butterfly thank you

here's a fun way to create something for someone special,
using your journals as inspiration!

trace your image and transfer it to a piece of speedy carve, and then carve the stamp.  then stamp your image onto paper (i used distress inks to stamp the image onto watercolor paper.  the image comes out a little splotchy, so i used my waterbrush to even out the color and give it a more "painterly" look.).

add some details.....

and cut your image out, leaving a small border around the edges.

then adhere it onto a blank note card (i used glue only in the middle to give it some dimension) 

and sketch in a little message......

then add some finishing touches using your favorite pens and watercolors!


{i used these supplies to make this card:
art journal, tracing paper, speedy carve stamp material, carving tools, distress ink pads,
waterbrush,  90 lb. watercolor paper,  scissors, micron pens, 2B pencil, koi watercolor, glue}

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}

inspiration monday

here are a few pink-inspired projects to get your creative week started!

 to make this little paper heart ornie, start with a piece of your favorite paper (i used a piece of white mulberry paper and then rubbed a pink stamp pad over it for color).  cut two heart shapes,  then  sew some little embellishment doodads onto one of them.   hand-sew the two shapes together, and add a little stuffing before you're finished sewing......pink happiness!

for this project,  take an unfinished wood frame, cut a piece of scrapbook paper to size (this design is by teri martin), and adhere it to the frame with glue.  once dry,  paint the frame edges with some black acrylic paint, add some heart doodles using a micron pen, and tie a piece of ribbon and heart charm around the side.  now you've got a frame that's as special as the photo inside!

  my sweet daughter melissa is an avid knitter and she made this soft and fuzzy cutie for me.

not only does this little birdie make me smile every time i look at him, but he smells good too because he's stuffed with lavender!

this is a super quick embellishment you can make by tearing some scrapbook paper into circle shapes.  then crunch them up into little balls in your hands, unfold them and use stamp pads to distress them a bit.  stack the shapes on top of each other, and place a brad in the middle to hold them all together.  tear out some leaves, distress them, and glue them to the back of your flower!

and don't forget to add a little pink to your journal, too!  

the only thing required is your micron pen, some pink watercolor and your imagination!!

i heart friday

of all the days of the week, friday is my favorite.  

 i really absolutely positively adore it.

friday is the time to give yourself a round of applause for successfully getting yourself through monday, tuesday, wednesday and thursday. it's a day to celebrate......put all your domestic duties and humdrum chores on hold!  for example, no cooking on friday.....unless opening a new bag of chocolate chips counts as being culinary.  :))

but i think one of the best things about friday is that it's the start of the weekend!
and if you work it just right, you can find lots of time to play with all your art stuff......
and maybe finish off that bag of chocolate chips!  woo hoo!

happy friday to you, sweet bloggy friends!

{art stamps available in my shop here!}

it's a long road

success is one of those tricky words.......everyone has their own interpretation of it.  what is success to one person might not even be on the barometer for another person.  someone might find giving up chocolate for a week a huge success.......whereas i would find giving up chocolate just for breakfast quite a milestone......

  

 let's face it........whatever you're going for, it's not always easy.  

which is what makes it SO worth it once you've made it down that long road!

keep on keepin' on!!

{journal page supplies:  koi watercolor, derwent inktense watercolor pencils, 

micron pens, 4B graphite pencil, pan pastel}