With the holidays approaching come holiday parties and events. Events where one wants to look their best. Part of looking your best includes looking like a celebrity without having to pay the price that a celebrity may pay to get it. Oh, it is true that many of us would love to be pampered and sit and relax with a glass of cool bubbly while the makeup artist performs their magic and makes us look like a million dollars, but many people do not have that luxury, nor the million dollars. And, with this economy, even those who do have the luxury may not want to spend excessive money on the holiday look when they don’t need to spend that kind of money to get it.

Join Lisa Gibson at the #SocialCafe Twitter Chat on Wednesday, November 7, 2012. 3p EST / noon PST. For more information SocialWebCafe.com

YouTube how-to videos to the rescue. Lisa Gibson, a studio makeup artist that has that experience of making up the stars, has put together her three pics for YouTube videos to learn how to get that holiday look for your next event.

Most people who get into playing guitar do so because of a desire to emulate famous rock stars or play the songs which they grew up singing. Classical guitar is a lesser known discipline, and it receives far less coverage in the mainstream media than top rock stars and even the other classical instruments such as the piano or the violin. For any student of the guitar, taking time out to listen to the music of some of the greats in the acoustic classical guitar world will expose them to a different playing style and type of music.

I am very inspired by Dangerous Lee. She has an awesome sense of humor, which you can see by checking out her site. But, more than that, she is a woman of courage, and she is there to educate others and counsel them. I truly believe that it is this character (which is much more than can be described in a couple sentences!) that her art breathes life.

I saw a couple of other art pieces and I wanted to just fill this post with her art as it was hard to limit it to just two! In looking at her art, I noticed how expressive the eyes were and how much it drew me in to want to know the subject more, and hence, the artist more. Dangerous has a way of interpretation that allows you to feel the art with her and come back for more.

Come, get to know Dangerous Lee and her art, and be sure to visit her links to view more of her amazing talents!

I was very moved by what Ms. Edie Schmoll had to say, in her interview, below. Here is a woman who has experienced pain, great pain, and yet has processed that pain in a way that builds character and displays its artistry in her painting, her writing, and her music.

As years have progressed, I have realized that we don’t get any younger and that we need to seize the moment, whatever that moment presents to us, good, bad, or otherwise. Ms. Edie Schmoll has inspired me and now, when I look at her art, not only do I see beauty, but I see a deeper meaning, something that speaks to my heart and soul.

When did you first decide that you wanted to be an artist?

I started painting about four years ago. Following the loss of my husband, I returned to school to brush up on my musical skills (classical piano solos on www.trinityhemet.org/ : Edie’s Page). Following the resumption of a career in performing, teaching and composing, I took a semester of Watercolor and Oil Painting at a community college. I had a painting nominated for National Artwork Award in 2011 by American Mensa. The painting, “Glow” is seen here. I won their National Poetry Award in 2008 for “And Now.”