ocean of truth

here's a little sneaky peeky at a book i made using the paste paper from yesterday's post.

i tore it into four pieces and folded them to make the pages. then i mixed up a little bit of dr. martin's bleedproof white and grabbed my favorite calligraphy nib and began lettering a little quote. then i bound it all together using a pamphlet stitch, and added some little white shell beads that i've had in my stash forever.

and for the inside......i'm actually still trying to decide whether it's "finished" .....some of the pages look like they could use a little illustration, but i'm not sure, so i think i'm going to put it away, go back to it in a few days, and then see how it looks!

book finished using paste paper, dr. martin's bleedproof white, eagle falcon nib, waxed linen thread, shell beads

the no-mud zone

i love paste paper. the problem is that paste paper doesn't always love me back. it seems that every time i try to create some paste paper, my lack of experience with the color wheel gets in the way, so i get hasty and start throwing every color in my paintbox on it, and eventually all my papers look like mud......which isn't the look i'm after.

so, yesterday i got out my supplies with a "no-mud" mindset.

i spread some oooey goooey paste onto wet arches textwove paper using a sponge....and then i squirted two of my favorite colors of paint straight from the bottle onto the paper......

and smooshed it through the paste using a sponge.

then i took an orange chalk pastel and scraped it through the paste, and added a little purple pastel scribble on top.

and a little more scribbling through the paste using the end of a wooden tool....

and then i made myself stop. experience tells me that this is where i could easily enter the mud zone....a few more colors of chalk here, a little more paint there, and this paper is a goner.

so, now it's time to let this dry.....

and while that's going on, maybe i'll pass the time by visiting that pan of brownies i made the other day.....

paste paper finished using elmer's art paste, acrylic paints and chalk pastels onto arches textwove paper

inspiration monday

"throughout the ages there were men who took first steps down new roads

armed with nothing but their own vision" ayn rand

every time i think about someone walking down a new road without a map, it's pure inspiration to me. because if you think about it, isn't that really what we're doing each time we open our journal and stare at that blank page, or pull out a fresh canvas, or rustle through our fabric stash? every mark on the page, stroke on the canvas, and stitch on the fabric is like a brand new step......the materials may be familiar, but what we do with them is a little different each time we venture out. many times we don't have a clue where we're going, and sometimes the road gets a little bumpy, but as long as we have faith in the creative process, we'll get to where we're supposed to be.

so, march on sweet bloggy artist friend.....march on!!!

journal page finished using pitt "shades of gray" markers

hello sunshine

wishing you lots of fun in the sun this weekend!!

enjoy!

artwork finished using an esterbrook nib and dr. martin's bleedproof white on cason paper

oh happy day!

my sweet friend kate over at shibori girl recently celebrated her 200th post by offering this gorgeous necklace as a giveaway........and i won!! and let me tell you, when kate celebrates, she does it big! this stunning piece of jewelry was created by kate herself.....she first made the kaleidoscope polymer clay focal piece and surrounded it with many little bulls-eye canes around the edge. then it went through the multi-step process of baking, sanding, buffing and then a protective coating was added. finally, for the finishing touch to the necklace, kate added several beautiful, sparkly czech crystals to the antiqued chain!!! wow.....it's an absolute beauty!!!

i am SO honored to own this masterpiece, kate......thank so you very much!!!

congrats on 200 posts.....here's to many happy posts ahead, my friend!!

please visit kate and see her beautiful artwork here!

craft crimes

have you ever wondered who the craft police are? or better yet, where they are? i was thinking about this, and it occurred to me that if craft police are out there, then there must be lots of craft crimes going on......petty crimes......like not washing out your paintbrushes when you're finished doing some creative work in your journal......or using brads when you should've used eyelets......or maybe you've tested out markers on the craft store shelves because they don't have the sense to put test paper out.....or maybe you're like my friend sonny "inky-fingers" calzoni who doesn't take the time to clean off his rubber stamps after he uses them......

oh, yes, i must admit that i'm guilty of more than one of these craft crimes. but i'm not going to tell you which ones....after all, you never know when the craft police may be watching.....

journal page finished using micron pens and a 4B pencil

for larger view, click on image

good stuff

i spend a lot of time looking for things......and one glance at my closet is a good clue as to why. not only do i need to use clever acrobatic maneuvers to get to the good stuff in the back, i'm not even sure what's on the bottom (but i'm sure it's more good stuff that i really need.....)

so i got brave and pulled all of that good stuff out (yikes!)......

and hung one of these......

now all of that good stuff has a proper home.

and no more flying trapeze act trying to get to it!

woo hoo!!

inspiration monday

what could be more fun than watching martha stewart inspire a group of fraternity boys.....

as only martha stewart can! hee hee

to watch this in larger format, click here.

looking forward

hello, spring.....

i'm SO looking forward to

flowers, flowers, and more flowers,

the grass turning from brown to green,

watching baseball games,

welcoming the flocks of birds back home,

no more winter coat,

firing up the bbq,

sitting on the back porch with a glass of lemonade,

starting an herb garden....

what are you looking forward to this spring?

spring green

my sweet bloggy friend patty schaffer has started something new each week called "monday make-it"......and this past monday she featured this fabulous spring green wreath! when i saw it, i went absolutely crazy over it.....and the really good news is that it's crazy-easy to make, too!!

patty found some super cute daisy trim to use for her flowers, but i didn't have any of that so i decided to make my own by using a flower punch, some decorative paper, and these cute little scrapbook flowers that i found in my stash. what i love about projects like these is that it's so versatile.....this would look really sweet hanging in a kitchen, or you could completely change it up and put it in the kid's room!

to create a wreath of your own, click here to find patty's easy-to-follow instructions and fabulous photos. and while you're there, treat yourself to a quick peek around her blog.....patty definitely has a way of putting smiles on faces! thanks for the great spring green tutorial, patty!!!

no-pinch zone

happy st. patrick's day to you!!

supply-a-holic's paradise

every gal has her weakness.....for some it's shoes, for others it's handbags, and for me..... it's office supplies. all it takes is a quick glance at the selection that's available these days to make me a little light-headed and get my heart beating faster. like these pens and pencils, for example.....i could easily take a box of each......

and then decide which combination of these colorful little gems to write a sweet note on.

now most stores even have their own art section with fun goodies to make your journal pages sing.....

but the best part is the vast selection of sweet rewards that's waiting for you at the check-out counter.....for a little snackie on the way home!

inspiration monday

your wings already exist....all you have to do is fly

sing.....dance.....draw.....paint......

stitch.....sew.....write......

create......inspire......be inspired.....

spread your wings and fly, sweet bloggy friend!

journal page finished using acrylic paints, pan pastels and a uniball white signo pen on fabriano artistico 140 lb. cold press paper

for better view, click on image to enlarge

pick a number

what's your favorite? go ahead and pick a number.....

but if you're like me, you'll have a hard time choosing.....

and go straight for the sampler platter.

wishing you sweet indulgences this weekend!!

party girl

welcome to friday......the official

put-on-your-party-hat-and-let's-get-the-weekend-started day!

woo hoo!!!

journal page finished with pencil and blending stump

getting back in the groove

we've got tons of rain beating on our windows today.....

which seems like a great excuse to stay inside and get caught up on everything that got overlooked while spending several days of fun, laughter.....and eating.....with our daughter

and maybe i'll even try to get back into the groove by sneaking in a little studio time!

i hope you're having a great thursday.....i've missed you!!

waiting for spring

here's hoping that wherever you are, you're seeing signs of spring.....

i know we're all ready for it!! happy weekend to you!!

p.s. i'll be away from blogland for a few days.....our sweet daughter is coming to town and i'm going to spend lots of time hugging her....and spoiling her!!! see you next week!

that girl and some pan pastels

have you tried using these pan pastels yet? i treated myself to a set of these a while ago and finally pulled them out the other day.....they're really fun and surprisingly easy to use!

they come with a few art sponges and one that looks like an eye make-up tool.....and you can also purchase some of the plastic handles separately (you don't have to have these, but i found them much easier to use than the large sponge).

and after watching pam carriker's you tube video on pan pastels, i decided to give that girl some much needed color. waaaay too much fun.....it's coloring for grown-ups!!

artwork finished on plain copy paper using pan pastels and applicator sponge tools

the art of procrastination

staring at a blank journal page can be a little intimidating....especially after my last attempt at drawing a face.....when i finally just drew a frame around her, because she was starting to look a little too much like a member of the hair-bear-bunch....

so i stared at the page for a while, got up and ate a piece of chocolate, threw a load of laundry in the washer, vacuumed the floor, ate another piece of chocolate, made a few phone calls, stared at the blank page again.....and decided that the procrastination had gone on long enough. it was time to draw.....

and after many pencil marks, some smudging of graphite, one more piece of chocolate and lots of erasing, here's my girl....with hair!! woo hoo!! her 'do is about as simple as it gets....kind of a marlo-thomas-in-that-girl type hairstyle, minus the 60's flippity-d00-dah over the shoulders......but i'll definitely take marlo thomas over hair-bear any day!

p.s. on a different note.....thank you SO much for all of the sweet, sweet birthday wishes you sent to my little dutch boy yesterday!

you absolutely made his day!!

birthday boy

you are......

dreamer of big dreams.....painter of silver linings on clouds......holder of the key to my heart......businessman extraordinaire......too cute for words.....my true love.....my best friend....mister style......viewer of the glass half-full.....precious blessing from God.....full of heart-i-tude......the guy who has a kind word for everyone.....loving family man.....my knight in shining armor......believer in the impossible......

my sweet little dutch birthday-boy!!

and for these reasons, and millions more, i celebrate you.....

today, and every day!
happy everything, xoxox