Monday, November 3, 2008

She's Off and flying to Laguna



My Marie is off and fedexing her little butt to Laguna. I finally finished the second submission which was the "envelope" you saw in an earlier post BUT ended up becoming a "collage" and I did have great fun doing it. Isn't that the way it is -- the one that you think is the ugly one and needs help and you don't know if you can save it or not and you keep adding to it and BAM -- there it is in all its glory.

This one I am not putting in "return postage" money. I am turning her loose to roam where she may and hopefully someone will end up with her (no matter if she is published or not) who really appreciates her. I called her Ame Peintire en Larmes, translated kind-of-means, a soul painting in tears. Not sure, if my translation is correct, but it is close. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

This Marie obsession started last spring when two events happened. The first was my working on a brown paper bag booklet of Marie Antoinette for the turquoise challenge at Stampers Sampler. A little later I saw some incredible stamps by Michelle Ward which were her Zine Marie Antoinette stamps. I fell so in love with those stamps and was fortunate enough to get a set - there were only a few that available. I, then, made a thank you small booklet of Marie for Michelle using her stamps. Then, right after my brown paper bag Marie was NOT published in Stampers BUT in Somerset, I saw the Marie Antoinette call from Stampington and went to work on a third Marie to be submitted to them by November 15. And then the fourth Marie which ended up as a collage on a bubble envelope mailer. WOW.

I really seem to know Marie. When Betsy, Ron, and I were in Paris, I saw the cell where they held her in until her death. I saw the beautiful silver cross she saw and, perhaps, prayed in front of.... I saw the blade, the lists of hundreds of names of those who were killed, it was a sad place tinged in sorrow. A sad piece of history, once again, of endless killing. I have a History Channel DVD on the French Revolution. It is excellent and I highly recommend it. And yes, I have to admit it, I am the one who spent over a $100 on e-bay for Les Miserables CD in French which has been "out of print" (I know not the right choice of words but it is early in the morning) for a long time. I saw two French ice skaters skating to it on one of the competition shows and had to find a copy. It was not easy and hard to locate. Believe it or not I found it at a "bargain." I can honestly tell you it was worth the money and I really enjoy listening to all the selections in French. I also love all the music sung by the sparrow, Edith Piaf, and have since my junior year in collage.

In my younger days, I was told I looked French (mother's side is German, father's a mish mash of english and french). Although I have my special love for England and really believe at some point in a previous life I lived in those beautiful green hills and purple moors..... my soul also belongs to France, the sunflowers, the yellows, the Paris back streets, Provence, Nostradamus! Ahhh, I'm gonna miss you, Marie. Godspeed. May you be published and if not, that's o.k. You have given me some incredible creative "kick butt" moments.

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