which class to sign up for at the valley ridge art studio - it's time for me to decide and i just can't! i just wish i could take all the one's i'd like to, but there just isn't enough $$$ for that! they have such excellent instructors coming next year. i will pick one, it just is a matter of time. of course, then the class i decide on will be full... yikes!

i took a few minutes this morning to tidy up the art studio. i had been busy on saturday working on a board book and things got a bit out of control. that's one thing about having a smaller sized studio is that it forces you to keep it somewhat organized! i've been doing alright on that end. my quilting studio is still in the basement. there's just too much equipment to fit in one area, what with the two sewing machines and tables, plus the cutting table and the storage for the fabric.  it's all there - waiting for me to use it... just like the treadmill downstairs (next to the quilt area). i really need to make that a priority beginning next year as well. get some exercise and eat more healthy. all good intentions. i'll visit that business right after xmas. 

for those of you keeping track of the weather here, we just got over two days of temperatures in the 40's with some rain - so a lot of our snow has melted. we awoke today to temperatures around 0. the high today will be 7, with wind chills -10. so the snow that melted is now ice covering the ground. that's pretty cold. not normal for this time of year for us. we usually get that in january or february. again, i'm feeling sorry for the birds.