This Year's Good Intentions - Christmas Cards 2010

I had good intentions, I usually do

But Christmas came too fast and left me in a stew

So many cards to send, handmaking each one

Left me tired and frustrated; it just couldn't be done.

So I sent what I could and gave up on the rest

Merry Christmas to all and may you all be blest!

Here's a sample of what I did get done.

Front
Inside
Back

I bought the gel pens above at the grocery store of all places! A friend at work had them on her desk to use to sign Christmas cards.  They looked so yummy, I had to have some!  I just happened to be going to the grocery store that night and found them!  They are actually much better than the more expensive ones I've bought.  They don't skip and they are bright and smooth - as yummy as they look!  The brand is Academix - check your local grocer to see if they carry them.



Making and Filling Journals - Quietly, but Busily

I know it seems I've been very quiet lately, but although I'm not blogging much, I am quietly and busily creating journals - from scratch...This is so much fun that:

I can't seem to stop!...making, creating covers, and filling journals.  Here's the cover to my newest one.

The blue is Folk Art Metallic paint - lucscious! I've collaged watercolor dyed coffee filters, fabric, and painted papers, then unified it with the paint.  Later I  plan to add some text - either quotes, stamps...I'm not sure yet...





Tonight I collaged and painted the back cover.
















I've been doing a lot of writting in the current journal that I'm working on filling.  I write, paint over, write some more, sketch, make notes - everything goes in this journal now.  My made-from-scratch journal. Very fulfilling.

And here is a page where I just felt like playing around with watercolor and a brush.

The paper is just some old bond paper that I found in the closet, but it holds up very well to all my "abuse".  I am having fun !

Practically Perfect Labor Day Weekend

Hillsville, VA hosts the southeast's largest flea market each Labor Day Weekend. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it, having not been in a few years. The weather was perfect - clear blue skies, no humidity, highs in the 70's. I went Saturday and Sunday with my daughter, who happens to be my favorite person to hang out with.


Found this happy, very"me" pitcher at the Labor Day flea market and picked these zinnias from my garden to complement it.



One of my goals today was to complete the covers of my handmade journal. I collaged a copy of one of my paintings along with painted fabric and paper from prior play sessions and the definition of the word "live" (zoom in for details).



And I purchased the two stools at the flea market for $5 each, which prompted me to rearrange my corner studio once again. You can see other pictures of its continuing metamorphosis in prior posts.

Ode to Flowers

I am just about to burst to share this. I spent all day Friday and Saturday alone in the studio creating!! This collage incorporates a lot of my artwork - small backgrounds and little pieces - a lot of fabric pieces that I drew on with watercolor crayons. Such a fun piece!

My "Ode to Flowers" LOL

Moleskine Pages

Inspired by Jennifer Lawson's sketches with collage http://jenniferlawson.blogspot.com/2009/07/weekend-in-northeast-harbor.html - the moleskine spreads above are the result of my day's work.

A stamp --- Celery of all things!

A friend at work brought me the end of a celery bunch with all the individual stalks cut away, and suggested I use it as a stamp with fingerpaint for my students at work. I had seen this just recently on a Quilting Arts episode - an artist used all kinds of fruits and vegetables as stamps in her quilts. They were beautiful! These pages were some that I had already started by glueing the words from a devotion. It needed texture and lots of color, so I used acrylic paint and stamped with the celery with no particular pattern in mind - just to see what it would do.

The yellow is acrylic paint mixed with Liquitex Gloss Medium and Varnish for a beautiful transparent glaze. I had never tried this and I couldn't believe how it made cadmium yellow light so completely transparent!

The page on the right was very plain and needed something. So I used oil pastels to draw the seagull, which I think truly illustrates freedom.

I realized after doing these pages that the shape of the stamp was very clearly a flower or rose. So next I stamped out these pages, which again already had the text in place.

I used the acrylic mixed with gloss medium and varnish again on this page. I love both the gloss and the transparency of this! The flowers are quinacridone magenta. I adore this color!

I stamped the left page at the same time, but didn't do anything else to it. I was really just using leftover color on the celery so as not to waste it. I did these in my office at lunch so I was running out of time. Later that night in my studio at home I finished the left side with watercolor. SO MUCH FUN!!

We've been busy today 8-17-08

My daughter Grace did these awesome collages on masonite panel this afternoon - our time together was well-spent and happy! As you can see, she loves dogs. The little corgi in the bottom left corner is ours - Peanut. The photo beside that of the black puppies are our too - our half-Goldens, Sam and Zoey. The top right corner is Grace with either Sam or Zoey. They're both much, much larger now!

This is my creation for the day, in addition to the black-eyed susan below. This one is another of my coffee filter collages. This was done on an 8 x 10 masonite panel. My favorite part is the tulip in the upper left corner. This whole thing just evolved as I went. I had no idea what I was going to do when I began putting on the pieces of watercolor-dyed coffee filter. That's what is so exciting about this! So much fun!!