inspiration rediscovered

i've recently discovered that

just when you think inspiration is your new BFF

and you're thrilled because it wants to hang out with you day and night,

it will turn around and go on vacation.....

a really loooong, extended vacation.

so long, in fact, that you start to worry a bit

and wonder if it's ever going to come back.

so while i was waiting.....and waiting.....for inspiration to return,

i decided to take my mind off of my long-lost friend

by diving into some of the stitchy-goodness

that i truly loved doing as a young kid.

and then i wondered what would happen if i mixed in 

some of the journal-goodness i love to do as an "older kid".

and as you can probably guess, by the time i was finished

with all of this kid-goodness i realized that

inspiration had slipped in through the back door 

and finally came home to my heart.

now it's time to follow it.

(you probably knew i was going to say that.... :))

{thank you, inspiration!}

{supplies:  design from a page in my art journal printed on kona cotton

at spoonflower, DMC embroidery floss, size 8 black perle cotton floss,

watercolor and batting for heart, 11/0 glass seed beads, 

colored pencil, embroidery hoop, needles, scissors}

griddy-girl palette number2

i took this photo a year ago when our family took a trip

to visit my little dutch sweetie's hometown in the Netherlands…..

and the memory of that fun day at the market
lives on in my heart,
as well as in my art journal!


{note:  the original color palette includes a dark green, but when i printed
the palette out, it looks like my computer saw it as a green/charcoal.
i created this page based on my printed version, rather than the
palette as shown on the computer, because i hadn't noticed the 
difference until just now!  as it turns out, the photo actually contains this
green/charcoal color, so i'm going to think of it as a "happy accident",
but next time i print a color palette, i'll check for accuracy.  :)) }


{supplies:   strathmore visual journal for mixed media 9"x12",
sennelier watercolor,  .3 mechanical pencil,  Photoshop Elements}


{read my post featuring my first palette here,
and you can find more color palettes here on my pinterest board!}

giddy inner-grid-girl

the book "Local Color" by Mimi Robinson was recently featured
on my "Amazon recommends" list,  and i must admit that
the cover spoke to my inner-grid-girl so loudly
 that i was pressing the "purchase" button before i knew it!
 but the cover is just a sampling of what's to come inside, because
sprinkled amongst the pages are beautiful watercolor blocks
that Mimi uses in her art journal to celebrate and document her travels.

 after swooning over every page,

 i was really inspired to get in on the watercolor-grid-fun and

  i decided to focus on the trip my family and i took to Brussels a year ago.

this photo of my favorite hot chocolate was taken when

we first arrived in Belgium….after a long plane ride,

it tasted fantastic!  :))

 to help break down the colors in the photo easier,

i created this color palette using the eye dropper in Photoshop Elements.

{Mimi prefers to work from nature and 

does not mention creating a computer palette as part of her process,

but i found it helpful to get started!}

once i had my computerized palette,  i decided to get busy in my
art journal.  i printed my photo and palette, and then i started mixing
watercolor and i tried to match the colors as closely as possible.
the nice thing about this process is "getting close" is good enough….
whatever looks right to your eye is perfect!

once i had my watercolor palette mixed,  i painted blocks.
my inner-grid-girl was absolutely giddy…..

especially when i finished it with some lettering!

and while painting the watercolor blocks is great fun,
i couldn't wait to give my new palette a test-run
by creating some micro-doodles…..

and when inspiration strikes again,  i've got lots of room left on the page
for more micro-doodles and grid-girl block painting!
but for now,  i think it may be time for a cup of hot chocolate….. xox


you can find more photo/color palettes here on my pinterest board!

{supplies:   strathmore visual journal for mixed media 9"x12",
sennelier watercolor,  .3 mechanical pencil,  Photoshop Elements}

for more information about "Local Color" and a peek inside, click here

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}

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}

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!}

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}

sleight of heart-in-hand

one thing is for sure,

no matter how hard you try to keep a date with your favorite journal,

life will conjure up reasons not to…..

until you've completely lost your creative focus.

and just when you think you're gonna have to resort to seeking out a magic wand 

and shouting "abracadabra" at the top of your lungs to find it again, 

you notice this week's DLP challenge…..

and you tell life that everything is gonna have to wait...

because you're taking a nose dive into 

the middle of your favorite journal for some well-deserved, 

and long-awaited creative time!  

here's to putting life on hold, 

and pulling a rabbit out of your creative hat. 

not because of any hocus-pocus……

but thanks to good ol' inspiration and sleight of heart-in-hand!  

:))

{supplies for this week's DLP "focus" challenge:

wings journal, derwent inktense pencils, micron pens, 6B graphite pencil}

twenty-fifteen

happy new year, dear bloggy sweeties!!

i'm wishing you an entire new year filled with

spectacular inspiration and lots of choco-happiness!

xox

perfect stay-cation

our DLP challenge this week is to choose a fantasy vacation spot,

and create a list of things to take along.

and while a long list of faraway places immediately came to my mind….

those other important things on my heart intervened…..

and i realized that sometimes just taking a few minutes right where you are

can be the best getaway of all.

{and yes, with a 13-week old puppy to consider,

the thought of a ten-minute retreat in my favorite chair 

is definitely a fantasy vacation!  :)))) }

{supplies used for DLP week fifty challenge:

moleskine planner, fabriano artistico 140 HP paper, pitt pens, micron pens, 

derwent watercolor/inktense pencils, 6B pencil, white gelly roll pen, washi tape}

tree-babies

tucked away in the nooks and crannies of the 

North Carolina Appalachian mountains 

are rows and rows of evergreen firs and pines

that will someday be brilliantly decorated in celebration

of the most important day of the entire year!

grow strong, little tree-babies!

{supplies used to journal one of my favorite views from

our neighborhood gazebo in banner elk:

moleskine watercolor journal, koi watercolor, derwent inktense pencils,

pitt pens, micron pens, 6B graphite pencil}

anatomy of an acorn

i recently took a quick walk through the park…..

and there was evidence all over the sidewalks 

that the squirrels have been busy stocking up goodies for the winter.

i couldn't resist picking up the "leftovers", 

  and by the time i got home, i had a pocketful of goodies 

just waiting to be added to my journal!

{supplies:  moleskine watercolor journal, pitt pens,

derwent inktense pencils, 6B graphite pencil}

{i have a lot of travel scheduled for the month of october,

so i'll be checking in over at my new instagram account….

please join me here!} 

3 colors, 1 cupcake

if you're ever wondering what your favorite colors are,
just open your paintbox and take a peek at the ones you use the most…..
on the other hand, the colors you're not-so-crazy-about
are the colors that look brand new.

the trick to using the colors you're not-so-crazy-about
is to think of a subject you're absolutely crazy about…...

and before long, those not-so-crazy colors will start looking
a lot more appetizing!


{this was created for the DLP week 40 challenge
to paint with three colors you never use
my colors:  lemon yellow, jaune brilliant, viridian hue}

{supplies:  moleskine planner, fabriano artistico 140 lb. HP paper,
koi watercolors, pitt pens, sakura white gelly roll pen, 6B pencil, washi tape}