inspiration monday

inspiration comes from everywhere....and this past week, it came twice in my mailbox!   i first received this fabulous little fabric heart-in-hand yo-yo from the very sweet carol sloan.  carol is a very talented mixed-media artist and creates SO many wonderful things!  this was created using some of her own "rusty fabric"....and the cute note was written on a piece of her fun and whimsical doodle-art paper!  her little package was a total surprise and completely made my day!  thanks again, carol...you definitely put the sweet in sweetpea!  

and, then just yesterday i went to my mailbox and pulled out this wonderful piece of love and happiness!  the envelope alone had me grinning from ear-to-ear....and then i opened it....oh.my.goodness!!  created by the incredibly talented judith leitch, she has once again left me speechless with this beautiful piece of original artwork!  and as huge as her talent is for design, color, and letterforms, her heart is even huger!  sweet, sweet friend, judith....your kindness and generosity brings tears to my eyes and i have been so blessed to call you friend for these many years!   thank you so much for sharing your time and talent in creating this for me!

please click on images for a bigger view!

happy landing

this is the landing that leads up to my new studio (please pardon the glare from my little oval window!).  i'll change out the artwork on the easel from time to time....i'm starting with this lovely from mary englebreit.

this is one of my all-time favorites.  i'm not always good about remembering the message, so i decided to put it out where i'll see it frequently!  i'm trying not to worry about getting everything moved in and put in place TODAY.....my house is a work in progress, just like me.....and, it's gonna take some time to get everything juuuust right!

click on image to see it larger

great expectations

my expectations were that by today my studio would be near completion, all organized and just waiting for me to come in and start playing.  but the reality is that sometimes life interferes with our best laid plans...too many interruptions, too many unexpected issues that go along with moving into a new house, too many errands that are taking me out of the house!  so, while i'm a little behind schedule, i'm proud to say that i've at least successfully set up my work tables....and they're free of clutter!  these two tables from ikea have adjustable legs (in ikea language the legs are called "vika kaj")....one table has the legs adjusted to my height (so my back won't hurt any more) and will be used for tearing large papers and gluing book boards....the other table has been adjusted to the proper height for chairs, perfect for sewing books or when my friends come over for some creative play!   

belated thanks....times two

looking for inspiration?!  my sweet friend julie king provides plenty of that...her blog is filled with beautiful photography, her fabulous artwork, her thought-provoking poetry, her wonderful sense of humor and her very sweet spirit. i'm forever inspired by her! she so kindly nominated me for this awe-summm award (love the crown!)....thank you so much, julie!

and after you've paid julie a visit, head on over and see what hege-annie has been up to!   hege-annie lives in norway and creates the most wonderful paper creations using her favorite stamps and other fun media!  you'll definitely want to see the absolutely beautiful wedding cards that she's created!  she recently presented me with this lovely blog award....thanks so much, hege!

for dad

to my dad:  

you taught me right from wrong,  showed me the difference between a wrench and a pair of pliers, trusted me to drive your brand new camaro when i was only 17, always kept your shoulders nice and broad so they'd be perfect for me to cry on, and instilled in me the value of a good sense of humor.  for these reasons and SO many more....i love you, dad!

happy father's day!

elvie studio: before

i wish i could tell you how excited i am about my new studio!  this is the outside....it sits above the garage, so it's a really, really big space!  it looks like a little playhouse, don't you think?!

and here is the inside.....it's a little overwhelming,  but it's actually not as bad as it looks.   we moved everything in on monday and i still haven't had a chance to start organizing it all!  

but wait, there's more stuff on the other side of the room!  i've been "collecting" for almost twenty years....and believe it or not, i've actually gotten rid of things along the way!  hopefully, in a few days i'll show you the "after" shots!

setting up house

it looks like i'm not the only one trying to get settled into a new house.  i noticed this little guy in a birdhouse that sits next to our front door.   he's kind of cute....in a primitive, prehistoric sort of way.  :)

inspiration monday

i found this packed away in a box labeled "so true"!

thank you SO much for all of your sweet, encouraging words and best wishes these past several days!!  you're the absolute BEST!!  oh, and that squeeze you feel around you right now?   that's me giving you a big 'ol hug!!  :))) 

card by Leigh Standley at "curly girl design"

click on image for larger view

abundant blessings

we have signed the papers, we have the keys, we have a beautiful new house....we are so totally blessed!

moving: phase one

thinking about all of the things that go into a move is overwhelming.  and then i realize that's my very problem....i'm thinking about it.....sometimes you've just gotta do it.  so, here i go, ready for phase one, armed with a stack of recycled boxes and a roll of tape.  if i don't resurface in a couple of days, please send out the rescue squad.....

meet the sture

 from the land of Ikea, meet the sture.  my little dutch boy bought it for me when we lived in brussels and i've left it natural all these years because it fit with my "eclectic" studio style.  rubber stamps fit perfectly in those skinny little drawers, and stamp pads and other goodies are stored (stured?!) in the larger drawers.  

and now that we're about t-h-r-e-e days from closing on our new house (woo hoo!!),  i'm trading in my natural furniture for a pottery barn/anthropologie wanna-be style.  some leftover creamy white paint from my armoire project did just the trick!

i used this product (found at hobby lobby) to create the words on the drawers.  i had not actually tried this before, so i'm not sure that using it for this project...that required 18 different words...was the best place to start, as the adhesive on this is a little tricky to use.  the directions are easy to follow, but the adhesive is very sticky!  i'm really happy with the results, though, and i think that it will look great in my new studio...let the countdown begin!!

inspiration monday

have you been searching for a fun way to jazz up your artwork....or maybe add some colorful letters and doodles to your journals?   my sweet friend martha lever is offering an online class through creative workshops called "calligra-fun".....she'll teach you how to look at letterforms in a whole new way using your favorite brush markers!  not only will you learn how to create these unique letters, martha will also teach you how to make flowers, trees, ribbons and other fun doodles that will add that finishing touch to your artwork!  this course includes five lessons that are packed with everything you need towards successful lettering! 

i've been blessed to have known martha for over 15 years.  we've worked together, played together, laughed together, shed a few tears together, and shared successes together.   and what i know for sure is that martha has an incredible amount of energy and passion for lettering, she creates them beautifully, and her sweet, giving personality (along with her fabulous southern georgia accent!) always makes you feel like you've just had coffee with a great friend.   she definitely inspires me every single day!

visit martha at her blog here, or sign up for her online class here!

sneak peek

i've been wanting to tell you something...a really exciting sort-of-something.  so when these fabrics arrived in the mail, i knew that this would be the perfect opportunity to share with you that i'm participating in the new book that chrissie grace is writing!!  eeeek!!  it will be a "collection of projects to sew and swap" and is due out in september of 2010.  and when you visit chrissie's blog, check out the list of fabulous artists that will be involved (it really is incredible!)!  i'm so excited i'm about ready to bust...what an absolute honor it is to be included and i'm so thankful to chrissie for giving me this wonderful opportunity!   

here's a sneak peek of the eight fabrics that i received from chrissie to use in my project....and speaking of which, i'd better get to work!  have a fabulous weekend!  

book of bliss

bliss...happiness, gladness, joy, peace, paradise, serenity, cloud 9, enthusiasm, optimism, laughter, excitement, delight...bliss.  

see more photos of this blank journal here in my etsy shop!

giveaway...times two!

i just wanted to give you the heads up about a great giveaway that's going on over at iLash Girls.   actually, Leigh Anne and Sherra are giving away two prizes this week.  one is a great hand-stamped pendant, and the other is a combo prize featuring a set of my notecards along with a set of "grow" magnets!  all you have to do is leave a comment before midnight tomorrow (thursday), so head on over there!  

click here to put your name in the hat...

armoire make-over

the excitement, anticipation,  and overwhelm with our upcoming move is starting to set in.  it's time to get serious about nesting in our new house!  one project that's been on my list is giving our computer armoire a make-over...no way am i going to want to take the time to do this after we move in!  at this point, you'll have to pretend that the above photo is of a big brown beast of an armoire (instead of just the drawer) because of course i forgot to take a "before" shot.  thankfully, i did have the presence of mind to get this shot, so you can see the brown is "before" and the creamy white on the front is the "after".

i got it all taken apart...and hopefully will remember where all those screws and such go.  then sanded, primed and gave it two coats of paint....

and voila!  this makes me so jump-up-and-down kind of happy!!  it looks just like something out of one of those pottery barn dreams i keep having!

and the best thing is that when we move, this is ready and waiting to be put in my new studio! yippeee!

note:  i had wonky lighting issues in my garage...for whatever reason, the armoire looks a little darker at the top, but the true color is more towards the middle!

inspiration monday

one of my favorite places to go when i'm looking for some inspiration is the greeting card store.  there's something there for everyone....funny, sad, kid-like, lovey-dovey, cheesy, to-the-point, touch-your-heart, etc.   but i must admit that my favorites are the ones that convey a simple truth in ten words or less...like this little goodie above!  of course, almost any card that has to do with ice cream or chocolate will usually find its way into my cart.  these are wonderful pieces of affordable art that i just can't get enough of, so today i honor all the wonderful, imaginative, savvy, talented, overworked-because-they're-probably-always-up-against-a-deadline, creative genius, providers of art inspiration,  greeting card creators!!

this card was created by the creative artists at Carlton Cards