heart song

this week's documented life challenge is to use a bird on our journal page,
and i think every single member did a happy dance when they found out!

because, let's face it…..
what's happier than a sweet little doodle birdie with long skinny legs?

especially when he's singing a sweet little doodly-heart-song!




{supplies:  moleskine planner, 140 lb fabriano artistico HP paper, pitt and micron pens, koi watercolor,
derwent watercolor pencils, 6B & 3B graphite pencils, washi tape}

inspiration monday......{elvie-encore-post #1}

"some days there won't be a song in your heart. sing anyway."

emory austin

sometimes the inspiration just isn't there......and for those days when you really want to get humming, here are some ideas to tuck into your creativity songbook:

*grab a coloring book and box of crayons. it seems simple, but everyone finds comfort in coloring....and it's great fun to be a kid again!

*create some color washes onto blank paper using two or three colors of paint. just moving some color around with a paintbrush is inspiring, and you'll be happy to have these wash papers in your stash for a later project!

*spend some time curled up in your favorite chair with a good book, or even your stack of catalogs! my pottery barn and anthropologie catalogs never disappoint when it comes to inspiration!

*call one of your art buddies! having our own work space is fabulous, but it can also be lonely sometimes. good friends always have extra inspiration that they're willing to share!

*what's old is new again! look back at some of the artwork you created a year ago.....can you embellish upon the same idea? how would it look in a different color.....what happens if you use watercolor instead of acrylic?

*and my personal favorite that really gets me singing..... eat a piece of chocolate!! and yes, it's okay if it's on top of ice cream! (this one's a little tricky, and may need to be repeated once or twice before inspiration truly kicks in.... )




i'm currently on a little bloggy break......
this is an encore presentation of an inspiration monday post 
from november 1, 2009.

inspiration monday

"some days there won't be a song in your heart. sing anyway."

emory austin

sometimes the inspiration just isn't there......and for those days when you really want to get humming, here are some ideas to tuck into your creativity songbook:

*grab a coloring book and box of crayons. it seems simple, but everyone finds comfort in coloring....and it's great fun to be a kid again!

*create some color washes onto blank paper using two or three colors of paint. just moving some color around with a paintbrush is inspiring, and you'll be happy to have these wash papers in your stash for a later project!

*spend some time curled up in your favorite chair with a good book, or even your stack of catalogs! my pottery barn and anthropologie catalogs never disappoint when it comes to inspiration!

*call one of your art buddies! having our own work space is fabulous, but it can also be lonely sometimes. good friends always have extra inspiration that they're willing to share!

*what's old is new again! look back at some of the artwork you created a year ago.....can you embellish upon the same idea? how would it look in a different color.....what happens if you use watercolor instead of acrylic?

*and my personal favorite that really gets me singing..... eat a piece of chocolate!! and yes, it's okay if it's on top of ice cream! (this one's a little tricky, and may need to be repeated once or twice before inspiration truly kicks in.... )

heart songs

i feel like when it comes to the creative side of my life, i walk around with a flickering light bulb over my head most of the time. and then, every once in a while, that light bulb will burn bright, and i'll combine several of my favorite things to create the obvious....

....a blank doodle journal! the cover is an original doodle (not a print) finished on a piece of hand painted paper, and the journal is sewn using a 6-needle coptic binding method. there's lots of blank paper inside, along with some fun decorative papers in polka-dot and black-and-white gingham (i could never have enough of it!) . this journal was not only fun to create, but i must admit i think it's one of my absolute favorites.

thank you, mister light bulb.

you can find more information and photos here.