thank you!

{you can watch this little thank you video in large format here}

it's freezing cold outside, but
your response to the announcement of my new
"doodle page" online class
is like a bright ray of sunshine that has completely warmed my heart!

the number generator at random.org has chosen #26 as the recipient
of the giveaway…..

and that means that debbie janelle has won a seat in the class!  woo hoo!
congratulations, debbie!


and many, many thanks to all of you who took the time
to participate in the giveaway!  every single one of your sweet comments
put a huge smile on my face, and i SO appreciate your kindness!
you are the absolute best in blogland…..thank you!!!  xox

inspiration monday…..and a giveaway!

i can't think of anything more inspiring than opening a journal to a blank page
and filling it with a favorite quote!

all it takes are some simple letterforms and variations…..

a little bit of page composition…..

and some doodly finishing touches!

and i'd love to create a doodle page together with you
in my new online class over at creative workshops…..







because we're going to learn about all these things….and more!


please join me in the classroom over at creative workshops for my new online class
doodle page !

the doors to the classroom open on february 17th!
here's what's in store:
*we'll talk about finding inspiration
*we'll brush up on some simple print letterforms and learn several variations
*we'll get some insight on basic page composition principles
 *and we'll have some fun with watercolor and shading techniques!

there's over two hours of video instruction, along with lots of PDFs for you to print out! and you'll have 24/7 access to the classroom….come and go as you like, and journal while eating chocolate and wearing your pajamas!

♥♥♥♥♥

and to celebrate this creative new year and all the inspiration it holds,
i'm giving away a seat in the classroom!
all you need to do is leave a comment here on this post (just one comment per person, please!) by 10:00 p.m. EST on wednesday, january 8th.  one recipient will be chosen over at random.org, and i'll announce the name here on my blog on thursday, january 9th!  please make sure your comment either links back to your blog, or leave your e-mail so i can contact you if your name is chosen!  (this giveaway is open to all bloggy sweeties who are 18 years of age or older!)

see you in the classroom!

{please click here for more information and registration!}


edited:  comments are now closed….thank you so much!!

inspiration monday.....and a class giveaway!

 this week we're celebrating the opening of our new classroom site over at creative workshops .....and what could be more inspiring than learning something new!!  our sweet webmaster, site-coordinator-extraordinaire, and curator of creative workshops, gail schmidt, has been working really hard all summer long to transfer everything over to the new creative workshops home, and in doing so, she's also made some terrific changes!  for example....

*when you register for a class that's already open, you have instant access to the classroom.....no more waiting for an invitation to arrive in your inbox!  yippee!

*our new classroom is now iPad accessible, and i know lots of you have been waiting for that!

*plus, so many of the things we already love are still in place:  lots and lots of amazing video classes offered by so many talented instructors,  24/7 access to the classroom....you can work at your own pace in your comfy jammies if you like,  and....classes rarely get retired, but if an instructor needs to do that, there will always be a 6 month notice given, so you'll have plenty of time to soak up every bit of online class goodness!

so, let's kick up our heels and celebrate in bloggy-giveaway fashion!  i currently offer two classes over at creative workshops, and as a party-giveaway-prize, i'm offering one free online video class....either letterLAB, or LifeStuff.....your choice!  

if you've already taken one of my classes, and would love to take the other, here's a great opportunity!







  
 {a sneak peek welcome video for LifeStuff!}


 or, if you've already taken both of my classes, please go ahead and put your name in the giveaway.....if you're chosen, you can gift your prize to another artsy friend!

entering is easy!  just leave a comment on this post (just one per person, please!) by 10:00 p.m. EST on sunday, september 29th.  one recipient will be chosen over at random.org, and i'll announce it here on my blog on monday, september 30th!  please make sure your comment either links back to your blog, or you leave your e-mail so i can contact you if your name is chosen! (this giveaway is open to all bloggy sweeties who are 18 years of age or older!)


{to read more details about letterLAB class, click here!
for more information about lifeStuff, click here!}

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

another really super thing about this giveaway is there's a total of nineteen different class giveaways you can enter!!  it's a blog-hop-party-giveaway-extravaganza!!

here's the list of fabulous participating instructors.....
check out their giveaway classes and make sure you enter!

Sara Naumann  *  Cat Kerr *  Jodi Ohl  *  Martha Lever  
             

Nancy Lefko  *  Cathy Bluteau  *  Mechelle Harrison * Elizabeth Johnson 
           

Liz Miller  *  Terri Heinz  *  Kerr Pelto  *  Diana Frey  * Marilyn Harris-Mills  
     

Nellie Wortman  * Gaye Medbury  *  Ann Butler    

 Dawn Meisch  *  Gail Schmidt   
                 

good luck everyone!

thanks so much to gail and all of her efforts in bringing us a great site to create, play and experiment! she's done an awesome job!

xox

edited:  comments are now closed.....thanks so much for participating!!

inspiration monday....and an artsyville giveaway!

if you've ever received a goodie package from aimee over at artsyville, then you already know that delightful-giddy feeling you get from the moment you pull it from your mailbox.  so when her brand new washi tapes arrived, i was absolutely giggly-giddy, because not only has aimee picked such cute names for these sweet little gems, these are the colors of pure happiness!  and when it comes to washi projects, i say "let's play"!

idea #1:  how about taking a small cork square....
(this one is cut to 10"x10")

and jazzing it up with a piece of scrapbook paper and
some strips of "secret garden" washi tape!
now you've got a decorative canvas just waiting for some more artsy-goodies!

idea #2:
here's a little brown paper gift bag cutesyfied with aimee's "jolly town" washi tape.....
 tuck pizza delivery coupons and other fun stuff inside for your new neighbors!

idea #3: create a cute gift tag for someone special
using the "creative fire" washi tape and your favorite markers!

idea #4:
 here's a sweet little banner using the "happy trails" and "love charms" tape,
shipping tag remnants, chalk stamp pads, cotton string,  and micron pens.

and now my decorated cork square looks super happy, super colorful,
super playful, and super artsyvilled!

{idea #5:  of course, you probably knew i couldn't resist adding some more adhesive joy
to a page in my journal!  this "wild vine" tape makes the perfect roof for my little house,
and i somehow think that jane austen would love it, too!}

{supplies:  moleskine journal, derwent inktense pencils, pan pastel, pitt pens, 4B pencil,
artsyville wild vine washi tape}

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

now here's the best part.....aimee has generously offered to send one of you bloggy sweeties one roll of each design of her cute and colorful washi tapes!!  that's a total of six rolls of wonderful washis!!  woo hoo!!   all you have to do to receive aimee's washi tapes is leave a comment here on this post (just one per person, please!) by 10:00 p.m. EST on wednesday, september 18th.  one recipient will be chosen using the random generator, and i'll announce it here on my blog on thursday, september 19th!  please make sure your comment either links back to your blog, or you leave your e-mail so i can contact you if your name is chosen!  (this giveaway is open to all bloggy sweeties who are 18 years of age or older.)


and be sure to check out these other lovely blogs because they're all participating in aimee's blog hop, and some of their giveaways are still open, so sign up there, too!

Monday, September 9  Rachel Awes  http://allididwaslisten.blogspot.com

Tuesday, September 10 Joanne Sharpe http://joannezsharpe.blogspot.com

Wednesday, September 11 Jill Berry http://jillberrydesign.com

Thursday, September 12 Lindsay Hopkins http://www.penandpaintblog.com

Friday, September 13 Traci Bunkers http://www.tracibunkers.com/blog

Monday, September 16 Lori Vliegen http://elviestudio.blogspot.com

Tuesday, September 17  Raine Boyd http://www.limetreefruits.com

Wednesday, September 18 Samie Harding http://www.journalgirl.com

Thursday, September 19 Carolyn Dube http://www.acolorfuljourney.com

Friday, September 20 Tammy Garcia http://daisyyellowart.com

edited:  comments are now closed....thank you SO much for participating! xox

pens and packages

i received another treasure box from sakura earlier this week,

and it was filled with more of their fabulous pens!

the permapaque pens are wonderful paint pens for crafty-crafters who like to work with wood, metal, glass, vellum....and you can use them on paper, too!
i had a lot of fun creating this journal page....these pens are that perfect marker i've been looking for because they give great coverage with no bleed-out!

{supplies to create this page:  permaqaque pens, pigma micron pens, koi watercolor,
koi coloring brush pens}

also included in the box was their calligrapher series of marker pens!

they come in three different sizes, and are ideal for the pencrafter who wants to fill their paper with fun script-style writing without getting out a formal dip pen and ink!  yay!!

many thanks to michaela at sakura for once again treating me to these wonderful products....and for giving me an excellent reason to add some more doodling to my sakura sampler!

{supplies to create this page:  calligrapher marker pens, pigma micron pens, koi watercolor, koi coloring brush pens}

and speaking of receiving goodie packages, the random integer has chosen

melissa over at sweet as texas honey and amie lessard as the recipients of the chickadee stamps!  woo hoo!!

thank you SO much to each one of you sweet-bloggy-birdies who participated.....

i really, really appreciate all your kind words about my little chickie stamps!
xox

inspiration monday.....and a giveaway!

of all the artwork i've done,  my little chickadees are definitely on my list of favorites.....
and seeing them in the form of rubber stamps as part of the summer release over at Technique Tuesday has made me about as giddy-as-a-schoolgirl!!

they look really cute stamped in black and white.....

and they're really cute stamped with color, too!

for me, the only thing more fun than playing with these little stamps....

is having the opportunity to share them with you....my sweet bloggy friends!!  woo hoo!
you are the absolute best-in-blogland, and i truly adore you for taking the time to stop by my little blog!  your heartfelt comments are so supportive and encouraging, and i am so grateful that our paths have crossed!  thank you!  xox

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

i have two chickadee stamp sets that i'd love to giveaway!
these little birdies are eager to inspire you, and they're looking for a creative home!
to enter, all you have to do is leave a comment here on this post 
(just one per person, please!) by 10:00 p.m. EST on wednesday,  august 28th. 
two names will be chosen using the random integer, 
and i'll announce them on thursday, august 29th. 
please make sure that your comment either links back to 

your blog, or you leave your e-mail so i can contact you if your name is chosen!

(this giveaway is open to all bloggy sweeties who are 18 years of age or older.)

for more information about the chickadee stamp set, click here!

{this chickadee card was created using white card stock, assorted scrapbook papers,
chickadee stamp set,  koi watercolor, pigment stamp pads, foam mounting tape, natural jute twine, needle} 

{edited:  the comments are now closed....thank you SO much for participating!}

word power.....and giveaway winner

i wish i could tell you how much inspiration i find in each one

of your sweet comments.....they truly make me feel jubilant!

you are all creative rock stars,  

and i SO appreciate all of your bloggy love!

the random integer chose number 39....

so, the recipient of the creative lettering giveaway book is

fran pascazio!

woo hoo!

thank you SO much for your overwhelming response!  

you are the bloggy best!!!

xox

{if you'd like to join in another giveaway,

my friend martha has a creative lettering book that she's offering,
along with copies of her fabulous versal exemplars,

so head on over and put your name in the hat.....

you can find her here!}

inspiration monday.....and a giveaway!

a little over a year ago i received an invitation from 

the very talented jenny doh asking if i'd like to participate in her upcoming book,

"creative lettering".  

well,  it took me about 30 seconds to send her my response!

and now after a lot of hard work from her design team,  publishers, and

 all the other contributing artists,  this dream has become a reality! 

i am absolutely giddy-as-a-schoolgirl,  and so very honored to have 

my artwork appear with these 15 fabulously brilliant lettering artists!

(one of whom is my very dear friend martha lever!)

inside,  there's a reminder to always follow your heart, 

and my little thumbuds even make an appearance..... 

along with one of my favorite quotes by benjamin franklin.

but the best part of all is i'm in the mood to celebrate, and
i have an extra book that i'd like to share with you!
so let's give our monday a shot of inspiration
with a creative lettering giveaway!!

:))

to enter, all you have to do is leave a comment here on this post 
(just one per person, please!) by 10:00 p.m. EST on wednesday,  february 20th. 
a name will be chosen using the random integer, 
and i'll announce it on thursday, february 21st. 
please make sure that your comment either links back to 

your blog, or you leave your e-mail so i can contact you if your name is chosen!

(this giveaway is open to all bloggy sweeties who are 18 years of age or older.)

{you can read more information about "creative lettering" here,

along with a list of the other contributing artists!}

edited:  comments for the giveaway are now closed!   thank you!

ten minutes.....and a winner!

 

given ten minutes of time,
here's what one group of little artists created!

and.....for the giveaway results.....
the random number generator has chosen charming designs as 

the recipient of the "life stuff" journal!  woo hoo!

thank you SO much for participating in my giveaway!!

i truly appreciate all your sweet comments and bloggy love!!

xox

inspiration monday.....and a giveaway!!

welcome to my cyber-celebration....

the doors to my new online class, "life stuff" open today!!

  woo hoo!!

to get things started,

i'd like to share a little sneak-peek of what's going on in the classroom:

first, we'll take some large sheets of watercolor paper.....

and tear it up.

then we'll fold it in half......

and we'll create some whimsical artwork using all our favorite supplies.....

(i'm providing this "life stuff" design to get you started, 
and there's lots of video instruction devoted to 
creating the front and back cover artwork, as well as making the journal!)

and then we'll sew everything together!

⬆front                                                               ⬇back

but the celebration doesn't stop there, because
i'm giving away this life stuff journal!
it's filled with yummy blank watercolor pages.....
and lots of love, hugs, and gratitude for all of the wonderful ways
you inspire me through your heartfelt notes, comments, and visits to my blog!
thank you SO much, dear bloggy sweeties!!

***

this giveaway is for a blank watercolor "life stuff" journal!  to participate,

all you have to do is leave a comment (just one, please!) on this post by 
wednesday, october 31st at 10:00 p.m. (EST)!  
once the comments are closed on wednesday, i'll randomly choose a name 
and announce it on thursday, november 1st!
please make sure your comment either links back to 
your blog, or you leave your e-mail so i can contact you if your name is chosen!
(this giveaway is open to all those who are 18 years of age or older.)

***

and.....if you'd like to learn how to create your very own coptic journal,

  please join us in class!

{this class is hosted by creative workshops.  all those who are registered will receive an invitation to the class,  and all of the videos and printouts will be available right away.    the class is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so you can work at your own pace and you'll have access to the class whenever you want.  this class will be offered for at least one year (and most likely much longer), so you'll have plenty of time to finish viewing all of the videos.  for registration, please click here!}

**edited:  comments are now closed.  thanks SO much for participating!!

inspiration monday.....and a giveaway!

when you go out searching for the perfect journal,

what do you look for?

one that lays flat when you open it?  

one that's not too small.....or not too big?

one that has the perfect paper inside?

well, i think there's no better way to get exactly what you want than by creating it yourself!

so, let's make a journal.....in my new online class, offered over at creative workshops!!  

i'm super excited to announce my new adventure....

life stuff:  a coptic journal project

.....and it starts on october 29th!!  woo hoo!

i've got lots of videos and printouts to show you how to create your own
40-page watercolor journal with those

gorgeous coptic chain stitches trickling down the spine......

and we'll even put some artwork on the covers!

(i'm providing this artwork design for you to use, 

but if you'd rather create a more personalized cover, i'll share some tips on that, too!) 

and once we're finished, you'll have your very own coptic journal

with lots of blank pages inside to create all that happy-life-stuff-artwork
you have swirling around in your head!

for more information and registration,
please click here!


****

to celebrate, i'd love to give away a seat in the class!
all you have to do is leave a comment (just one, please!) on this post by 
wednesday, september 19th at 10:00 p.m. (EST)!  
once the comments are closed on wednesday, i'll randomly choose a name 
and announce it on thursday, september 20th!
please make sure your comment either links back to 
your blog, or you leave your e-mail so i can contact you if your name is chosen!
(this giveaway is open to all those who are 18 years of age or older.)

and.....if you've already registered for the class, please join in the giveaway!
if your name is chosen, your registration fee will be refunded to you!

****

edited:  comments are now closed.....thank you to all those who entered the giveaway!!

{this class is hosted by creative workshops.  once the class opens on october 29th, all those who are registered will receive an invitation to the class and all of the videos and printouts will be available right away.    the class is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so you can work at your own pace and you'll have access to the class whenever you want.  this class will be offered for at least one year (and most likely longer), so you'll have plenty of time to finish viewing all of the videos.  for more information, please click here!}