inspiration monday

my little dutch sweetie treated me to a weekend getaway to the mountains last week!

but before we left, i packed some of my "essentials" because you never

know where or when inspiration will strike!

when you go to the mountains, there are times when you 

literally have your head in the clouds and you can see the whole world below......

or you can keep your feet safely planted on the ground and wait for mother nature to fill all those bare trees with spring glory.

or.......you can just drive around and count all the places where 

daniel boone supposedly slept (there are so many, they even named a town after him!)

{i'm honored to announce that the very sweet jenny doh has invited me to be a guest curator over at crescendoh this week!  please join me here for great links to great posts all week long!

thank you SO much, jenny!!}

happy houndstooth

when it came time to start drawing in my new catalog, i knew exactly what my first entry would be......my houndstooth reading glasses!  they are they first thing i look for when i walk into my studio, and they're the last thing i put down when i leave.  on my list of happy-art-stuff, they rank numero uno because when it comes to creating, they see so much better than i ever could......

and they really are an art-girl's best friend!!

{this catalog page was created using micron pens, 

derwent watercolor pencils, koi watercolor, 3B graphite pencil.}

inspiration monday

i must admit that when i put the final details on the last page of my pottery barn journal, i was sad to see it end.  i thought about maybe creating "pottery barn, the sequel", but since that never seems to be a good idea with other things (like movies!), i quickly talked myself out of it.
i really love working in a "themed" journal, so i was inspired for a new idea.  the size of my other journal worked out great, so i created another one just like it using the same format as the pottery barn journal.  once i got the pages torn, folded and sewn together......

 i started to design the cover, using this as my reference,
but changing things around a bit.

then i grabbed my microns and started sketching everything in.

and after i painted everything and
added some little details here and there.....

along with a little title......

i have my very own catalog full of blank pages just
waiting for some pen and paint sketches of my favorite happy-art-stuff
that's in my very own studio!
ooooh......how much fun is this gonna be?!


{supplies:  fabriano artistico 140 lb. HP paper, white waxed linen thread, 
koi watercolor, micron pens, derwent watercolor pencils, inktense pencils, 3B pencil}

have it your way

the really great thing about art is you can create it however you want.

you can keep it really simple......

or you can keep it really colorful!

*i hope you have a fabulous weekend,

that's exactly the way you want it to be!!*

{supplies:  strathmore 140 lb. w/c paper, koi watercolors,

derwent w/c pencils, micron pen, 3B graphite pencil}

inspiration monday

before.....

during......

and after!

*repeat daily:  
be creative, stay strong, and grow happy!



{drawn in my walls notebook using micron pens, pan pastel,
derwent inktense pencils,  derwent graphitint pencil, 4B graphite pencil}

choco-hearts

t

images via lori at pinterest


valentine's day is getting close.....
spoil your sweetie (and yourself!) with some homemade
super-chocolately treats, courtesy of martha stewart!
recipes are here!

{images from my pinterest boards}

inspiration monday

 i have long wanted to do some screen printing (and you know i even have some of the supplies!), but it always seemed a little overwhelming when it came time to get started......i was definitely looking for a simple way to get going!  and after a little cyber-searching, i think i found it......here's one way to do it:
with some help from this you tube video by expertvillage,  make a screen using some sheer curtain fabric and an embroidery hoop (i'm using a 10" plastic hoop.  you can buy the fabric at your local fabric store, or you can also buy an inexpensive sheer curtain panel at a discount store.).......

and then choose your favorite plastic stencil 

(make sure it's not larger than the opening of your embroidery hoop).

place your stencil on top of a piece of paper, and then "mask" the area around

 the stencil using some freezer paper or waxed paper. 

(i'm printing onto a piece of kraft card stock from the tim holtz idea-ology line)

now place your screen on top of your masked stencil and lay some paint 

at the top of your screen, above the paper and stencil.

(i'm using some white screen printing ink by jacquard.....i think it was a little thick, next time i'll thin it down with a bit of water.  you can also try this using some tube acrylic paint.)

using an old credit card, piece of mat board, or a small squeegee, move the ink down from the top to the bottom of the screen.  you want to end up with an even layer of ink over your stencil.

now carefully lift your screen and stencil,  and take away your paper mask......

and you're left with a really cool screen printed image!  

once your ink is dry, you can trim your image down and add it to your journal, create some personalized stationery, or make a little card for someone special!

and you can use some pan pastel or colored pencil to add a pop of color, too!


some things i noticed:


* this is really easy! the only time consuming part is setting everything up.

* my ink took a while to dry......i think my paint was way too thick.

* make sure you have some newspaper nearby to lay your inky screen and stencil on.
you'll probably want to keep some paper towels close, too.....along with your trashcan!

* rinse off your screen and other tools as soon as you're finished.....
you don't want the ink/paint to dry in your screen.

* the printed image will have a fun texture because of the fabric.

* you can print lots of images in no time at all!


{supplies used:  sheer curtain fabric, plastic embroidery hoop, plastic stencil, 
jacquard screen printing ink, tim holtz idea-ology card stock, plastic squeegee, 
white card stock for card, shipping tag, sepia pitt pen, 
4B graphite pencil, pan pastel, ribbons}

too good to be forgotten

i treated myself to a little look-see in our anthropologie store the other day 

and immediately spotted these fabulous number tapes.

and after seriously falling in love with them, i knew there would
be no way i could go home without them......

especially when there are fun cards to be made remembering those
cute little sayings we used to write in our friend's yearbooks.
:))


{this card was created using white card stock, cavallini paper tapes, micron pens,
red inktense pencil, 4B graphite pencil, staz-on stamp pad for card edges}