inspiration monday

if spring hasn't quite sprung in your part of the world yet,
and the skies are still looking a little gray…..

here's some words of wisdom from someone who
knows how to make people smile.

all you need to do is channel all your good thoughts…..

you know…...the really over-the-top, super cheery thoughts!

and then say bye-bye to gray skies,
and let those smile-sunbeams inspire an absolutely lovely day!

(quite possibly the most sugary, pollyanna-coated post i've written to date!
but sometimes "happy" just goes that way!  :))


{supplies:  walls notebook, pan pastel, micron and pitt pens, 8B graphite pencil,
white pilot choose pen}

inspiration monday

every year around this time, i start to get a little antsy
with all of the grey, grey, grey of winter…..

and i start wishing for some color.

lots of bright, happy, colorful springtime color…..

inspired by lots of bright, happy, colorful springtime flowers!



{supplies:  moleskine watercolor journal, derwent inktense pencils, micron pens,
derwent watercolor pencils, uniball signo broad white gel pen, 6B and 3B graphite pencils}

beautiful you

there's an awful lot of "same-ness" in the world.....

but, before you put a lot of energy into being different.....

just remember -----  

you already, most beautifully, and fantabulously are!

{and you even have your very own unique thumbprints to prove it!}

here's to being different.....
in the most amazing, extraordinary, phenomenal, fantastic, unique way possible!!
(and believe me, you're all these things and so much more!)
xox

{supplies:  walls notebook, pan pastel, pitt pens, thumbprint and stamp pad, uniball signo white gel pen, souffle pens}



♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

thanks SO much to all you beautiful-bloggy-sweeties who participated in the artsyville giveaway! sarah goodwin's name was chosen by random generator as the recipient of aimee's washi tapes! congratulations!  woo hoo!  

there's still time to join in the other participants' giveaways....click here for the full schedule!


happy weekend to you!  xox

inspiration monday

on those days when you feel creative but find yourself a bit in the dark.....

 just put on a happy face.....

and always keep looking towards the sunshine....

 because inspiration will chase those shadows away with a few strokes of your paintbrush and some doodly marks with your favorite pens.....and it's guaranteed to brighten your day!  xox



{this was created in my walls notebook using derwent inktense pencils, waterbrush, 
pan pastel, pitt pens, 8B graphite pencil}

paint flowers

"I perhaps owe having become a painter
to flowers."

Claude Monet


{here's to a weekend filled with lots of time to paint flowers!! enjoy!}

inspiration monday

sometimes i'm down-right terrified of a blank page.....

there's just so much blank.

and then i remember that when you follow your heart, 

blank pages invite possibility.....

and inspiration.....

and blank-page-miracles!


"Believe in miracles.  In a world where research is the basis for drawing conclusions and
reason is rewarded, allow yourself to believe the unbelievable in life.  The word itself,
miracle, often seems magical or childish.  But don't let the unexplainable just slip by without 
at least a nod of recognition.  Believing in miracles allows these experiences to be much
more valuable.  Help them along by allowing your imagination to get involved."
Carolyn Rubenstein


{artwork finished in my walls notebook using pitt artist pens, pan pastel,
derwent inktense pencils, 8B graphite pencil}

autumn bliss

"every leaf speaks bliss to me,
fluttering from the autumn tree"
emily bronte


{wishing you a blissful weekend!  xox}

hands and hearts

ever since i made this fabric tape, i've been wanting to use it on a page in my journal.  

so i decided to snip a piece of each tape (i cut the floral tape into a triangle shape).......

and glued the pieces into my journal in the shape of a house. 

then, using my microns,  i wrote out a little quote to go with it.

but, when i finished, it definitely didn't look "done" to me.

so i added some watercolor to the page, along with some doodle marks on the house to

give it more definition and jazz it up a bit.  

i think it still looks like something's missing, though......

because sometimes when you work on something, it's not complete until
you add that final element......that perfect "finishing touch".......

and then you know without a doubt that, yes......now it's done!


{thank you from the top, middle, and bottom of my heart 
to all of you who signed up for my letterLAB cursive class!!  xoxox}


{journal page created using fabric tape, micron pens, pencil,
koi watercolor, waterbrush, glue stick, elvie heart-in-hand}

kind gardens

"kind hearts are the gardens, 
kind thoughts are the roots,
kind words are the flowers, 
kind deeds are the fruits."
unknown




{i hope your weekend is filled with flowers and fruits!  xox}

charming gardeners

"let us be grateful to people who make us happy;
they are the charming gardeners 
who make our souls blossom."
marcel proust


thank you SO much for all of your heartfelt comments on my inspiration monday posts!
you are most definitely blogland's charming gardeners,
and i am forever grateful for the seeds of happiness you sprinkle
around in my little art garden!!
hug, hug!  xo


{journal page created using koi watercolor, waterbrush, micron pen, 2B pencil}

seeds of happiness

"this very moment is a seed from which

the flowers of tomorrow's happiness grow"

margaret lindsey

{journal page created using koi watercolor, micron pen,

1/4" flat brush, 2B pencil}

seashells on the sand

"the tide recedes, but leaves behind bright seashells on the sand.

the sun goes down, but gentle warmth still lingers on the land.

the music stops, yet echoes on in sweet, soulful refrains.

for every joy that passes, something beautiful remains."

author unknown

i hope you have a joyfully creative weekend!!

xo

discoveries

"you cannot discover new oceans

unless you have the courage 

to lose sight of the shore."

unknown

{wishing you a wednesday full of creative discoveries!}