merry July!

it's Christmas in July all month long over at

Creative Workshops!

celebrate with 25% off all my classes!

woo hoo!

xox

{click here for more information!}

inspiration monday

i am SO super excited!   the doors open today to my new online class,
doodle page!  woo hoo!

this class is all about starting with a blank page in your favorite journal…..

and adding a spark of inspiration through a fun quote, some watercolor,
and other doodly touches until we have a finished journal page!

along the way, we'll talk about all the things that go into creating a journal page:

*inspiration and your own design style
*all of the main elements that go into page composition
*simple print lettering
*lettering variations
*shading
*watercolor, outlining, and borders

(we'll even talk a bit about chocolate!)

there's over three hours of video instruction, and lots of PDFs to print out!

this class is hosted over at Creative Workshops…..

as a student, you'll have 24/7 access to the classroom, so you can come and go as you like, you can watch the videos as often as you want, and you can learn while you're wearing your pajamas! 

           

so let's journal your favorite quote from start to finish…..

see you in the classroom!!  xox

you can watch this video in large format here!

{please click here for more information and registration!}

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 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!}

inspiration monday

 

over the past several months, i've received lots wonderful notes, e-mails, and blog comments asking me about the letterforms that i use in many of my art projects and journal pages.  and because you've inspired me so much with your requests, i'm over-the-moon-excited to announce letterLAB,  my very first online class, scheduled to begin on november 7th!!
woo hoo!

many of you have told me that you really aren't too crazy about your handwriting,
so, in this lab session we're going to go back-to-basics and focus on our cursive writing.
(don't worry,  it's just a review and it goes by quickly!)

and once we have a good foundation in place, then we move on to the fun stuff!

and work on a journal page together.....

along with three more art projects,  using everything we've learned!!

so, meet me in the lab......the letterLAB, that is, 

(don't forget to tuck a chocolate bar in the pocket of your lab coat!)
and let the fun begin!!

*letterLAB is my first online class, and
it's packed with video instruction and PDF worksheets to get you started!
it's hosted by Creative Workshops and you can read more
about the class format here.

*for more information and registration,

click here!

{edited:  this class is hosted by creative workshops. once the class opens on november 7th, all those who are registered will receive an invitation to the class and all of the videos and PDFs 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!}

inspiration monday

have you been searching for a fun way to jazz up your artwork....or maybe add some colorful letters and doodles to your journals?   my sweet friend martha lever is offering an online class through creative workshops called "calligra-fun".....she'll teach you how to look at letterforms in a whole new way using your favorite brush markers!  not only will you learn how to create these unique letters, martha will also teach you how to make flowers, trees, ribbons and other fun doodles that will add that finishing touch to your artwork!  this course includes five lessons that are packed with everything you need towards successful lettering! 

i've been blessed to have known martha for over 15 years.  we've worked together, played together, laughed together, shed a few tears together, and shared successes together.   and what i know for sure is that martha has an incredible amount of energy and passion for lettering, she creates them beautifully, and her sweet, giving personality (along with her fabulous southern georgia accent!) always makes you feel like you've just had coffee with a great friend.   she definitely inspires me every single day!

visit martha at her blog here, or sign up for her online class here!

online journal class - week four

would you believe that the cover of this journal started out as a paper bag?!  this is the fourth project in my online journal class with sue bleiweiss.  the wrap-around construction is similar to that of our project from week one, but this time instead of using fabric for the cover, sue taught us a technique using a brown paper bag.  and it seems that not all paper bags are alike...i used a lunch sack because it's a little lighter in weight, but i think that next time i'll use some of that brown craft paper on a roll (the type that's used to wrap packages).  it's much heavier in weight and it would be interesting to see the difference in the two journals.
for the inside cover, i used a piece of decorative paper that has a collage of postage stamps all over it.  i also wrapped a smaller piece of handmade paper around each of the three signatures, just to give it a little interest.  just like my other projects with sue, this was a fun book to put together.  i'll keep you posted on my next journal! 

online journal class - week three

remember my pollyanna's garden series?  it's been a while since i drew and watercolored those quirky little flowers...and it's been a while since i put "make a book using pollyanna's garden illustrations" on my to-do list.  so, this week i decided to combine two projects into one.  

my sue bleiweiss online fabric journal class is in its third week now, and my project was this simple hinge book.  the covers are made from some of my favorite polka dot fabric and the illustration was printed onto a piece of canvas and then sewn to the front.  inside, each one of my illustrations is printed onto italian velata paper and separated by a piece of moss green canson paper.  

here are some extra photos...i hope you like it!  for a larger slideshow, click above on "view all images" 

online journal class - week two

i've just finished my second project for sue bleiweiss' online journal class.  this is a fabric book with pockets on the inside, making it a perfect "take along" journal.  i've decided to use this journal as a watercolor sketchbook, so it's filled with watercolor paper, and i've added several divider pages to give it some interest.   my watercolor pencils and waterbrush fit perfectly in the pockets inside.  and...it's all held together with binder rings, so i can always add more paper or remove finished projects!  fun, fun project...i can't wait for next week's assignment!

here's a peek inside my journal...i'm so excited that i was able to figure out how to use this slide feature!!  :)

online journal class

i've been taking an online journal class with sue bleiweiss, and i've just finished my first project.  this week's lesson was a fabric journal with a wrap-around cover.  there are three signatures inside that i decorated using various papers and stamped images.   there's also a fabric pocket on the inside cover to hold important papers.  i really enjoyed this project...i've been making so many hardcover blank journals lately, it was great to do something fun and different!  i think that my favorite part was "decorating" the inside pages and i'm going to try to do more of that in future journals.  for a peek inside this journal, check out my flickr account here.  let me know what you think!