Thursday, May 31, 2007

I wanted to ask for your prayers.......

My dear friends, I so hesitated about talking about this on my blog, but I thought it would help to have more people praying, so I decided to share this with you. Our younger son, Matthew (26) has been having very severe migraine headaches and also seizures as well for the past two weeks. He has had headaches for years but never this bad and never this conintuous. The seizures are what really worried us the most. At first, Matthew just said he was having shaking spells; he didn't really call them seizures. We didn't know right away that when the shaking happened, his body would tighten up, his hands would tighten up, his breathing would get faster and his heart would pound faster. We thought it was just the shaking. The other reactions worried us even more. He went to the emergency room and they did a cat scan and some other tests, but said they thought he was just overtired, needed more protein, less stress, etc. They gave him some headache medicine but it made him very sick, so that didn't work. Then he went to a chiropractor, which helped relieve some pain temporarily, but didn't stop any of the migraines or seizures. So he was finally able to get an appointment with a neurologist yesterday. Matthew told the doctor about everything and the neurologist was especially concerned about the seizures......(he didn't call them shaking spells......he actually said they were seizures, which made us even more frightened). So, Matthew is going to have a "sleep deprivation test" tomorrow morning (after not sleeping from 2 a.m. until 8 a.m.) They will attach electrodes to his head and try to induce a seizure.......to see if there are any tumors, etc. Matthew is nervous about that test and so are we, but I know they will be monitoring him the entire time. It helps to know that, but it still worries me. Monday, he will have a MRI done as well. My husband Mike and I wanted to be there with Matthew (he lives in Utah), but he said we don't need to. (Matthew probably feels that we would make him more nervous if we were there, which is probably true, but I still wish we could be there with him). We are so scared, so worried. We just keep praying that he will be all right and get through this without any major problems. We just want him to start feeling better again. I don't usually ask people for help, but I thought that if any of you could pray for him, it would help, I am sure. I believe in prayer. It is a powerful, positive influence that has such great healing and comfort. I am sure Matthew is very frightened by all this and just wants to feel better, too. I would be so grateful for your prayers for our son and for your positive thoughts that he will be all right. Also, I wanted to ask if anyone has ever been through a "sleep deprivation test"? What was it like, how did you feel......? Have any of you had any of the symptoms that Matthew has been having?? Thank you dear friends.........I am so grateful to you. Debbie
This is a picture of our son Matthew filming a fairy furniture class we gave at a children's birthday party a few years ago. He made a wonderful documentary about Mike and I and our art and used some of the footage of this class. Our older son Michael did the music for the dvd. It's a wonderful film. That's me walking right next to him. It was so much fun working on the movie with him.
My prayers are sent out for all of you, too, that your lives are blessed with good health and that you are happy, too.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Beautiful works of art......

These are some pieces that I made quite a while ago. I did post a few of these last week or so, I think. I apologize if I am posting any of them twice, but I thought you would enjoy seeing these. These are some of my more elaborate pieces.......they took several days to create. I loved working on these. They are really special creations.......
Hope you have a beautiful day!!

Our Youtube address......

Here is our address to see our wonderful little video on Youtube about our fairy furniture!!! Hope you will visit it and tell other people about it, too!!! http://www.youtube.com/natureartists We will be adding lots more videos about our Fairy Castle and our little fairy furniture, soon! Also, lots of films about our quirky little creatures and people, too! Please visit our Youtube page! We would be so thrilled to hear your comments, too! Have fun, Debbie www.artmajeur.com/debbieschramer

Monday, May 28, 2007

beauty and the delicateness of the soul......

It's late, but I wanted to post these beautiful pictures. I will try to list the websites where you can find these artists, tomorrow. But thought you would enjoy seeing these inspiring photographs. Life is filled with beauty and sweetness!

Sunday, May 27, 2007

about me.......

Hello dear friends..... It is a Sunday. I am wishing I were somewhere else having fun, but have to stay here today and just really am feeling lonely. I hope admitting that doesn't scare people away. There must be other lonely people out there. My husband Mike had a meeting to go to and I am just feeling so alone. So I thought I would reach out to those who read my blog and share with you a little about myself, which I haven't done before. So many times, I just post pictures or a little about my art, but I haven't really said very much about myself. So, I hope you enjoy reading this and I would so love to hear from anyone who would care to share your thoughts or comments. I love hearing about other people's lives, too!!! First of all, I wanted to ask if anyone who reads this is from the L.A. area??? Mike and I are so anxious to make some friends here. We know people from church and enjoy their company but also would like to meet other people, too. If you are anywhere near the L.A. area, please write to me! We would love to get together with people here just to talk and get to know each other and maybe do some creative projects together or whatever!! It would be so fun. To tell you something about myself..... I was born in Los Angeles, actually, in 1950 (August 17th, to be exact). My mother and father were (and are) musicians and teachers and as I grew up, they were always teaching, performing and involved in music in one way or the other. It was exciting. I loved hearing them play classical piano, sing opera or the old pop tunes, play the old classic jazz piano (my Dad) or do beautiful duets together. Their love of music that they shared together was a beautiful part of their relationship. Often, they would have musician and artist friends over for dinner and even as a child, I would love to sit in a corner, watching them and listening to their conversations, amazed at their humor, intellect and enthusiasm about life! We lived in Garden Grove, Surfside and Long Beach, California as I grew up and I especially loved the house we had in Garden Grove. It was a huge 2 or 3 story house, blue with white trim and huge avacado and other trees in the yard, which it seemed to me was nearly acre in size. There was a wonderful fish pond with amazing orange fish in it, a big barn in the backyard and hydrangea bushes everywhere that I loved to hide behind and become intoxicated by their incredible, beautiful scent. I could have just lived outside my entire childhood!!!! I loved it! The fresh air, the trees, the birds and squirrels, the space!!! It was all thrilling to me! Even now, I almost become unhappy being indoors too much! I just can't wait to get outside! Our home in Surfside was a quirky little cottage right across from the ocean, literally!!! My older brother David (two years older than I) would so often run out the door and across the little street to the sand and we would practically live on the beach!! I have absolutely wondrous memories from living at that little bungalow. The sound of the ocean, the sunshine, the happiness people around there exuded because they were there at the beach.... all these things made me feel so blessed and happy myself! I had white blonde hair when I was little, until, I don't know even, maybe when I was 6 or 7. I will have to ask my Mom actually when my hair turned brown. I'm sure it must have been a gradual thing because I sure don't remember that at all. I remember running around in little one piece sunsuits all the time, barefoot and just feeling like the world was invinceable and the most amazing thing ever! I really spent so much of my time outside, I don't really remember being in my room or indoors, playing with dolls, or whatever. I remember watching the adults a lot; I remember thinking a lot about things, wondering.....questioning. I have two brothers, no sisters (which was a huge disappointment for me.....I wanted to have a sister so much!!) But, my brothers are pretty cool. We are not really close but are getting back to being communicative. We're so different, but I am trying to just appreciate them for who they are and hopefully, they will do the same for me. I think I always felt like there was something or someone missing in my life.....I never really felt very close to my brothers. I always wanted to have a sister who I could do things with, laugh with, talk to, etc. That never happened. I didn't have a daughter either, so that has been a very sad part of my life. I don't know why that happened, or didn't happen, but it just did. I always seem to be missing someone who is not there. I've sometimes thought it was just the part of myself who I long to be, or maybe there really was another child who was supposed to be born to our family, a little girl.....who never was. I know someday, I will know and understand all of that. But I still live with that loneliness, a part of my life. I am so happy with my husband that he fills so much in my heart.....he fills that emptiness that I sometimes feel. I know he really wanted a daughter, too, but sometimes you just have to live with what life gives you. We love our sons, so much. We have two sons....Michael who is 29 and Matthew who is 27. They are wonderful sons!!! Maybe a little more about myself, but you are probably wanting to read something else by now, I suppose..... I grew up mostly in California, as I mentioned. We actually moved from California, the summer before I went into the 4th grade. My older brother had asthma and the smog of California was really starting to affect his asthma. So, as shocking as it was, we had to move. It was very bewildering for me, I think, but also exciting, too. We moved to Klamath Falls, Oregon. (Has anyone ever heard of Klamath Falls???) My parents bought an old hunters cabin in the hills, overlooking an incredible wildlife refuge of marshes, beautiful wild birds and animals and endless space. The mountains were on the other side of our "cabin", filled also with wild animals....deer, bears, raccoons, etc. It was quite ominous to me at first, but after a while, I thought we had truely moved to the most wonderful place in the world.....it was a huge adventure for me. I spent hours and hours walking in the woods, playing near the creek, discovering all kinds of wondrous and amazing places everywhere. I learned that I could talk to the trees and the animals.....I felt their sweet spirits and felt so close to nature. It truely blessed me so much to be able to be a part of nature in that personal, unique way. My father taught music at the public schools in town. We lived about 30 minutes from the town of Klamath Falls. We lived out by Harriman and Rocky Point Resort. (Has anyone heard of these places??) So, the drive to town was interesting. I took the bus or I drove with my Dad. It was a long drive. I loved looking out the window seeing the scenery and thinking about things. I started playing violin when I was in the fourth grade. I didn't like it very much, though. Later, I played the clarinet, but that also, was not a very pleasant instrument for me. Later in life, I found that playing the piano was so much more comfortable and wonderful for me. I love to compose things on the piano and improvise.....there is something in that experience for me that brings me great peace and comfort. Well, that's all for now. I would love to hear from anyone. I am so grateful to you for writing to me, those who do. I hope you have a wonderful day today. Take care. Debbie

A few minutes to share......

Just have a few minutes to share some pictures this morning......of our little fairy furniture and my photographs.......
It's a beautiful Sunday. Quiet and such a pretty day. We might go to the beach today or definitely for a nice walk. I love being outside more than anything.......to feel the fresh air and hear the birds singing and talking. See the beautiful trees, the leaves and flowers. Nature is the most inspiring thing to me in all the world!!
I hope you have a wonderful day!

Friday, May 25, 2007

Amazed children and incredible artists......

Found these wonderful, inspiring pictures this week......wanted to share them with you; so excited. (Aren't you excited when you find an artist whose work just really moves you??!!)
The photographs above are by the artist Kayceeus. Her work can be seen on DeviantArt. Just go to: http://kayceeus.deviantart.com. Really awesome photography.
Also, above, the artist Jade Pegler works in paper and fabric and has the wildest, amazing imagination I've ever seen. Her website: www.jadepegler.net. Her blog: http://spectrescope.blogspot.com. Her work is prolific and complex. Her blog is very interesting.
I'm sorry, I cannot remember where I found the first picture......of the little children looking at the puppets. With all the wars going on in the world, chaos, confusion, sadness......it helps me so much to see the wonderful, glorious smiles of little children, whose lives are filled with hope and love of life. Of course, there are those children whose lives do not have hope and I pray so much for them......children deserve happiness. We all really need to whatever we can to help the children of the world.
I want to tell each one of you who read my blog that I am so grateful to you......for reading my words and appreciating the pictures I post. I am so touched by every comment left on my blog. It is wonderful to feel cared about. Thank you so much!!
Debbie

Characters for our new movie!!!!

We are so excited!!! Mike and I have been working on a fantastic little children's movie using our wonderful Treehouse and little characters that we've made in the past and some amazing and comical people that we made this week!!! We should have the movie done soon, just need to edit it and it will be done. We'll have it available on my Etsy store. It is called:
The Enchanted Treehouse
It is so cute and funny and just has been the most fun creating!!
These little people above will be in the second part of the film. The little lady with the green hat and beautiful beige dress doesn't have a face yet, but will soon. It will be interesting to see what Mike will create for her face.....he is the sculptor!
The first little lady is a flower girl.....she is completely made from natural materials, except for the lace trim on her rose petal dress. The funny little man with her was made by Mike and is a quirky little guy. In the movie, his name is Benevito. The lady with the green hat will be holding a candleabra and a basket (when she's finished).
The man with the cork body (isn't finished yet) is so funny. Mike sculpted his face. Isn't it amazing?! He will really look incredible when he's done. And the last little man is kind of futuristic guy. He's waiting for the finishing touches still, too.
We stayed up so late working on these five new characters. It was amazing fun!!!
So, please look on my Etsy shop soon for our little movie! I also have beautiful packages of dried rose petals available on my Etsy shop now, too!!
Have fun and remember to stop to listen to the birds today!!

Monday, May 21, 2007

the m y s t e r y of horses and pink curiosities........

happy are those who find curious and fresh surprises in life around every.......
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