New Beginnings in 2015

Welcome back to my poor, neglected blog. Other than procrastination, it's difficult to pinpoint exactly why I have failed to create all the blog posts that I think about creating. I did a fair bit of creating in 2014 but it never made it's way here. I have a handful of excuses I suppose.....

.....can't get a good photo

......it's too late in the day or too early in the day or too bright or too cloudy to take photos

......I have a photo, but nothing interesting to say about it

.....lots to say but no photo

......it's not good enough to post (plan to re-do but don't)

I could go on but I know you get it.

I am planning on a different approach this year. The picture might suck, the project might be not great, but I will put it here anyway.

A favorite quote of mine makes a lot of sense.....

If I worry about my blog failing (whatever that means), well then if I don't ever add posts to my blog it certainly won't fail. There will be nothing to fail. Or succeed. I don't want to live a life of safe choices or never taking a chance by putting myself out there

So I begin 2015 with inspiration from Tim Holtz who is once more doing his Twelve Tags of the year video. I don't often do tags so I decided to take Tim's tag idea and use it as inspiration for a layout I my art journal.

 

It makes me think. Instead of using the little word tags from the Tim Holtz collection, I made my own words that I thought might inspire or move me in a forward direction in 2015. It wasn't until I started adhering the words to the page that I realized I had written the word SMILE twice.

Hmmmm.......does this mean I need to work on smiling? Or, my choice, maybe it means that 2015 is going to give me a lot to smile about.

Here's hoping!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CREATIVITY IN 2014

Well, 2013 ended on a rough note with the H1N1 virus, and a side of pneumonia.  With that pretty much behind me, even though we are halfway through January it feels like the beginning of 2014 right now.

The gap between my last post and this one is fairly representative of my creative life.  When Scrapbooker's Paradise (Crowfoot) closed its doors in September....my creativity was frozen in time.  I was without a job and without my creative friends with whom I could do "show & tell" or run ideas by, or get excited with when new products arrived at the store every week.  We were swimming in creativity and it was AWESOME.

I found a new job easily enough and though it's not really creative, I do love it.  It's at IRIS which is an eyeglasses store with a built in optometrist.  I have amazing co-workers and learn about vision and eyesight on a daily basis. I get to do the pre-testing which, with all the cool equipment, satisfies my inner geek.

So now that I'm settled in and made it past my three month probation period (whew), it's time to roll up my sleeves and get back into the studio.

I did a few things during my hiatus.  A couple of easy canvases, a handful of Christmas cards, and some crocheting. Lots and LOTS of crocheting.  What did I crochet, you ask?  MONKEYS! Sock monkey cup cozies and LOTS of them. It started out very innocently.  I made a couple and a few people thought they were cute so I put them up for sale on our local Facebook moms site.  The orders started pouring in DAILY.  One here, three there, six over there.....and I became a Monkey Making Factory.  My life theme became all about sock monkeys.  When a customer picked up her order - cha ching! - I had Monkey Money!  The Monkey Money came in handy over the holidays.

I actually had more Monkey orders than I could handle and at the last minute I had to farm out some orders to another crocheting machine...my friend, Holly.  She saved my Monkey Butt a couple of times when I just couldn't keep up.

I still have a few Monkey orders to fill but I finally have time to make other things. Time AND inspiration. Last night I made a birthday card which I can't post yet because the recipient has to see it first.  Tonight I'm heading up to my studio right after this blog post.  Just to play. Nothing serious.  Just to flex my creative muscles and get a little messy.

Can't wait.

Hello Blog, I'm Baaaack!

I really must get better about this whole blogging commitment. I won't try making excuses since there really aren't any. If it helps at all, I have thought about blogging a ton but it never seems to translate into an actual blog post.

What have I been up to? A lot. I finished up my job at Scrapbooker's Paradise because, ever so sadly, our Crowfoot location closed its doors last weekend. That was the best job ever! I love the creative environment, customers that became friends, and the most amazing coworkers....many of whom will be lifelong friends.

Life does go on, however, and I started an exciting new job just yesterday. I'm an optometric assistant which is actually very interesting. The people I'm working with seem very nice and the optometry equipment satisfies my inner geek. And, I was a geek long before The Big Bang Theory made it chic to be a geek. Just sayin'.

On the creative front I did have a bit of a dry spell but I will share a fave canvas of mine that I did this past month. I took my favourite TV show, Project Runway, and combined it with my love of mixed media and came up with this:

Here's a closer look:

There was a ton of paint, paper, gesso, stencils, etc. used in doing this canvas but it was full on FUN! For the actual dress I used Tim Holtz tissue paper (the one with the musical notes on it) and I drenched it in matte gel medium (Mod Podge would also work) and I molded the dress with that. I'm pretty happy with the results and plan to attempt more of these fashions on canvas soon!

 

Thanks for checking out my blog!

 

 

 

Feeling' Lucky - Bo Bunny March Challenge

For the month of March the Bo Bunny challenge is to use the word "Lucky" on a scrapbook page. I love when I have an opportunity to scrap old photos like this one and I instantly knew the colours would beautifully coordinate with the Mama-razzi 2 collection.

The fish embellishments were so fun to make and I embossed the scales using a Bo Bunny texture stamp.

 

I'm guessing that I was around four or five when I caught my first fish at the family cottage on Long Lake in Northern Ontario. I wish the fishing rod was also in the photo because it wasn't unusual as a kid to catch a fish on nothing more than a stick with a line tied to the end. And ya gotta love the kerchief in my hair! Thanks for that, Mom!

 

Sold My First Canvas!

I'm so excited! Today I posted my first canvas for sale on a local Facebook group and it sold within hours! Plus, I have orders for two more similar pieces! This canvas is inspired by the words and artwork of Kelly Rae Roberts. She is someone whose art and heart have helped me give flight to my own art.

Today, I'm considering the fact that maybe I am enough. It's a wonderful thought!

 

 

Change, Transition, & Beauty Within

Yesterday I found some time to play in my art journal and I couldn't help being inspired by butterflies.  It's funny how some things evolve on the page.  I really just started by wanting to create a fashion girl with some kind of positive quote to accompany her.

For the skirt of my girl I used one of the free papers that often come in mixed media magazines like Cloth Paper Scissors, or Somerset Studio (The Art of Paper and Mixed Media).

I focused on mostly black and white ink, paint, and papers behind her (with a bit of blue to soften) so that she could stand out a bit more.  The idea of her being bald was not my original plan.  In fact, I was going to give her long, flowing, wavy hair.  But the longer I left her bald the more I liked it.  I think it gives her a vulnerability that is powerful in its simplicity.  She really is owning her baldness!

Interesting Fact: I have the same size head circumference as Oprah Winfrey. At 23.25 inches, those so-called "one size fits all" hats, do not fit moi, but at least I am in good company. Therefore, rocking the bald head will not be in my future.

Butterflies, I think, are full of life lessons:

Change is necessary for growth

Beauty can arise from unexpected places

Never give up

Change and transition can be difficult, but the rewards can be great.

When darkness enters your life, and change is uncomfortable or even painful, remember the butterfly.  Your beautiful wings are just waiting for you to soar!

Love is in the Air

 

We are just a few days away from Valentines Day. Even if you are without a date, boyfriend, partner, it's still a day to celebrate your loves. All of your loves.

I have many loves, both human and otherwise. I love my children (obviously) and I love my mother and all of my extended family, as well as my precious friends. I also love my job, I love creating, I love shoes, and I love coffee. Coffee deserves a second mention.

I'm pretty sure that neither coffee nor shoes will be sending me chocolate or flowers, but that's okay. A long time ago I gave up on the idea that I needed those things for loving validation. Now, that's not to say I would turn them away. Hell to the no. It's just that I will survive without it.

So how is it then that I ended up making an victorian pink mixed media canvas that just screams love and vintage valentines? I'm not entirely sure except to say that I was directly inspired by the uber-talented Patricia da Silva who posted a start-to-finish youtube video right here, that guides you through the process.

I created this mixed media piece on an 11x14" canvas. It turned out a little pinker than I intended but, hey, it's for Valentine's Day, right? I found the cute vintage girl image online and knew she would be perfect for the occasion. I have an Epson Artisan printer and not only does it print beautifully, but I can put Mod Podge over it immediately without any colour bleeding.

Here is a closer look at the heart which I molded from foil, covered in gesso and paint, and then sanded to let bits of the silver shine through. I distressed the heck out of the flowers with water spritzing and paint spattering and random stamping.

I'm not entirely sure what I will do with this Love Canvas since it doesn't match anything in my home, but in a way love matches everything.

 

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