springing forward

one of my favorite things about springtime is the arrival of tulips!

they bring back memories of riding on a train through holland many years ago

and looking out on fields saturated with delicious tulips in full bloom.....

and i always think of my little dutch sweetie when i see them!

but seeing tulips also reminds me to look forward,
because wrapped up in each one of those blooms is the promise
of renewal and fabulous springtime celebrations to come!

i hope you're having a beautiful spring,
(even in spite of this icky cold weather we've been having!)
and i'm sending you many heartfelt wishes for an Easter
filled with blessings abundant!
 enjoy your weekend, sweet bloggy honey bunnies!  xox


{Easter tag created on watercolor paper using a hand-carved bunny stamp, 
pitt artist pen, tim holtz distress ink pad, waterbrush, derwent watercolor pencil,
4B pencil, baker's twine }

inspiration monday

when you follow your heart,
inspiration will always open new doors for you!
xox


{this was created in my walls notebook using an E-10 falcon nib,
dr. martin's bleedproof white,  pan pastel, white charcoal pencil}

carving time

i had so much fun drawing my little bunnies that i
couldn't resist grabbing a small chunk of "moo carve".....

and watching this little guy come to life as a rubber stamp!


have a great weekend, and don't forget to carve out
a big chunk of creative time for yourself!  xox

{supplies:  moo carve, staedtler carving tools, brilliance ink pad
see how i carve a stamp here!}

inspiration monday

a few days ago i had a small chunk of creative time,  and i wanted to make the most of it,  but i had a tough time getting started.  so here are a few questions i asked myself to help get some creative juices flowing....

my first question was:
 "do i want to draw or paint?"

the answer:  draw - yes,  paint - no.

the second question was,
"what supply do i want to use with the answer to number one?"
the answer:  my favorite mechanical pencil.

question number three was,
"do i want to draw on blank paper, graph paper, or in my journal?"

the answer:  in my journal

and with all that decided,  now comes the tough part:  what do i want to draw?
this question will normally stump me for days,  but thankfully i've been thinking about
Easter coming up soon,  so my mind went to bunnies.  yay!  i'll draw some bunnies!

so i googled "bunny images" on the computer, and lots and lots of photos popped up...
definitely enough to fill that small chunk of time i had left to draw!  

sometimes getting started is as easy as asking yourself a few questions....  

and inspiration (along with google) will always be there to help you find the answers!


******

i'll be taking another "chunk of creative time" in late october
 to travel to new york city!
 michele at little bird creations has invited me to teach a workshop
at her manhattan studio, and i couldn't be more excited!!

if you're in the area, please join us for
"Creative Cursive"
(much like my "letterLAB" online class,
this is a one-day workshop focus on cursive lettering
for those who hate their handwriting!)

please contact michele here for all the details and registration.
i'd love to meet you and share some creative time with you!

green thumb

one.....

two....

three....

four-leaf-clover!
(i sure wish i had this green thumb out in my garden....heeheehee)

have a great weekend, and a happy st. patrick's day on sunday!

{supplies:  white card stock, hand-carved thumbprint stamp,
chalk ink, pitt artist pen, derwent inktense pencils, 2B graphite pencil, glue dot}

inspiration monday

there are some days when i find myself staring at a blank page,

and i feel like i'm completely in the dark when it comes to creativity.

but,  i've discovered that one of the best ways to shed some light

on the situation is to call on inspiration.....

(and maybe even ask for help from an inventor of bright ideas)

and before i know it,  a creative light bulb pops on over my head
 and that blank page is a thing of the past!


{this was created in my walls notebook using pitt artist pens,  pan pastels,
derwent inktense pencils, 6B graphite pencil, and a uniball angelic white gel pen}

creative happiness

from the story, to the music, to the animation.....
i think this is so delightfully creative!

i hope your weekend is filled with many
sweet, artful moments just like these!
xox

inspiration monday

many times,  inspiration will whisper a little idea in your ear.....

{like maybe seeing your artwork become rubber stamps!}

and before you know it,  your idea becomes a dream.

{and you want to jump up and down with excitement because

your dream has gotten even bigger with an invitation to join 

the technique tuesday family....oh.my.goodness!!}

and when you become a full-time dreamer,
reality is just around the corner.

{and you would pinch yourself over and over again,  but you don't
dare put down those sweet packages of rubber stamps because the reality
 of them feels so good in your hands!!  yippee!!}

and once the reality of your dream has settled in,
you start playing and creating.....
because the whole experience from beginning to end is definitely
too good to be forgotten!!!



******
i am absolutely ecstatic to announce that my artwork has been licensed by
technique tuesday, and is currently being offered as rubber stamps at
scrapbook.com and the shop at technique tuesday!  woo hoo!

in the past, some of these stamps were sold individually in my etsy shop,
but now you can purchase them in these wonderful stamp sets!

if you'd like to read more information, here are some direct links:

my design page at technique tuesday

important stuff:  here and here
live laugh love:  here and here
i made this:  here and here
2good 2be 4gotten:  here and here
color your world:  here and here
simplify:  here and here
spread the light:  here and here
great idea:  here and here


{disclosure:  in good faith,  these are retail outlets and
 i receive a commission for each of the above sets that are sold}