color blox

several months ago i posted about my fabulous 

weekend workshop with danielle donaldson ,  

as well as inspiration taken from mimi robinson's book "Local Color".....

and as it turns out, my in-the-box-grid-girl has been

so very happy painting these colorful little squares ever since!

it's such a great way to document the loveliness of a day.....

as well as some of the not-so-lovely.

so, i decided to create a little journal for these color gems

so they could celebrate all their blocky splendor together in one place.....

and here's a peek inside!

(you can watch this video in larger format here)

these are the supplies i used to create my journal:
canson moulin du roy cold press w/c paper,
daniel smith and sennelier watercolor,
pilot .3 mechanical pencil


xox

flourish

when i grow up,  i want to write on walls just like dana tanamachi.  

:))

{you can watch this video in large format here}

20 seconds of snowfall

when a florida beachcomber finds herself in the
mountains of north carolina in the middle of winter
…..and it starts snowing…..
well, she gets about as giddy as a schoolgirl!

there wasn't enough on the ground to make a snow angel,
but it was still exciting!!  and now i have a great excuse to stay inside
this weekend and drink lots of hot chocolate.
{as if i needed an excuse to do that….!}

:))

{you can watch this video in larger format here!}

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

a sketchbook, some wisdom, and tape man

The Sketchbook Stories from Art House Co-op on Vimeo.

meet Joop.

he's the creator of "tape man".

drawing is one of his favorite things to do.....

and he also gives really great advice.

{oh, and he'll absolutely steal your heart.  no doubt about it.}

you can watch this in larger format here.

believe in yourself

                     

simply put, beautifully true.....

always believe in yourself.  always!  

xox

dusty fingers

i am absolutely fascinated with chalkboard art, and i could sit and watch
artists kelly de ceuninck and pieter vanhoutte all day long!
 watch how beautifully these two coordinate their letterforms
to make so much "wow" look so stinkin' easy!

you can watch this video in full format here at vimeo!

duck chuckle

i recently stopped by the duck pond
and found my little friends......

                      

practicing their synchronized swimming!

{i get such a kick out of these crazy ducks! 

have a wonderfully whimsical weekend!! :)) }

inspiration monday

  a while back, i saw teesha moore demonstrate her amazing 16-page journal in this video, and i fell in love with it!  but her journal measures 8x10" and i prefer to work on a smaller canvas, so i made some variations to the template and came up with a journal format that i have since used for my pottery barn journal, and elvie studio journal.  my version is 5x7"and uses only half of a large sheet of watercolor paper......and there's just enough pages inside to inspire me, but not so many pages to make me feel overwhelmed!

this weekend i got out some paper and thread and made a new blank journal, but this time i was inspired to use a 5-hole stitch instead of the 3-hole stitch to bind it together.
if you'd like to make one too, here are a couple of videos showing how to do it!

                        



                        

when you discover a blank journal that rocks your world, it's easy to find yourself with an entire collection of them!  i hope you have fun making these!  :))

here are the supplies i used:

fabriano artistico 140 lb. HP paper

4-ply waxed linen thread

needle

book awl or paper piercer

large paper clips

ruler, pencil, scissors

 {the martha stewart scoring board isn't essential (but it's great, treat yourself!).....

you can read more about it here!}

just because

                                                                                     

sometimes the best reason to do something that inspires you is
"just because".....
and master-tricycle-calligrapher jonah kessel
illustrates this beautifully by creating the quirkiest, most unusual,
and truly brilliant machine i've seen in a long time!

happy-go-lucky weekend to you!  xox
{you can watch this video in full format here!}

creative happiness

from the story, to the music, to the animation.....
i think this is so delightfully creative!

i hope your weekend is filled with many
sweet, artful moments just like these!
xox

rocks, paint, and a doggie

                     
                                                       Painted Rocks with Diana Fayt from Creativebug on Vimeo.

as master ceramist diana fayt would say,

"this is how you paint rocks with a dog in your lap"!

(and he's super cute, too!)

happy weekend to you!

{watch in large format here!}

happy places

what is it about finishing a journal that makes you feel like you've just conquered the world?!
i put the last few touches on the back cover of my "elvie journal",  and i'm happy all over
with a super feeling of accomplishment (even if it did take me almost a year! :)))!

             

here's a little cover-to-cover peek inside!

(you can watch it in larger format here!)

thanks for sharing this little art adventure with me! 

i hope you find yourself in lots of happy places this weekend!  

xo

{materials for the back cover:  elvie journal, derwent inktense pencils, koi watercolor, 

pitt artist pens, uniball signo white pen,  and a 4B pencil}

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

beach birdie

i met this little guy during my beach walk last week.....
he was a lot of fun to watch!

i hope your weekend is filled with sunshine!!
xox


{footage via my iPhone.  watch in larger format here.}

time and practice

i have dreams of being able to do something like this......

but i think i'll need to carve out lots of time for
 lots and lots and lots of practice!  wow!

i hope you have fun things planned this weekend!  enjoy!

{click here to see the printed stamp!}

whimsicality

a little sneak peek into the whimsical world of sophie blackall.

her illustrations make me smile in a very big way,

and i'd gladly share my chocolate stash with her any time!

enjoy your weekend, sweet bloggy friends!  

xo

{you can watch this video in larger format here!}

the mighty micron

here's to the power of the little micron dot......
and to the patience of putting 3.2 million of them together in one place!

happy weekend to you, bloggy sweeties!!

{you can watch this fabulous video by miguel endara
 in larger format here!}

breakfast journal

a fabulous way to start the day.....
courtesy of danny gregory, artist-extraordinaire!

{you can watch this video in full screen here!}

29 ways

                                
                               

here are 29 fabulous ways to stay creative.....

{and since i noticed it wasn't included, i would like to suggest

"eat chocolate.....lots and lots of chocolate"

as number 30}

:))