I HEART You!

and it's not even February! 

This past year has been filled with a number of friends and acquaintences being diagnosed with heart disease -- unfortunately for some, the diagnosis came as a result of their autopsy.  Morbid yes, but the reality is heart disease is real -- it impacts our lives, whether directly or indirectly. The good news?  There is much we can do to help combat it. 

You know what is coming, don't you...yes, with minor modifications to our daily routines, we can make positive changes to help prevent heart disease.

I recently took part in the French Hospital HeartAware program, a FREE cardiovascular risk assessment that took about 7 minutes to complete and:

•Assessed my current cardiovascular health status and identified those medical or lifestyle conditions that may lead to development of the disease.

•Shared what I could do to take action to reduce my level of risk, including making you aware of the many services available through French Hospital Medical Center.

•Offered FREE continuing education via e-mail about my specific cardiovascular health and risk factors, if I so desired.

In addition, at the end of the online assessment, I had the option of obtaining a FREE 1/2 hour consultation with the HeartAware Coordinator.  The consultation included a review of my assessment findings, a FREE cholesterol check and the opportunity to have a $99 calcium CT scan to check for any potential problems with my arteries.

At the end of the day, my heart is fine.  I have however taken some steps to ensure that my heart stays healthy -- I stopped eating sugar about a month ago, I have cut out my daily caffiene habit, I'm eating a lot more veggies & whole grain foods, and a lot less junk! 

So what is next on the road to the healthier me agenda?  Walk more!  This is where you can help!  I (along with my dog Zoe) have joined the FzioPed's HeartWalk team to help raise awareness for Heart Health.  The walk will be in October and will benefit the American Heart Association.  Until then, Zoe and I will be preparing for the walk and raising funds to help support the cause.  If you would like to support us in this endeavor and either walk with, or donate to the cause, please go to our Heart Walk web page. As a special thank you for caring, Zoe and I will be making a special PawPrintArt HEART card that we will send to each person who signs up at Heart Walk web page.

Thank you for your support!  ~Deborah & Zoe

Break Time is Now OVER!

Not that I’ve actually taken a break in life, but the blog break is officially over. These past couple of months have been busy with work, household chores, the book, family and friends. In other words, LIFE!


My finger is doing better, but I have a feeling it will never fully recover. I have limited strength and an ever-present “pop” every time I bend it. So, I guess I just need to put on my big girl panties and move on!

My jewelry wardrobe continues to grow, as I “experiment” with the whole jewelry-making process. My sister gave me a jewelry making book for Christmas and a charm bracelet book for my Birthday. All my husband has to say about it is, “Oh No!”

Last month I had the pleasure of organizing a bridal shower with a friend, for a friend. It was a small, intimate affair, and so instead of a cake we had cupcakes. I made them, and wouldn’t you know, it led me in another direction. Cake Decorating Classes! In my attempt to make something “pretty” for the shower, I realized I hadn’t the skill to create what I wanted, so I did my best

and signed up for the Wilton Cake Decorating class at my local Michael’s store. You can be sure I will now include cake decorating as a topic for future posts.

Work on the book continues.

Zoe's PawPrintArt will be expanded to include paintings painted with a paw print paintbrush the I made in Corel Painter.  The paintbrush was created using an image of Zoe's paw and will be used to paint entire paintings.  It's kind of a strange concept, I know, but here is a very fast, very rough painting that I painted so you could see what I'm talking about.  It is a Celtic Knot, done in celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

If you look closely, you will see that every bit of this painting was painted using Zoe's PawPrintArt paintbrush that I created in Painter! 

Well, I guess that's the past couple of months in a nut shell.  I'll be back with regular postings about art, jewelery making, cake decorating, the book, and whatever else I can share with you.

Today's Quote:  "Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today."  ~James Dean

A Fathers' Day Surprise

This past weekend was Fathers' Day. I didn't get to visit with my Dad in person, but did so by phone. I love you, Daddy!

My husband, David, had been wanting to take the "kids" out to the lake, to see if he could start preparing Zoe to surf with him, so we made this our Fathers' Day family event. We went to Lopez Lake and David donned his wetsuit and paddled out quite a ways. Zoe, Kip and I stood at the shore and waited for the call, "Come Zoe!" She ran/swam out to her "daddy" and climbed onto his surfboard. Then I called her from the shore and she swam back to me. We did this several times, so she would see the surfboard as a respite. Doesn't she look content?

The next step is to buy her a doggie life jacket and take her to practice in the surf of the ocean.

Okay, now the surprise.... On the morning of Fathers' Day, I opened up the July/August issue of "Watercolor Artists" Magazine

that I had received in the mail the day before. I sat there reading and realized they had published a "tip" that I had submitted on-line. The tip is actually one that Deb Festa passed on to me, and has become a time and painting saver, so thank you Deb!

When working from a photograph, write down the colors used for the various parts of the painting on the back of the photo. This way you will know exactly what colors you used and you will never have to guess how you accomplished that color mix. Then, keep a completed painting file and include the reference photo with the color notes on the back and a copy of the completed painting.

Anyway, just thought I would share. Have a great day and keep your eyes open for the little surprises that are before you!

While I was sweeping...

This past weekend was Mothers’ Day. My husband and I planned an over night trip down to Southern California, to visit our Moms. This meant leaving our two little angels, Kip and Zoe to be cared for by our friend, Wayne.

After a long week at work, and an artists’ reception at the gallery on Friday night, my house was looking a bit neglected. Knowing that someone would be coming into our home, I thought I had better at least sweep the floors and tidy up a bit. Well, while I was sweeping, I noticed some orange “stuff” on the floor. I couldn’t figure it out, pointed it out to my hubby, and he cleaned it up. Then I noticed some orange “stuff” on the side of Zoe’s paw. I grabbed a doggie wipe and started cleaning it off. I made my way into the family room and found green “stuff” on the carpet. This time I called my hubby over and asked what he thought it could be. Then I noticed that our other dog, Kip had a green paw. I was concerned that someone may have thrown something over the back fence and the dogs had gotten into it. It was too dark outside to go search the grounds, so I waited until the next morning, and before we left for Southern California, I made a search of the grounds – I found nothing!

Well, we set off on our trip and I forgot about the orange and green marks and paws. That is, until Sunday morning when my husband handed me the following…



As soon as I opened the card, I burst out laughing. My "artsy" husband and dogs were at it again, and I am once again reminded that artwork comes in all forms…

I hope you had a very Happy Mothers’ Day! Deborah