merry everything!

from the top, middle, and bottom of my very grateful heart,
i thank you so much for all the love, comments,
personal notes and support you've sent my way this year.
and especially for your sweetness in response to my
"fuzzy wuzzy dad" post,
i'm so very thankful for your kindness.
your words were a big hug of comfort,
and i'm forever grateful to you for
sharing a piece of your heart with me.  xox

♥♥♥

i hope you have a beautiful holiday season….
i'm sending you big holly-jolly wishes and
many chocolate-covered hugs for a very
Merry Christmas and happy, creative 2016!

big love,
lori
xox
{and puppy kisses from gidget!  :)) }

fuzzy wuzzy dad

this artwork was created with love in remembrance of 
my sweet Dad who recently passed away.

saying this little fuzzy-wuzzy rhyme with him as a young girl
is one of my favorite memories….
partly because of the rhyme, but mostly for the fun of
the tickle-fest that would always come at the end!

Dad was a loving, devoted husband of 57 years to my Mom,
the world's best father and grandfather,
a highly decorated Fighter Pilot in the Air Force,
an avid bass fisherman…

and one of the best art teachers i've ever had.

he taught me the art of whimsy,  the art of keepin' on,
the art of self-discipline,  the art of laughter,  the art of detail,
the art of silliness,  the art of improvisation,  the art of respect,
the art of always living up to your potential, and
 then taking it a step further,
the art of not sweating the small stuff, but
taking the time to see and enjoy the small stuff,
the art of being a friend when i needed a friend, and
 being a dad when i needed a dad,
and most importantly,
the art of always showing the special people in your life
how much you love them.

♥

i'm missing you so much Dad,
and i'm celebrating the pure blessing of being your daughter.
  xox

his name was chip

i'm truly honored and super excited to be this week's Featured Artist

over at Documented Life Project 2015 
and i'd like to send out a big hug
and many thanks to the Art to the 5th gals for inviting me!!  woo hoo!

this week's DLP art challenge is to use deli paper on your journal page,

and the prompt is "you had me at hello"….

so, i took the challenge and prompt,
and threw in a bit of chocolate
(because you can never really have enough chocolate, right?)….
and this is my finished journal page,
featuring my zero-calorie chocolate chip cookie made from deli paper!

                     

here's a video showing my entire process from start to finish!

i hope you have tons of fun using deli paper this week!!
xox

thanks again to the gals at DLP!

you can read more about Documented Life Project here.

you can watch this video in larger format here!

{supplies:  Strathmore Visual journal for mixed media, pan pastel,

Sofft tool, deli paper, micron pens, 6B pencil, watercolor, matte Mod Podge,

heart stamp, Staz On ink pad, washi tape, needle, embroidery floss,

tape runner}

mini-doodle stamps

not too long ago, we brought home our sweet little two-month-old
mini-goldendoodle puppy, Gidget…..

and it's hard to believe, but this weekend 

we're celebrating her first birthday already!  woo hoo!

she is just as sweet as she can be, and some of her favorite pastimes are

playing, eating treats, playing, barking at nothing, carrying big sticks,

going outside so she can try to eat some mulch, playing, stealing socks….

and running in the field.  

she absolutely loves to run in the field.  she's a very normal puppy.

  

well….normal….until i mention that she also loves to go to the post office 

with me.  i know.  that's a little less normal, and kind of a long story. 

but, the other day i was thinking about how we've got a  

less-than-normal-puppy-who-loves-to-go-to-the-post-office….

and inspiration struck! 

i was thinking how the post office likes to commemorate big events with
 a series of new stamps, and since Gidget's first birthday is a big event

{and me actually surviving the first year is an even bigger event!},

i've decided to create a series of illustrated faux-postage stamps 

for our mini-goldendoodle who loves to go to the post office!

so, the first thing i did was start sketching lots of different stamp shapes…..

 and then i created a template of the stamp sizes i liked the best

by placing a couple of strips of packaging tape 

over my drawings and cutting out the "middles".  then i trimmed the 

tape around the edges of the paper, and now it's nice and sturdy,

and the paper won't tear as i'm tracing around the inside to create my stamps.

the next step was to draw the "stamp" template shape onto my paper,
then i added some drawing and coloring…..
and here's our Gidget with her very own faux-postage stamp
to commemorate her big day!

and here's a sweet little "initial tag" for her to wear on her collar!

i have lots of fun ideas for more "mini-doodle stamps", 

now all i need is the time to create them…..

when there's a puppy around, finding creative time is the 

biggest challenge of all!  :))

{this faux micro-postage stamp is about 1/2" wide, and was created on

fabriano artistico 140 lb. HP paper using prismacolor verithin pencils,

and a 0.5 mechanical pencil}

mouthwatering color

one rainy afternoon a couple of weeks ago, i got out my watercolors
and a piece of paper and just started mixing colors.
(this would be a good time to mention that i had no idea what i was doing,
but i love it when that happens,
because then i have no idea when i make a mistake!  :))

but little blobs of paint all over the paper started to make my eyes go crazy,
so i decided to put some of the colors in a grid….
because i truly do love a grid.

but then i didn't know where to go from there,
so i thought about it for a day or two,
and as i was looking through a magazine, my mind went to
 all of that beautiful, colorful food!

then i decided it was time to get my mind off of food and back to business,
and as i looked out my window…..

Mother Nature gave me a new watercolor palette!
(looks like Mother Nature was thinking about food, too….)

so in order to get my focus back onto watercolor,
 i decided to have some sunny, stripey
flowers-bloom-in-the-grass kind of fun…..
 (not a bite of chocolate in sight!)

until the next day, and i was back where i started!
so i've decided there's lots of mouthwatering fun to be had in these yummy
color palettes, and the good news is
there's a lot less calories in watercolor!
:))


{supplies:  strathmore visual journal for mixed media, sennelier watercolor,
paintbrush, 2B & 6B pencils, micron pens}

a jar of jars

 i had SO much fun drawing and painting my little micro-jars,

but once i cut the page apart, i had a nice pile of micro-goodness... 

and all those illustrations were going to be hard to keep track of!

just like my chair collection, they needed a home.

so i grabbed two pieces of vellum and drew a jar on the top sheet…..

and then i sewed a tag on the front, 

along with some "lid lines" at the top.

then i clipped the two sheets together to keep them from moving around,

and sewed them together around the side and bottom edges.

once it was sewn, i trimmed the edges and filled my jar 

with all of those sweet little micro-jars!

these are my absolute favorite kind of projects…..

super easy, super functional, and super cute!

{supplies:  vellum paper, micron, scrapbook paper, 

colored pencils, pigment ink pad, 6B pencil, sewing machine}

time for a rhyme

{caution:  you're about to encounter a goofy little rhyme!}

a quick glance at my 2014 DLP journal-book,

made me wonder about the challenge for this week.

so i paid a visit to the Art to the 5th gals for a proper look,

i figured, "hey, it couldn't hurt to just take a peek".

and when i arrived, i discovered the challenge to be all about time,

so i thought and thought about what i could create.

and then i channeled one of my favorite authors of rhyme,

because this new journal page had a pending due date!

and while my journal page is now complete,

my rhyming skills need help, there's no debate.

so, i'm off to grab some chocolate, which you know i will eat….

but being creative in my journal again sure has been great!

{hahaha!  pure, goofy nonsense, but SO much fun to do!! :))}

{this week's DLP challenge is to create a focal point 

using the prompt "time keeps on ticking".

supplies:  strathmore visual journal for mixed media, micron pens,

derwent watercolor pencil, 6B pencil, scrapbook paper, star brad,

sakura white gelly roll pen, vintage tag, cupcake liner for the wings}

{you can read more about Documented Life Project (DLP) here!}

from chairs to jars

just when i thought i was completely focused….

and totally immersed in one art fixation….like chairs, for example….

i turned around to discover lots of tiny little jars

had completely taken over my art journal!

happy-distractions can turn into lots of happy-fun!

{these jars were inspired by one of the lessons in danielle donaldson's

"storybook and studious girls" online class. 

supplies:  stillman & birn beta series journal, watercolor, .3 pencil} 

celebrate today

sometimes the best way to solve the

"i-don't-know-what-to-draw dilemma"

is to look around and document 

all those things that surround you every day.

some of them might seem a little humdrum,

but it's always great practice and sometimes quite challenging!

i mean, who knew i'd get stuck….and do a lot of erasing!…. 

trying to draw a hairbrush!

(thankfully, i had less trouble drawing the chocolate….

it's a subject i'm very familiar with….heeheehee)

here's to celebrating all the little things….

and a big thank you to danielle donaldson for such great inspiration

through her "storybooks and studious girls" class….i'm having a ball!

{and my celebration continues today, as i've been featured in Dasherie, 

a beautiful publication devoted to the lettering arts!  

i'm thrilled, honored, and very thankful to be included in the Summer issue,

where so many fabulous artists have had their artwork showcased!

all orders for this gorgeous magazine that are placed today will 

ship tomorrow….all those placed after today will ship the first week 

in August.  you can read more info here!}

{journaling supplies:  stillman&birn beta series journal, .3 HB pencil}

star spangled

this weekend, we're celebrating Independence Day, 

and we're so very thankful to all those 

who have been so brave in protecting our freedoms!

✭☆✭

sending all my sweet friends here in America

many star-spangled-hugs for a very

happy and safe weekend!!

xox

chair party

little tiny chairs (some no bigger than a quarter)
all together on one page so they can
mix and mingle and get to know each other a little better.

let the party begin!


{supplies:  stillman & birn beta series journal, watercolor, .3 pencil}

joy multiplied

you know that feeling you get when you've 

finally found some time to yourself to sit and be creative…..

and things start to "click", 

and then you do a big happy dance to celebrate 

the joy you feel at that very moment of being an artist?

and then one day your joyful artist-self is blessed  

to create something really special 

for two really special people in your life…..

{like, maybe the rehearsal dinner invitation for 

your son and his sweetheart….oh.my.goodness!}

and you feel that joy-boost clicking so big 

you think your heart just might burst!

{so you take that energy and joyfully create a menu card for the dinner, too!}

this is the epitome of joy multiplied!

♥

it is with very joyful hearts that

my little dutch sweetie and i are proud to announce 

our son Spencer, has married Tatiana, the love of his life,

and we're absolutely over-the-moon-elated!

spencie and tati…..

poppie and i wish you more happiness than your heart can hold,

and continued blessings upon you in the many years ahead!

we love you!!  

have a seat….and a video

for me, part of the fun in creating my chair collection was 

the challenge of how to find a proper "home" for it.

 i usually like to create a little book for my artwork,

but since each one of my chairs was illustrated on loose sheets of paper,

that made the book option difficult.

 and then i started thinking about the actual chairs in my illustrations,

and took inspiration that chairs are most comfortable arranged in a cozy room…. 

and when you open the doors to the room…. 

each chair is there, inviting you to have a seat!

so, instead of making a book, 

i created this simple box structure for my chairs to live in.


 

here's a little video peek of my illustrated
chair chamber!

 

you can watch this video in larger format here!

{you can read more information about each chair in this series

and the inspiration behind it here}

{to create these illustrations, i've cut 140lb CP watercolor paper to 6" x 6", 

and i've used watercolor, a little colored pencil, and graphite pencils.

the cover was created using a sheet of canson mi-teintes paper.}

have a seat, part three

after illustrating lots of these little chairs,

i'm learning a lot by adding different styles to my "collection"!

some are easier than others, 

and some look a little wonky, no matter how long you work on them 

(i may have worked on this one a little too long….)

so when i've had too much of a brown bar stool,

there's nothing like a sweet little garden chair 

with a little blue birdie to lighten things up a bit.

and then it's on to the ultimate challenge….the papasan,
which i've also dubbed as "the neptune chair"….
because i'll have to practice this one many, many times to be able
to draw that cushion so it doesn't look like a giant seashell!  :))

oh well, as they say….
chair-practice makes chair-perfect,
and keeping the process fun makes a lot of chair-happy!!

i'll be sharing a video soon showing all ten chairs together...

 you can also see other chairs in this series here and here!

{these chairs were inspired by one of the lessons taught by

danielle donaldson in her "storybooks and studious girls" class.

to create these illustrations, i've cut 140lb CP watercolor paper to 6" x 6", 

and i've used watercolor, a little colored pencil, and graphite pencils}