Saturday, November 24, 2012

Stuff I've made recently

I have been making backgrounds lately with the intention of putting inspirational quotes or mantras on them. Here is one I made for my sister:


And here is a painting I did for a friend. Collage papers with acrylic paint and original drawings.


What are you working on?

Monday, October 15, 2012

New creating space

I haven't posted in awhile and admittedly I haven't been doing as much art or journaling lately. But, I have revamped my studio space and now I'm back in action! Here are some pictures of my new digs:



The area with the square stool is my painting area, and the office chair is where my sewing machine goes. I've already been sewing and painting since it's completion. All components are from IKEA. I'll try to post some of the projects I've been working on soon. What have you been doing to feed your creative spirit?

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Yes, another journal



Ok, so I'm on a roll. When I get into something, I get into it. I finished this one Friday night and I've already worked on some pages. The cover is made of a recycled photo album I got at goodwill.


Front


Sorry it's a little unfocused. Edges are duct tape.


Back



And here are the pages I've been working on...










Thursday, June 21, 2012

Making journals

I'm in a journal making mood! I just finished a journal using an old hard cover book. I took the book block out and collaged the cover. The innerds are made of drawing paper and I embellished some of them with small pictures or stitching. This journal is a gift for someone to write in, not necessarily for visual journaling. I used several coats of varnish on the cover which gives it that shiny and hard surface.

I got so into making this journal that I signed up for Mary Ann Moss' Full Tilt Boogie class to learn how to make several other types of journals. Fun!!

Here is the front:


and here is the back:



What are you working on?

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Art Journal flip

Here is a look at my first art journal I started. It's not complete but I'm tired of waiting for that day. Hope you enjoy!

ART JOURNAL FLIP

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Tangle time

I've been working on a Zentangle in my Moleskine journal. It took me a while but I'm pleased with the final product. I used a quote from Albert Einstein that I liked.


I've also done a couple Mandalas as well.


I realize these are not the clearest photos, but you get the idea. The bottom two are from my tiny 3.5"x5" journal.  I've got a whole board of pinned Zentangles on my Pinterest site. There's a link on the right side of the blog. Happy Tangling!

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Etsy site!

Hey everybody! I now have an Etsy site where I have stuff for sale. No art yet, but some quilts, bags, and a journal. I just made the journal and I really love it! Here is a peek-



There is a link on the right hand side of this blog if you want to check out my Etsy site. Thanks for visiting!

Friday, May 4, 2012

Flow

So I took another class from my 21 Secrets workshops I'm signed up for. It's called Flow and taught by Connie Hozvicka. You're just suppossed to paint, pick some colors start painting and see what happens. add some lines and see where it goes. This was quite fun and I was surprised by the outcome. I would definitely try this technique again. I've only done the first lesson. There are several others to try as well. Here is my attempt:



To me it seemed like alien beings speaking their language, all with different reactions to their environment and different emotions.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

More 21 secrets

I took Julie Fei-Fan Balzer's watercolor class at 21 Secrets. This is my creation. It's all watercolors. The stencil with watercolors was a new technique for me. I love the way the flowers are on her face.


Thursday, April 12, 2012

Inky tags

I got inspired by Roben Marie Smith's tutorial on tags. I cut my own tags out of watercolor paper I had. They are embellished with yarn and rub ons for the lettering.



I might add some sewing to them too. Fun!

Sunday, April 1, 2012

21 Secrets

I started a new online class called 21 Secrets, its 21 classes that you can take anytime from now until the end of the year.



The first class I dove into was Dina Wakely's Intuitive Painted Layers. Here's my attempt:

It was fun and gave me some new ideas to try, especially if I get stuck and don't know where to start.

I'm using exsisting Art Journals that I've started since I have so many. Maybe one will get filled up! I don't know what that means, maybe that you get to start another one. Anyways, I'm hoping to learn some new techniques and just play. My friends from Journalfest are playing with me so that will be fun to see what they do too! Stay tuned for more from 21 Secrets!


Monday, March 26, 2012

Fixed page

This is a journal spread that I have tried to fix several times. You know what they say, "Third times a charm". I guess it's true, because I finally like it. That's the beauty of paint, if you don't like something you do, just paint over it!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

First Video Journal Flip!

Good afternoon everybody! This is my first attempt at filming a journal flip. Since none of my art journals are filled yet, I picked a Remains of the Day journal to show you. This is an online class taught by Mary Ann Moss. I've had a lot of fun making these journals. If you like it I'll flip through some more.


I tried to get fancy and edit it with title and credits but then the format wasn't working. I'll figure this video thing out someday.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Journal pages

I've been working on some pages with the help of my cat, "Baghera". He's such a help! He would try to get right on top of what I'm doing if I didn't suggest an alternate location. I can't tell from his expression if he's impressed or not.

Here is the finished spread. The page on the right has writting on it, but I did it with a grey gel pen and it's hard to see in the photograph.


And here are a couple pages I did awhile ago, but don't think I ever posted:


I'm going to work on my Remains of the Day journal, so I'll post those soon! Hope everyone is being creative today!


Saturday, February 18, 2012

I'm here

Yes, I'm still here. I've been dabbling in this and that. I haven't felt like I've finished much but I'll post what I've got.
This was a completed background that I finally added some text to. I've been collecting quotes and inspiration on Pinterest, if you want to follow me on that site too.
This is a journal spread from a lesson in my 'A Lovely Dream' online class taught by Suzi Blu. I really wish my photos turned out better. I'm open to advice.

I think I'll work on some Remains of the Day journal pages today. I'm having a hard time focusing on one media, but that's fun too!

Monday, January 30, 2012

My precious pooch is laid up at the hospital with an uncertain future. His back legs are not working and the surgery he had will hopefuly improve his condition. So I did a journal page with him in mind, inspired by Samantha Kira Harding's video.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

A Lovely Dream spread

I've added some layers to my Lovely Dream spread. Lots going on but I'm pleased with the result. For those of you new to my blog, this is a class I'm taking from Suzi Blu. It's an online class so you can complete lessons at your leisure. No pressure. However, if you keep up with the other students, it's kind of fun to see what everyone is working on at the same time. It's a lovely commumity of supportive artists and art students.

Recently I completed a painting for my Mom's birthday. Here it is below. She is featured in the painting with her partner Ralph. They recently went on a vacation that included London.The background is an image transfer that I painted around.  There are several personal references included in this piece, which made it fun to do.


In addition, I've been having lots of fun working on Journals. I will post them in more detail as I give them to my friends, but for now you just get a glimpse.