Drawing near

More Letter Lovin'

2012-02-23T17:52:00.000-05:00

I am working my way slowly but happily through Joanne Sharpe's Letter Love 101 course. I keep up with watching the videos, but take my time to actually complete the assignments, so I'm only about a third of the way through. I am really enjoying the assignments, though, because the pressure is OFF and the playtime is ON.

In my last post about the class, I shared my notebook and some of my practice exercises. Then Joanne moved us into our mixed media notebooks, and for me, the fun really began!

I really loved the Whimsy Grids that Joanne showed us how to construct. As far as I am concerned, the Whimsy Grids lesson alone was worth the price of admission!

I love the opportunity to use lots of styles of lettering in one piece, and a chance to include lettering and doodling. I wasn't happy with the final look of my Derwent Inktense watercolor pencils; I'm still working on how to use them to best effect. (The purple came out muddier than I might have liked.)

I tried another Whimsy Grid with a quotation from Gandhi:

And you might have seen another example of a Whimsy Grid in my post about the Pay It Forward project:

(I'm still looking for my third participant, by the way!!)

Joanne also encouraged us to try other stacked lettering layouts:

In another fun lesson, Joanne had us working on composition, arranging fun alphabets across the page:

For several days, I've been working with her second example of alphabet composition. Before applying it to quotations, I did a basic alphabet:

Then I combined this composition style with some Bible verses that I have been memorizing. Spending time on lettering is a great way to commit the words and ideas to memory!

So, while some of my classmates are working on lesson 23, I am way back on lesson 8. But by not putting pressure on myself to go any faster (after all, we have access to the class forever), I am still very much in the midst of letter lovin'!

Throwing a Themed Kid's Party, Take Two

2012-02-20T15:26:00.000-05:00

Some of you may recall that I threw one of my first-ever themed kid's parties back in November when my daughter Katy turned four and requested a "Cars" theme.

At the time, my younger daughter Bayla decided that she would have a "Hello Kitty" theme for her own party when she turned three.

She stuck to that theme for the next three months, and we recently pulled off her "Hello Kitty" theme on a Sunday afternoon.

It meant another trip to Party City for some packaged decorations, along with pink and blue crepe paper. I also bought a ridiculous number of Hello Kitty stickers, and a variety of favors, like pencils, erasers, and tiny plastic cameras that show Hello Kitty pictures when you look inside.

This time around, we had the party at our house, even though we ended with more kids and parents than we had for Katy's party up at church. The house was crowded, but ultimately accommodated the big group.

I had Hello Kitty coloring pages and fresh pointy crayons available for the kids at the kitchen table. They generally seemed much more interested in checking out a few of the girls' toys that my husband brought up from the basement when the boys turned their noses up at the Hello Kitty pics.

After a little free play time (and time for munchies for the adults), we launched into a rousing game of Pin the Bow on Hello Kitty.

Everyone left with a little gold "Winner" medal for their efforts.

Then we played Hello Kitty Hot Potato, passing around a little stuffed tiger to music. When the music stopped, whoever was left holding him was the Hot Potato. From an adult point of view, it was one of the more pointless games (because I thought the kids were too young to be "out", so I just yelled "hot potato!" and the tiger continued his journey around the circle), and yet it seemed to be a fan-favorite with the three-year-old set.

Next, we did a ball toss into a big "kitten basket". Other than putting a masking tape line on the ground for the kids to stand behind, I neglected to establish any hard and fast rules. But the kids seemed to like it, because I stuck a Hello Kitty sticker on their shirts every time their ball landed in the basket.

Next came the cake and ice cream, with a Hello Kitty themed cake from the local grocery store.

Finally, we opened gifts. I asked my mom to help me keep track of which guest brought which present, which is much more challenging than one might think when a group of three-year-olds is "helping" pass the presents, open the cards, and empty the bags at the same time!

Bayla got a great assortment of puzzles, books, activity books, dolls, and even a purple feather boa and tutu!

The party seemed to move much more quickly than Katy's had, and there wasn't really much time for additional games after the gift-opening. We sent the kids home with a heart-shaped helium balloon and a goody bag.

Bayla had a ball celebrating her birthday in the "traditional way," with food, games, cake, gifts, and friends.

We held the party a week before her actual birthday, which is today. I've been spending a lot of time over the past couple of weeks, looking at photos of Bayla when she was new to our family. Here are a couple of favorites I want to share with you:

Daddy gets to know his new little girl at the hospital.

My Sleeping Beauty

Going for a walk with Mommy

Always raring to go, from the very beginning

Happy birthday, little Love Bug!

Frustrated

2012-02-16T13:13:00.001-05:00

I was typing a post to share with you my younger daughter's Hello Kitty themed birthday party this past weekend. My operating system decided that would be a good time to "reconfigure" and restart...no warning, just a blanked-out screen.

Once the computer finally came back on again, Blogger kept telling me that an error occurred during saving, but I persisted in finishing the post. When I went to preview it before posting, Blogger navigated to a "page not found" page, at which time my entire post was deleted.

So, you know what? I'm done. Tomorrow, I am going on a "media-free" church retreat, and I am just going to get started a day early. When I get back next week, I will try again with the birthday post. And I will also share an envelope-making tutorial with you, and news of my progress in Joanne Sharpe's Letter Love class.

Until then, happy creating! And I hope you have better luck with your technology than I have been having with mine.

****************************************************

I am still looking for another person to participate with me, April, and Laurie in the Pay It Forward project. If you are interested, please read the post here and leave me a comment. Thanks!!

Mom-dalas

2012-02-13T20:29:00.000-05:00

My mother visited this past weekend, and brought some of her art to share with me. Since she doesn't have her own blog, I insisted that she let me take photos and share her work with you on mine!

My mom is one of those people who will insist over and over again that she's not "artistic" or "creative." She seems to think that those are labels reserved for "certain kinds of people," and not for her.

Yet, there isn't a moment of my life that I don't remember her cooking, sewing clothing, crocheting, hooking rugs, writing and journaling, candlewicking, cross-stitching, and decorating--all pretty "artistic" and "creative" in my book!

When I got so excited about Zentangles last year, I shared my new interest with her, and her own talent for the pasttime really took off. Many of her tangles are done in the form of mandalas.

We have talked about her tangles during our phone conversations (she lives in Kentucky and I live in Pennsylvania), but I had not seen any of her work until she brought them along on this visit. When I saw them, I knew that you should see them too!

I love her innovation, like using the small scraps of security envelopes to add color and pattern to this design:

And look at the adorable lips on this patterned fish:

Amazing and talented?

Why, yes! I think so, too!

Who Loves Art in the Mail?

2012-02-09T11:37:00.000-05:00

I do! I do!

I have been receiving postcards as part of Shannon's International Postcard Swap. Participating in swaps means racing to the mailbox every day, hoping that today is one of the days when a fabulous postcard appears!

Here are the three I have gotten so far:

Beth sent this first card---with an absolutely gorgeous subdued color palette. I was really wowed by her college (one of those things that looks even more spectacular in person). The back of her postcard was super-fun, too:

I loved the exposed stitching on the back, similar to the exposed stitching on my own postcards! Be sure to check out Beth's blog.

Next came this postcard from Judith:

I love that drawing of a Gothic building! She had fun with the back of her postcard as well:

There was no Internet contact information for Judith, so I hope that she will run across this blog post to see a big "Thank You" from me!

Most recently Trish sent me this colorful beauty:

And more color on the back:

You can see more of Trish's projects at her blog, Lost Muse Journals.

You can see the postcards I sent out as part of this swap in this post from last month.

I am also doing an altered rolodex card swap with Chris, of Parabolic Muse. In the midst of a million projects, she created these fun and colorful cards from...guess what?!...paper towel!!

Side One

Side Two

All of the card have fun designs, but I like that top one best of all!

So, do YOU want an original handmade gift in the mail over the next couple of weeks?? If so, please check out my most recent post, about the Pay It Forward Project. I need two more people to sign up, and I will send a gift to you in the next couple of weeks.

Be sure to leave a comment on yesterday's post if you are interested!

Happy Thursday!

Pay It Forward, with art!

2012-02-08T07:52:00.002-05:00

Erin from art-is-try has started a fun project that will allow participants to both give and receive handmade gifts, spreading the love across Blogland by threes.

I found out about Erin's project from Roni, of Bad Jones Rising, and immediately wanted "in." (Roni's post about the project is here.)

If you would care to join me, here's how it works:

If you would like to participate, please leave a comment on this post. The first three people to commit to the project will receive a handmade gift from me!
Post this project on your own blog—feel free to cut n’ paste. Gather three new participants and be willing / prepared to follow through with the “Pay It Forward” part!!! Please link back to this original post, and I, in turn, will include a link to your post so that we can follow the project from its origin.
E-mail me (aleakaskey@yahoo.com) with your full name and address, and I will send a small, simple, heartfelt, handmade gift. In turn, you will give small, simple, heartfelt, handmade gifts to your participants. Let the joy grow exponentially!
If you are interested in participating but are not one of the first three to comment on this post, come back after I have listed my three participants here, click on one of their links and sign up under them (or if they are full, click on their links etc etc etc until you find one)!

*NOTE*-any and all handmade gifts are okay! We are trying to keep them small, and heartfelt. A small painting, poem, collage, etc, but with a touch of your own personal heart and creative side! I also haven’t put a time limit on my post, but I would hope they would all be made/given in a timely matter. As long as you make some kind of agreement with your gift-receivers, your deadline should be up to you…

So, to help clarify, here is an example to follow: I commented on Roni's blog, so Roni will send me a gift. I am posting the project on my blog so I am waiting for 3 comments. When I get them, I will send 3 gifts. Those people will post to their blogs, and send out 3 gifts of their own! I hope that makes sense, but if not, feel free to email me (aleakaskey@yahoo.com) with any questions, or visit Erin at her blog.

We hope you are encouraged and motivated to participate.

_________________________________________________________

My participants and their “Pay It Forward” blog links:

1. April Cole, of April Cole's Studio
2. Laurie, of Lone Black Bird
3.

Letter Loving!

2012-02-05T21:50:00.000-05:00

I am participating in Joanne Sharpe's online class entitled Letter Love 101. She has set up a private blog for class participants, and posts a new lesson every day for the month of February. She combines videos, blog post notes, PDFs, and even some of her own original art to inspire us.

Even before the class began, I ordered some new black markers that Joanne recommended for lettering on her blog. I now have (what I consider to be) an impressive collection of black markers, and from our Yahoo group exchanges, I know that I am far from alone!

All black ink pens!!

Our "workbook" for class is a plain ol' black and white marbled composition books, which we have "dressed up" with duct tape and other embellishments. For the first few days, I was less than pleased with my notebook, and even considered scrapping it and starting all over in a new one. Today, though, I buckled down and "made it mine":

I even took a stab at "fancy lettering" for my Letter Love title, and was finally pleased with the results.

Back cover, featuring a gift of art from Joanne to keep us inspired

Inside front cover and first page

In the first lesson, we were invited to simply "play" with our markers, and create various alphabets in our notebooks. In keeping with my "less than pleased with my work" mood those first few days, I had a slight inferiority complex over my alphabets. After all, I am taking this e-course because I don't like my lettering/handwriting all that well!

To show you how crippling a dose of "perfectionism" can be, I will confess that I thought about creating a "rough draft" composition notebook (to keep all my "ugly work" hidden at all costs), along with a "final copy" composition notebook (with work that I would think is "good enough" to share on my blog).

Seriously?

I got over myself, so you will see the good, the bad, and the ugly as I proceed through the class!

Joanne showed us how to create an inspirational sign for ourselves, which I chose to include in the notebook itself so it can go with me wherever I am doing my lettering.

I had so much fun making it, that I made a second one!

It was fun to break out the colored markers after all of those black and white pages!

One of the perks of this class, by the way, is that I find it remarkably portable: so far, I can take my notebook and zipper case of pens with me, and "letter away" wherever I choose!

Next, we played around with the word "art" in 20 different fonts. I copied Joanne's interpretations of the font names, and then went back through and created interpretations of my own.

I have to say that this exercise today really won me over completely to the class. I could really see the possibilities for interesting lettering by playing in 20 different typefaces at the same time.

I will continue to share updates on my progress through Joanne's class, but I highly recommend that you sign up for yourself (on her web site). It's such an affordable class, with such broad applications, at such a "do-able" pace. Once you purchase access, you can access it "forever".

Love it!

Four Things: Truly a Miscellany

2012-02-02T15:20:00.000-05:00

1. Earth 911

Earth 911 recently used a photo from my blog to illustrate one of the pages of their story, "7 Reuse Ideas for Old Jeans"! If you would like to read my original blog post, which included other crafts I made in addition to the pocket magnets they are highlighting, you will find it by clicking here.

2. Pinterest Question

It is always fun to have people find their way to my blog from other web sites. Lately, I've seen from my "stats" tab that some folks have come here via Pinterest. Does anyone know how to find out what photos have been "pinned" by someone on Pinterest? I am just curious to know what is "out there."

3. Paper Swap!

I participated in LaWendula's January paper swap, and had the good fortune to be paired with Orit of Israel. There was a "Mother Goose" theme, so I sent her several illustrations from rhyme books I have for my paper crafting, along with child-themed papers and pictures. My girls were enchanted by the idea of "Miss Orit" in Israel, and contributed various pictures they drew specifically for her.

In return, I received an envelope full of paper goodies. Here they are all spread out on the breakfast table:

I'll take you on a little visual tour of all that is here. It's amazing how exotic and interesting regular things like food packaging, advertisements, and receipts seem to be when they are printed in another language!

I am especially intrigued by the Hebrew Scrabble-style tiles:

She included lots of other favorites, including postage stamps, a vintage photo, and an air mail envelope:

And I love these detailed notes on a subject that I clearly never studied when I was in school:

My girls are still asking if they can send things to "Miss Orit," so I think they will now want to participate in all future swaps I tell them about!

If you are interested in doing a paper swap like this, check out LaWendula's paper swap site and let her know you want to get involved!

4. Spring Craft Show

I am excited to announce that I have a spot at an upcoming craft show in my area! It will be my second time to sell my paper crafts and other handmade goods to the general public; you can see the results of my first effort last November in this blog post. I will keep you posted on what will be coming out of Studio 791 as the event comes closer!

And they're off!

2012-01-30T17:37:00.000-05:00

Shannon at Musings on Realities is currently hosting an international postcard swap!

For the swap, we each made ten postcards to send out into the world by February 20.

Today's post is a gallery of the cards I sent to my swap partners.

I used the painted tags that I posted about earlier (created in response to Dina Wakley's Creative Jump Start idea), and then went a little crazy with additional rub-ons and stitching to complete each card. Some included lace and ribbon, as well.

I went to the post office this morning to get them out, and now the cards are on their way to various U.S. states, as well as Scotland, New Zealand, Canada, and Australia.

And hopefully some beautiful mail art will be on its way to me very shortly!

It is so fun to know that the mail over the next month or so is likely to hold something much more exciting and beautiful than a bill or a Clipper magazine!

I sewed the fronts and backs of the postcards together with the sewing machine, rather than gluing them together as I usually do. This meant that my less-than-tidy stitching lines showed up on the back. I actually thought it added a pretty touch of color!

Many thanks to Shannon for organizing this fun swap!

Creative Kismet

2012-01-28T09:43:00.000-05:00

Regina of Creative Kismet just held the most wonderful and generous sale at her Etsy shop in celebration of her birthday, and I couldn't resist doing a little shopping.

The word kismet means "fate" or "destiny," and understanding that makes me love the name of Regina's blog and Etsy store even more!

I chose a print that I plan to frame and hang in the kitchen near the sink:

I also chose a print that I plan to frame and hang either in my girls' bedroom or my own craft room:

Finally, I chose a necklace, whose charm is made from a Scrabble tile (love that!) embellished with one of Regina's beautiful creations:

My older daughter is constantly asking me about the image: whose hands are those? whose house is that? why is the house holding flowers? She is so curious about this beautiful piece of art!

Many thanks to Regina for sharing her creativity through her blog, and through the art available in her Etsy shop.

This Etsy shopping could definitely become a habit!

Sometimes "Life" Comes Before Art

2012-01-26T14:23:00.000-05:00

I've been a little quiet out here in Blogland. I haven't been spending much time on art-making--not even pages in my art journal. But my life and mind have been busy nonetheless.

I am reading my nature books, and spending a lot more energy noticing the beauty of the natural world...even in the midst of the barrenness of wintertime.

I have also started a new project with my daughters: Each day, we read a Bible story from their Read and Learn Bible and do a craft or activity along with it. I am not making the activities up from scratch; I have some great resources to draw from, including Cindy Jackson's Bible Activities, and Kathryn Nider Wolf's Bible Arts & Crafts.

We had such a neat time with this today. We tied together two little plastic bowls with yarn, and tucked in a napkin and a toy: baby Moses in his river basket!

I laid down blue painter's tape on the rug to create the Nile River, and the girls continued to act out the story long after I had put their Bible away.

When else would you hear your little girls running around the family room, saying, "You're Jochabed, and I'm Miriam...here, let's go play in the Nile River in Egypt!" That alone showed me they had learned a lot today.

Here, I asked them to show off the rainbows they made from paper plates (along with cotton ball clouds) the other day after we read about God's promise after the floods receded and Noah's Ark returned to dry land:

It is so gratifying to hear the girls ask for their Bible story and activity every day, and to talk about some aspect of the story over the course of the day. It is a fun and natural way to build some Biblical literacy and help us to talk about our religious beliefs daily.

How else have I spent my time that could possibly take me away from my "arting"? My siblings-in-law have been here visiting from California, so we have spent time together at Longwood Garden and enjoying meals and visits together. I've joined a health club, and had my first meeting with a personal trainer to feel less intimidated by all those fitness machines (though all I really want to do is run around the track a couple times a week). I've gone to my Bible study, as well as a Girls' Night Out with some other moms. I took Katy to an audiologist to determine if she has any hearing problems (which she doesn't; just learning to tune out her mom well before the teenage years...lol!).

So that accounts for the past five days, which have been busy, fun, and interesting, but sadly "art-free." I haven't been feeling guilty though, because it has been time so well-spent.

I'm just now getting that "need to get back in the game" feeling, though, so I think I'll be headed toward my art supplies very soon. I'll let you know how it goes!

Nature Girl

2012-01-22T21:06:00.001-05:00

Thank you so much to those of you who left sweet "blogoversary" comments on yesterday's post!

I know that bloggers are not *supposed* to care about how many comments they get or how many followers they have, but I'm sure I am not alone in feeling energized and uplifted by positive visitors and their willingness to share their thoughts with me!

********************************

Today I enjoyed the unprecedented pleasure of a day alone, in peace and quiet.

My husband took the girls to his aunt and uncle's house, to visit with his brother and sister who are in from out of town. He graciously agreed to give me some "alone time," which added up to almost five hours! I was almost giddy.

I made a quick stop at the craft store (because, of course, that's always the first thing I do with some free time), and managed to get out of there spending less than $9 (again, unprecedented!).

Then I headed to the library to pursue my latest project...nature!

In reading Last Child in the Woods (mentioned in my last blog post), I was feeling terribly uninformed about natural science, so I hit the shelves and got several books from the children's section. I find that when I want to start reading about a topic that feels unfamiliar, it is helpful to start at kid-level, and then work my way up to the more complicated texts aimed at adults. There is a lot less pretension and complexity in the kid texts; I can tackle that in the grown-up books once I'm sure I'm really ready to pursue the topic!

I spent a long time in the afternoon reading through the books, happily discovering that I am not nearly as ignorant of the major facts of natural science as I had feared! It helps to see all the information presented in one place, though, so I can think about fun and interesting things to share with my girls when we are out in nature together. And, don't get me wrong, there is still plenty of new information for me to soak up, too!

Wanting to "put my money where my mouth is," as they say, before I hunkered down on the sofa to check out my new library books, I pulled on my snow boots and headed down the street on a little nature walk.

There is a little park with a playground down the road that I have taken the girls to only a couple of times. In the summer, I make all kinds of excuses because of mosquitoes and mud and safety issues related to poor visibility from the road. In the middle of winter, none of these things is an issue, so I headed down to the park to see if it might be a fun place for the girls to do some nature exploring outside of their own backyard.

Look at this place! Can you believe that I've been missing out for six years!

Look at the enormous trees dwarfing the playground equipment. Complete with a babbling brook, this little park is truly an oasis in the middle of suburbia.

I absolutely love the sound of running water, so when I heard the sound of the creek rushing past the rocks, I took a little video so I could share the sounds with you. Sadly, I can't get it to upload to my blog, so I guess a little more research is in order! You may be lucky, though: You might have gotten dizzy! I panned around a lot, so I could get the full effect of how this place sits right in the middle of a suburban residential area. I now know to move the camera around a bit slower! Maybe I will be able to figure out how to share videos in the future.

I will be making a return visit to this park soon, you can be sure!

I saw this little guy in a neighbor's yard during my walk:

Craft store, nature walk, reading, nap....and then two girls and a husband, happy to see me when they returned home...a very happy winter day!

*******************************

If you haven't seen me around in the Comments section of your blog lately, and I usually show up there once in a while, it is because I am getting frozen out of a LOT of comment pages recently.

Either the page freezes, and I have to restart my computer,

or I am taken off to a white page, and nothing ever appears.

I am not ignoring you!

I am continuing to read and enjoy all of my usual blogs,

but there are several that I haven't been allowed to comment on.

I hope this will clear up SOON!

Happy Blogoversary to Me!

2012-01-21T13:38:00.000-05:00

Yesterday marked my first blogoversary--one year that I have been faithfully maintaining this blog to track my adventures in creativity!

Go ahead...go back and read that first post from January 20, 2011!

It took me three tries to get this blog going, and I am so happy that the third time was the charm. As I've said many times, I have been so gratified to make online friendships with some of the most creative and generous people I've ever had the pleasure to meet.

I have also found that the blog has helped to fuel my creativity. Some people have commented on their blogs that they are dismayed to feel at times that they are creating simply to have something to post to their blogs. I understand that feeling...I have felt it myself. But the positive flip-side of that feeling is that sometimes, when I'm not so likely to spend a free moment in the studio, thinking about this blog gets me up there, gets me sorting through the project files, gets me digging into the magazine and blog inspiration. And, at the end of the day, because I love creating, that makes me happy!

********************************************

Over the last month, I've been reading some books with a common theme: The Rhythm of Family by Amanda Blake Soule, I Love Dirt! by Jennifer Ward, and Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv.

I have never been an outdoorsy person, and have always been called a "houseplant" by my parents. But it has become very important to me that my girls have opportunities to grow to love nature.

I have been putting a lot of my creative energies into getting them outside, so they can observe and enjoy the wonders of nature. It comes naturally to them; it is me who needs to make a concerted effort to get out there! I always love it once I'm out there, loving the sun, the breeze, the snow, whatever it is I encounter. It just takes a little extra effort to get me out there! I feel like I'm getting just as much benefit from it as they are...a second childhood.

I am thinking that it would be fun to write an article or a book (or a section of a larger book) about spending outside time with your kids, geared especially for moms like me, for whom "outdoor time" does not come so easily or naturally!

This morning we woke up to find the earth covered in a fresh blanket of snow...beautiful! The girls were literally jumping up and down to get into their snowsuits and get out to their snow saucers. We went out in the freezing rain, and had an amazing morning of snow play:

The ground was slippery enough for the girls to slide down our little hill without even a push!

Saucer wipe-out in the bushes!

Michael does the hard work; I just scattered the "ice melt" around on the driveway.

Snow....yum!

You can tell by my sleepy eyes that it is only 8 am! We got the morning off to a fast and furious start!

Thank you to those of you who have shared this last year of blogging with me, and to those of you who will spend this new year of blogging with me. May we enjoy many days of creativity, inspiration, and nature in 2012!

More Rolodex Collages

2012-01-18T15:15:00.000-05:00

I'm back to the small "canvas" of Rolodex cards for my collages, and I feel like the whole process has finally "clicked" for me.

It's getting easier not to agonize over every little word and image choice.

It's getting easier not to worry about "too much" or "too little" on a card.

It's getting more and more fun to watch colors and images and themes fall together among the scraps on my table.

It's getting easier to "get over" the cards I don't end up liking as much.

And, as always, I value a project that lets me use all of the bits and scraps that I can't resist saving from catalogs and magazines.

I keep saying I'm *almost* ready to join in on the Rolodex swapping craze going on out there.

Now, I think I really am!

If you like to alter Rolodex cards, too, and would be interested in swapping, please send me an email at aleakaskey@yahoo.com, and we can make arrangements!

Another place to swap is over at Artist April Cole's website for Rolodex card trading.

I see that Swap-bot has several groups set up for Rolodex card swapping, but I haven't quite figured out how to navigate the site to see if there is anything going on currently. I found most of their old swaps by searching "Rolodex swap" in Yahoo.

A very inspiring place to visit to learn more about altering Rolodex cards is Patty van Dorin's web site.

If you click on "Scrapodex" in the left-hand column under "Categories" on Patty's page, you can see all the entries she has written about the Rolodex cards she has both created and received.

Something I noticed about Patty's cards: Rather than creating whole collages on each card, she truly does make it a showcase for pretty scraps. A card might contain one pretty image or a few attractive scraps, quite often stitched. There is great appeal in approaching the Rolodex project like that, instead of feeling any "requirement" that each card hold its own complete collage. Just something to consider!

Happy Rolodex scrapping!

Clothespin Confession

2012-01-16T16:10:00.000-05:00

Is it weird that I like clothespins so much?

(And it has nothing to do with laundry, I can assure you!)

Is it weird that I own clothespins in four different sizes? (The very biggest--six inches--are missing from this photo, but can be seen above.)

Is it weird that I spend time with them, decorating them and making them look pretty?

Is it weird that I take photos of my clothespins to share with you?

Well, confessing my "weird" is my clothespin confession!

Now it's your turn: What weird little object fascinates you?

A Nod to Organization

2012-01-13T21:42:00.000-05:00

This week, Julie Balzer has been featuring blog posts about organizing art and crafting spaces. She has shared her strategies, featured guest posters, and offered some questions and assignments to get the rest of us thinking about our own systems.

I shared a few of my organizational strategies when I blogged about my new craft room, dubbed Studio 791.

My latest "nod to organization" is a decorated box to use for storing my slowly but steadily growing collection of decorative tapes.

Did you see the awesome boxes Anthropologie was giving out during Christmas 2010? Well, it only took me a year to finally do what I intended to do the moment I laid eyes on that box: I made an artful playdate out of embellishing the heck out of it, with paints, rub-ons, image transfers, catalog images, postcards, and tapes.

I will be the first to admit that it turned out a bit "busy," but it's fun and colorful, and covered in interesting things to look at, so it makes an artful addition to my creative workspace.

And it offers me plenty of tape storage:

At least for now!

Here's hoping that your Friday the 13th didn't live up to the hype! Have a blessed and creative weekend.

Friendship in the Mail

2012-01-12T09:29:00.000-05:00

One of the greatest benefits since getting this blog underway at the beginning of last year has been the online friendships I have developed through swaps, challenges, online courses, and blog comments. I have "met" some of the most creative and generous people I have ever had the pleasure to know!

One of those creative and generous people is Karenann, a blogger and Rolodex card-alterer, who surprised me a few days with some friendship in the mail:

She always sends her correspondence in decorated airmail envelopes (love!), and this time she sent me these wonderful labels to use on my own correspondence, Rolodex cards, and art journal pages.

I immediately made use of some of them to decorate an envelope of paper goodies that I am swapping with Orit in Israel, as part of La Wendula's January paper swap:

So many thanks to Karenann for this unexpected treat!

Another bit of friendship came in the mail from April Cole. At the beginning of the month, she posted about an inspiring little project she was working on with a free downloadable bird graphic, some vellum quotations, and pretty striped paperclips. She offered four of her creations in a giveaway to the first four people to comment. I came in well after four comments, and she still sent me one of her treasures!

April always impresses me with her generosity and optimism!

Happy Thursday!

More Tape!

2012-01-10T09:00:00.001-05:00

Every time I sit down to finally order some washi tape for my art journal and mail art, I seem to end up finding some sort of washi-tape-substitute instead!

First, I read about a way to lift text with regular Scotch tape.

Then, I found paper tape.

Next, I thought of a way to run ribbon through the Xyron to make tape.

Recently, it occurred to me that I could do a similar thing using strips from the interesting designs inside of business envelopes.

I just cut the envelopes into strips, and then I have the option to run them through the Xyron, apply double-sided tape to the back, or just glue them onto my project with a glue stick.

Isn't it amazing how many different, pretty patterns you can find on the inside of an envelope? (I guess it lessens the sting of the bill inside!)

I sat down with single-minded determination on Christmas Eve to order some washi tape over the Internet, and found yet another substitute that drew me away from my original intention: kawaii tape!

In the context of Japanese culture, kawaii means cute...so instead of the rather staid colors and patterns of washi tape, the tape is decorated with adorable animals and people, fun little sentiments, and interesting objects.

I bought my selection of kawaii tape from An at the Panda Love Shop. She offered me fast, friendly service, and included additional kawaii goodies with my order.

I am loving this kawaii tape so much that I want to show you some close ups of the adorable designs:

I've been using the tapes as much as I can for my art journal pages. I can't help but smile and feel cheerful when they are on the page!

If you are thinking of making a kawaii tape purchase, I can highly recommend An's Panda Love Shop! She also has a blog called I Love Kawaiiness, which she uses to feature items in her Etsy shop. Please make a visit!

Finding Creativity Everywhere

2012-01-07T20:11:00.000-05:00

I have had so much fun over the past few months looking around with new eyes to find creativity in the lives of the people I have interacted with.

Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in my own creative projects, or focus on the fabulous art I see online in the blogs I enjoy. But I have begun to really appreciate the creative spirit that characterizes so many of my friends and family members, as well.

I wanted to share some examples of the creativity I have noticed since making a point to look for it. Finding these examples has clearly demonstrated to me that creativity can make its appearance in crafts, home decorating, gift giving, and artful gatherings.

One friend created an interesting entrance to her home by arranging a screen and some other decorative elements just inside the front door in her living room.
Another friend created a clever holder for her daughter's many hair clips and bows, and then helped me create one for my girls during a fun "crafternoon" playdate.

My husband's aunt decorated her home for Christmas with Santas and nativity scenes she had crafted in dough over the years, and proudly shared painted wooden ornaments she had made in years past.
My sister created art for the wall above her twin boys' cribs just before they were born (which is now a year ago this month!).

A fellow member of my MOPS group (a Christian moms' organization) took time to create lovely packaging for our table treat, with a hand-created gift tag.
My mother has made beautiful cross-stitched Christmas stockings for every member of my family, and they look gorgeous hanging together across the mantle.

A friend from church put together a festive holiday gathering with food and activities to keep everyone eating and having fun, whether they were 4 years old or 40.

It has been so enriching over the past couple of months to view my friends, family, and activities through the lens of creativity...to appreciate how just about everyone I know either makes an effort or just very naturally incorporates creativity into their days.

It makes me happy to feel well-accompanied on this creative journey!

I would challenge you to the rewarding task of seeing your friends and family members through the lens of creativity, so that you, too, can start to appreciate the creative spirit that brings energy and delight to our days!

Playing Tag

2012-01-04T18:11:00.002-05:00

I don't remember where I first heard about Nathalie Kalbach's Creative Jump Start Summit, or when I signed up for it, but I'm sure glad that I did!

Nathalie has lined up a month's worth of artists and creative types to offer a daily video or blog post to offer creative encouragement to participants. The inspiration is free, and sent directly to my email account each day.

On the first day, Dina Wakley encouraged us to pull out paints to just play around. She suggested spritzing paint from bottles onto palette paper, and then using shipping tags to smudge the paint around and enjoy the results.

I've never used paint in a spray bottle before, so I just mixed acrylic paint with water in some spritzers I bought from the travel section of Target awhile back. I think I got it a little thin, as it was hard to get bright colors on my tags, but overall I was happy with the result. It set me off to spritzing through punchinella and onto bubble wrap. It was definitely a Jump Start for me, and turned into a project in its own right.

I added stamped images to my tags, and then used white rub-ons to add subtly to the design. Finally, I sorted through my envelope of clipped words from magazines and glued down some interesting phrases to finish up the tags.

I don't know what I will use them for--maybe for packages, swaps, or my art journal. I just know that Dina's video made me pull my paints out again after a bit of a hiatus, and I had lots of fun!

**********************************

I was excited to find out from "Ceparie" at the Art of Collage that Jenny Doh shared my Paper Tape Silhouette Tutorial on her web site CrescenDoh yesterday, January 3. Check out all the fun links and projects she provides each day!

Things to Do in 2012

2012-01-03T13:13:00.000-05:00

It wouldn't be the New Year without making some resolutions, now, would it?

Last year, I made many, many very specific monthly resolutions, and then promptly lost the little book where I had written them.

Much more effective for me was the practice of choosing a word that expressed my intentions for the year. In 2011, I chose the word BEGIN, and kept it at the forefront of my mind as I started maintaining my blog, keeping an art journal, participating online in swaps and courses, and preparing for my first craft show.

For 2012, I have chosen the noun WINGS (after considering alternatives such as BLOOM and GROW) to suggest a movement forward from the beginnings I enjoyed last year.

I also thought of some general goals for the year, and created a page in my new art journal (which I am maintaining at the same time as my Book of Days).

I am working on interesting lettering for my art journal and other art pieces, using The Scrapbooker's Handwriting Workshop by Crystal Jeffrey Rieger, a Christmas gift to me from my mother.

The font I've used here is called "French manicure," and I think it's pretty and fairly easy to create. I also played around with the new Derwent Inktense Watercolor pencils that my mother also got me for Christmas. Because of the thinness of my paper, and the collage I had glued to the back of this page, I didn't get the very best results that I know I'll be able to get eventually.

My 2012 "To Do" list: Eat well, run often, pray always, create art regularly, occupy the moment fully, invest in friendships generously, read widely.

What's on your list for this year?

********************************

Karenann followed my airmail envelope jotter notebook tutorial and created her own notebook. Check it out here. It looks great!

********************************

One of the great things about collaging is you can have piles of things scattered all around your workspace, and sometimes things just come together seemingly like magic. A few weeks ago when I had all sorts of magazine words and phrases on my desktop, these three pieces fell together:

Great, isn't it?

Tutorial: Paper Tape Silhouettes

2011-12-31T15:00:00.000-05:00

I have discovered another fun new way to use all those fabric, paper, and washi tapes we have all been hoarding...a project that adds some interest to art journal pages, too...Paper Tape Silhouettes!

Above you can see how I used both the positive and negative space of some of the silhouettes I created for an art journal page exploring my Word for the Year for 2012.

Here is a step-by-step description of how you, too, can create Paper Tape Silhouettes for your art journal and other projects:

Step 1: Cut an image from a magazine or catalog, from which you will create your silhouette. It's fun to choose an image with an interesting outline--feet taking a step, arms outstretched in a dramatic gesture, skirt in a swirl. Cut very closely along the edges of the figure.

Step 2: Use a pencil to draw around the cut-out image onto a piece of white paper.

Step 3: Cut out the image you just drew on white paper with pencil.

Step 4: On another piece of white paper (I use drawing-weight paper), start laying down strips of paper tape, using the white cut-out as a guide for how wide the strips need to be. (Don't waste too much tape by laying down lots more than you need!)

Step 5: Keep going, laying down strips the full length of the cut-out image.

Step 6: Again, draw the figure's outline in pencil. This time, use the white cut-out as your guide, and trace the figure onto the tapes.

Step 7: Cut out the silhouette that you just traced in pencil. You are left with your Paper Tape Silhouette!

Step 8: You can also use the "negative space" left over from cutting out the figure. Just add a little piece of tape to the back of your cut line (you can see my cut line just above the "4" on the right hand side). It holds the paper together, and you can barely notice the line when you use the paper in your art journal. You are likely to cover it over with some other image anyway! Or just extend some more tape over it.

So, here are three examples of Paper Tape Silhouettes that I have made:

And here is a close-up of the journal page I showed at the beginning of this blog post. I used the silhouette of a little girl twirling around in a skirt:

I also used the negative space from the silhouette I created step-by-step above to practice lettering by writing out a quotation:

Learning to do some interesting lettering in my art journal is a current project of mine...something for another blog post entirely!

Have fun with your Paper Tape Silhouettes! Let me know if you try them out; I would love to see your results!

And, by the way, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Book of Days

2011-12-29T12:05:00.000-05:00

I am participating in Effie Wild's 2012 project entitled Book of Days, officially beginning at the beginning of January.

Effie has invited anyone who is interested to join her as she seeks to develop a daily art journaling practice. She has already created three videos for participants--one showing how she altered an old book for her own 2012 Book of Days, one showing how a basic composition book can be prepared for the project, and one showing how she created pockets inside her cover to hold letters offering appreciation to 2011 and setting intentions for 2012.

From there, she plans to provide us with two or three emails each week with tips, videos, and inspiration related to her own art journaling practice.

A real sense of community is already starting to develop among those who have signed up. Effie has already held one online chat (which I snuck in to check out for about one minute, but wasn't prepared to participate!), and plans to continue with those periodically. Plus, there's a Flickr group that is already up and running, and a wildly active Facebook page.

All that, and the project hasn't even officially begun yet!

For my own Book of Days art journal, I chose a book from a library sale, called If We Had Wings: The Enduring Dream of Flight, by Rinker Buck. I made just a few key adjustments to the cover to "make it mine." (You can check out the Amazon listing in the link above to see its original appearance.)

I chose this book because of its unique format. It only has about 32 pages, which measure about 10 inches square (and I took some of those few pages out to accommodate collage elements and other pieces that will add thickness to the book). All of them have something interesting about them--a pocket with a reproduced document inside, an envelope holding a letter to pull out and read, a flap that opens up from the side of the page. It's an already altered book! All of these features are going to make the book that much more fun to work with.

Effie encouraged us to select a word for the year as part of the process of creating our art journals. As soon as I selected this book, I knew that a fun choice for me for 2012 is "WINGS." I kind of like selecting a noun as opposed to a verb, and I also like all of the associations that the word brings to mind: flight, airplanes, butterflies, fairies, risk, heights, energy, gliding...all sorts of associations that I can see playing out through the year, through my plans, and through my art journal.

If this looks like fun to you, it definitely isn't too late to play along! Go to Effie's Book of Days site and sign up.

One Final Look

2011-12-27T10:45:00.000-05:00

Here's one final look at some corners of my Gift from the Sea journal before I turn to a new art journal.

A note from Natty, who created the journal for me

photo of Anne Morrow, author of Gifts From the Sea

Using a transparency looks great on the page, but it's tough to photograph.

Up Next: A look at my next art journaling project!

Is It So Wrong?

2011-12-26T09:06:00.000-05:00

So now that Christmas has passed, I can confess that right before the holiday I went out and bought a BUNCH of presents...for myself!

I had no idea that I was going to run into such amazing sales...whole stores that had EVERYTHING for 40 and 50 percent off. How could I resist?

I had a heyday in Anthropologie, one of my favorite places to indulge in impulse buying. Look at all I got for about $50!

If you are familiar with Anthropologie, then you know that's a good deal!

I've never met a candle or a notebook or a little box for no good purpose that I didn't like.

Check out this book Nomad, by Sibella Court:

In addition to yummy photos of global interior design, the pages give me plenty of inspiration for art journal layouts.

It fits into the whole "eye candy" category.

And check out this RIDICULOUS desk notebook that I just couldn't pass up:

There must be enough pages in here for MORE than a lifetime of lists.

And I know that I probably *should* be decorating my own journal covers, but I couldn't pass up these pretty painted-canvas covered notebooks on deep discount on the back table. (Worrying about "shoulds" is a waste of time anyway, right?!)

Just thought I would share some of my fun finds. And while I'm at it, check out the hilarious site Anthroparodie. They take the often-ridiculous, but always-cool-looking photos from the Anthropologie catalog, and provide an imaged back-story. Always entertaining...enjoy!

Postage Stamp Holiday Greetings

2011-12-23T20:16:00.000-05:00

Wishing You a Blessed and Merry Christmas!

(Images from Christmas stamps in my collection)

Countdown to Christmas

2011-12-22T09:05:00.000-05:00

We are enjoying remarkably relaxing days around the house here as Christmas approaches--as relaxing as a household with two preschoolers can be, at least! Even though we've gotten a tree, decorated the house, bought and wrapped presents, done baking, played outside, had playdates, done crafts, and painted the dining room (!), things aren't feeling hectic or rushed, and I'm grateful to enjoy the feeling.

Here's a little peek into our household as we enjoy the holiday season:

We went one evening to enjoy the lights at Longwood Garden...we don't take the girls out after dark too often, so I think it's still pretty exciting for them.

We searched Linvilla Orchards for the perfect Christmas tree...

I was kind of "taken" with this little Charlie Brown Christmas tree that wasn't much bigger than Katy...

...but we opted for a more traditionally-sized six footer!

As one of our Advent activities, the girls tried warm apple cider for the first time. It was a hit, and we've had it a few times since. I've discovered the joy of Trader Joe's Spiced Cider laced with a little rum...for the grown-ups only!

Katy had her first preschool Christmas show. Don't let that tinsel halo fool you! She started the show by pulling her dress over her head, and ended it by crying out for someone to fix her fallen tinsel when she was supposed to be reciting John 3:16 with the rest of the group! Her shenanigans were priceless though, and seemed perfectly appropriate for funny tales of a 4-year-old's Christmas program.

For one of the girls' Advent activities, all four of use went for a winter walk to enjoy the natural wonders God has given us to enjoy. The girls collected leaves, acorns, and tiny pine cones in their bags, then brought them home to sort through out on the patio. When we got inside, we said a prayer where we each thanked God for what we most enjoyed on our walk.

I'm not nearly so nervous about the potential mess in pulling out all the paints for the girls to play around with, and they love experimenting with the colors. Look at those serious faces!

And I did a little serious painting of my own! Michael and I finally painted our dining room yesterday after seven years of procrastination. The end-result is not nearly as "baby blue" as it looks in the photo. It finally looks like a dignified dining room; maybe we'll be more inclined to use it for its intended purpose, instead of just the kitty litter/recycling bin/storage space it has been.

Maybe it's because we started earlier on our decorating and shopping, or maybe it's because we've made a real effort to help the girls understand the true spirit of the season while starting the kinds of traditions that we'll stick with for years to come, or maybe it's because we're staying home this Christmas, so I don't have to think about packing everyone up for holiday travel (though I will miss being with my mom, dad, and sister)...It's a winning combination of factors to make this a very Merry Christmas season for our little family.

I hope that you also will be able to relax and enjoy the love and light and blessings of the season!

The Choice is Clear

2011-12-18T22:36:00.000-05:00

I've been making several postcards as thank-yous and swaps, and have turned to a new art material I haven't used before: transparency film.

Years ago, I purchased a transparency sheet filled with photos of girls with fairy wings from Art Chix Studio, but had never used it. As I was preparing a postcard for Kym from Bliss Artworks, I decided to incorporate one of the images. Stitching it to my postcard was the obvious choice, since I assume any sort of adhesive would show through from the back.

I had glued pieces from a sewing pattern as well as decorative tissue paper to a piece of cardstock, then added text pages and the transparency image, which I sewed around with my machine using two colors of thread. Then I added a postage stamp and some postal rubber stamp impressions, and the postcard was complete. Something about the playfulness and colorfulness "spoke to me" as appropriate for Kym.

At the same time, I was working on a postcard for a one-to-one swap with F.M. of La Wendula. I chose a face from my files that was already on a transparency.

This postcard was also built on a foundation of sewing pattern tissue, but I covered it over with text, a reproduction of historical money, and other decorative tissue paper, rubbed away a bit for a weathered look. I added two postage stamps (one of which looked like an uncanny mirror image of the transparency image!), and stitched around the elements with a couple different stitches.

F.M. noted that I had used her preferred color palette of neutral tones. She also shared my postcard, along with the beautiful example of her artwork that she sent to me, on her Flickr site, here.

Finally, I sent a thank-you postcard to Seth, at The Altered Page, and once again went the transparency route. This time, I chose a magazine image from my files and printed it out on my own onto 3M transparency film.

This also was built on a background of sewing pattern tissue, but I glued a section from an old Compton's Encyclopedia about "Mohammadens" (which shows you the age of the book, as they would today be referred to as "Muslims"), a small map of Africa, and some decorative tissue paper. I stitched the transparency of camels walking by pyramids right over the top of these elements, adding additional decorative stitching that made me think of random footprints in the sand.

I added two African postage stamps--one a map and one a camel--to complete the thematic postcard.

I love how the transparency film adds an additional image to a piece, but allows whatever is underneath to show through. It adds almost a mysterious or ethereal quality to the work. And it feeds my love of stitching paper besides!

********************************

Please check out Natty's blog post on Awkward & Beautiful where she shares the mail art and journal card I sent to her to thank her for the awesome custom book I've been using for my art journal lately!

Tutorial: DIY Deco Tape

2011-12-17T07:50:00.001-05:00

Do you ever have a great idea, then wonder if it's just too simple and obvious to bother telling people about?

But then you think, this is just too neat not to mention!

That happened to me last night when I had a brainstorm for creating custom decorative tape. Everyone (including me!) is so crazy for washi tape, paper tape, fabric tape, etc. to use in art journals, mixed media art, and mail art. The more sizes and styles to play with, the better!

Last night, I walked by a pretty roll of bright ribbon that I recently bought at the craft store.

Suddenly, I thought, I wonder what would happen if I just ran it through my small Xyron sticker maker to give a sticky backing that will turn it into decorative tape?

Simple, simple!

Presto! Deco tape from whatever ribbon suits your fancy!

I immediately put it to use on an art journal page, and really love the results!

************************

On a different note, Traci Bautista is offering a FREE online workshop beginning January 1, 2012, as part of the Strathmore Online Workshop Series. I signed up for her "Doodles Unleashed: Mixed Media Techniques" yesterday, and it looks like she will cover lots of fun techniques with paints, inks, pencils, and markers. Join me, and sign up for four weeks of FREE art-y fun!

************************

"Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind.

To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy,

is to have the real spirit of Christmas."

Calvin Coolidge

Advent-ures

2011-12-15T09:30:00.000-05:00

In November, I saw this post from Ashley at the Creative Place, showing a colorful and clever Advent envelope mini-book. I never really did anything for the season of Advent when I was growing up, but have done the little paper countdown calendars with my husband since we've been married. When I saw Ashley's envelopes full of activities for her children to do as they count down to Christmas, I knew that I wanted to find a way to make the season of Advent meaningful for my little girls, as well.

I didn't think I would be able to pull it off for this year at such last minute, but then it occurred to me that an almost-three-year-old and a four-year-old would have no idea if I started celebrating Advent a week "late"!

I went online and searched for "children's Advent activities," and found the idea of writing each Advent activity on a separate link of a paper chain. This, I knew I could do quickly. I also found lots of ideas for fun and meaningful Advent activities:

Specific prayers
Prayers for loved ones who live far away
Making Christmas cookies to share with neighbors
Enjoying warm apple cider together
Coloring Christmas pages
Visiting the library to find Christmas books
Giving everyone in the family a hug
Taking a walk and talking about all of the winter gifts God has given us to enjoy

I quickly jotted down about 22 ideas to fill our abbreviated three weeks of Advent.

The girls have had so much fun with this! At some point during the day, one of them or the other will say, "Can we do our Advent chain activity?" and race to the foyer where I hung it from the hall mirror.

For the most part, I kept the activities quick and simple, rather than involved projects.

We did try making salt dough ornaments, which made a bit of a mess and didn't quite come out (they never hardened properly). But luckily, the girls are all about the process and not so concerned with the product!

We also made gingerbread cookies to share with a neighbor. In this case, we made them during a playdate, and sent some home with our friends.

Another more involved project was to make edible ornaments for the birds. We cut hearts and stars from bread slices using cookie cutters, then spread them with sunflower seed butter. (We couldn't use peanut butter, which is usually recommended, because my younger daughter has a peanut allergy.) Then we sprinkled oats on top and attached them to hemp twine for hanging on the trees.

We also strung Cheerios on the twine, though the girls ate way more cereal than they strung!

My husband gently pointed out to me later that the birds would have to suspend themselves in mid-air to eat their treats, so he moved them to other places on the tree where they could rest on branches to enjoy them!

I have really been enjoying our daily activities. It seemed like such a fabulous, unique idea when I first ran across it. Then, as I read more and more blogs by creative mommies out there in the world, it seems that everyone is doing some version of this Advent countdown--activities printed on chains, cards, tags, garlands, or buntings, or tucked in pockets, envelopes, boxes, stockings, or booklets.

Who knew there are so many versions of this observance of the Advent season?! What a wonderful discovery!

'Tis the Season...

2011-12-13T15:35:00.000-05:00

'Tis the season to find fabulous things in our mailboxes! In addition to beautiful Christmas cards and fun holiday photo cards, I've received some new pieces of art to share with you.

Kym, of Bliss Artworks, sent me this postcard made from painted corrugated cardboard. Take a look at her post describing how she combined influences from at least four different workshop teachers in the creation of these cards! I always enjoy reading about how she takes techniques and ideas from lots of different sources and combines them to create her own original works of art.

In the same post, Kym wrote about the Moo postcards she had ordered. Because I expressed interest in seeing them when they came in, she sent me one! It is a beautiful photographic portrait of her mother, painted using a technique Kim learned from Karen O'Brien.

I received this lovely holiday tag from Karenann. I've noticed several people getting great creative results with corrugated cardboard. What a wonderful material to use to incorporate recycling into your art practice!

Janet from Just Me and My Art and I did an ATC swap, and I received the beautiful card above--great colors, imagery, and sentiment. She blogged about the ATC I sent to her here, along with all of the other artful goodies she has been receiving lately.

Making friends online is a lot like making friends out in the world as an adult. If it's going to happen, I really just have to go for it. If I have a question, I ask it. If I have a compliment to share, I give it. If I want something (like a trade, for example), I ask for it (nicely, I hope!). So far, I have always been rewarded with the most friendly, inspiring, art-filled friendships that I could hope for!

Tutorial: Air Mail Envelope Jotter Notebooks

2011-12-09T14:36:00.000-05:00

I love air mail envelopes. I don't what it is about them: the bright red and blue colors, the great graphic border, the lightweight paper, the suggestion of communications with people living in other lands. Some combination of all these factors draw me to air mail envelopes (though truth be told, I'm a fan of pretty much all envelopes).

I ordered some air mail envelopes and gummed air mail labels from a supplier via Amazon, paying exorbitant and completely unnecessary shipping costs. But I knew I wanted to do some sort of mail art project with them, so I braced myself for the higher price. (My local Staples and Office Depot don't carry these evelopes, but I have since found them at a great store called Deals in the nearby town of Media for much less than what I paid .)

Today I'm going to show you step-by-step how I turned the air mail envelopes into little jotter notebooks that totally appeal to my mail art aesthetic.

Grab an air mail envelope and play along!

Step 1: First, I folded the air mail envelope in half.

Step 2. Then, I made a small cut to the right and left of the fold line on the envelope's flap.

Step 3. Next, I cut paper to put inside the airmail envelope "cover." I chose graph paper because the blue grid lines looks so nice with the red and blue edges of the air mail envelope. I folded six sheets of full-size graph paper in half, tucked it into the envelope, made a pencil line where I needed to cut it down to fit inside, and used a box cutter along a metal ruler to cut through it all at once. I ended up with twelve pages in my jotter notebook (twenty-four if you count front and back).

Step 4. Using a sewing machine, I sewed right down the middle of my book--the "spine," if you will.

I used red thread to match my colors. I made the inside my "clean" side, and the outside my "messy" side, with all of my thread ends and such. I'm sure this part could be hand stitched as well.

Step 5. To camoflage my messy thread on the outside of the envelope, I taped a strip of red electrical tape along the spine. You could probably use all manner of your favorite decorative tapes to do this.

Step 6. To camoflage the weird, stretchy electrical tape, I added gummed "Via Air Mail" stamps along the two sides of the "spine".

Step 7. Next you can add whatever you like to your book cover, preferably keeping with the air mail theme. I chose to keep it simple and clean with a label, a small piece of paper tape, and a foreign stamp. You could add rubber stamping, cancellations, drawings, stickers--whatever suits your aesthetic. You can do the same to the back of the little jotter notebook, but I chose to leave mine plain.

Step 8. Tuck paper goodies into the front and back pockets!

Make a few for yourself, and lots for your friends. These air mail envelope jotter notebooks are pretty fast and simple to create!

Trash to Treasure

2011-12-07T21:40:00.001-05:00

I've never watched the television show, "Hoarders", but I've heard all about it from Facebook comments and Yahoo headlines. Being a fairly tidy and relatively organized person, I'm nowhere near eligible for the program. However, there is one little pile in my craft room that might make the casual observer think that I am only one step away from a show appearance myself.

For awhile now, I've saved boxes from things like cereals, teas, macaroni and cheese, Skinny Cow ice cream treats (yum!), coffee filters, butter, and, yes, Nerds candy.

I figured that one day I would get a book binding machine, and all these boxes with their interesting and colorful advertising graphics would make great book covers.

And, of course, that day has arrived! With my Cinch, I am a little bookmaking cottage industry.

When I made my second book, for drawing while on vacation, I cut papers from a 9x12" pad of drawing paper. The resulting pile of leftover papers gave me materials for three additional little notebooks, and I decided to pursue a "tea theme":

They make happy little notebooks, don't you think?

So now, I've turned my kids' outgrown clothing into gift tags and magnets; old jeans into a ring, bracelet, bookmarks, and magnets; and now I've taken boxes that would get tossed into the recycling bin and turned them into notebooks.

'Fess up: What's the craziest thing you are "hoarding" right now? What do you think you might do with it someday?

**********************

Chris, of Parabolic Muse, was kind enough to blog about some things I sent her way recently as a thank-you for her own arty generosity. Check out her post here!

**********************

Art Journal Pages

2011-12-06T17:33:00.000-05:00

I am continuing to journal in my Gift from the Sea book, and have recommitted to Julie's Art Journal Every Day for December.

Thus far, my journaling "style" appears to be no coherent style at all. Every page, every spread, looks a little different from the rest.

I always enjoy the look of switching from black to white pen, depending on the background of the page.

I am continuing to have fun with my paper tapes and doodles.

I have been making a concerted effort to use the bits of paper that I have been collecting from recent swaps, as well as continuing to use images that I have clipped from magazines and catalogs.

I think that this hand with the gorgeous henna came from the cover of a National Geographic catalog (if I am remembering correctly). It made a striking page pretty much all on its own!

For the first time, I tried including some dried leaves to commemorate the season of fall. We'll see if I end up with a little pile of crushed leaves under my journal sometime down the road!

This amazing thread nest came from a swap with fiber artist Anne-Marie Desaulniers. (She blogged about the loot I sent to her in the swap here.) At first it made me think of the tangled webs we weave in life at times, but when I came around to making my journal page, it was the eve of the memorial service for my friend Ann. She died last Wednesday, after a nearly decade-long fight with a brain tumor, leukemia, and then another brain tumor. Age 43 is much too young to leave this world, and at age 10, her little boy is much too young to be left motherless. But those are the birds of sorrow that have flown over our church community, and as the quotation on my page suggests, "I cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from passing over my head, but I can keep them building a nest in my hair." Ann was a faithful and positive light in this world, and our best tribute to her is to continue to shine that light!

I have only a couple more spreads in my Gift from the Sea journal, and then I will begin a new book. It's always an exciting decision to determine which journal will be next!

Altered Rolodex Cards

2011-12-02T20:47:00.000-05:00

I have been creating altered Rolodex cards today for the first time since I first posted some efforts at the beginning of October.

With the help of advice and examples from Karenann, I have a better eye for clipping tiny photos, letters, words, and numbers from magazines and catalogs that make good potential Rolodex card fodder.

There are so many tiny little images that are so easy to pass over, but which are perfect for these itty-bitty collages. I keep them in a separate envelope from the rest of my collage fodder, or they would be completely lost in the shuffle.

When I first started putting cards together, I wanted them to have words. But I didn't know what words to pick, so I found myself defaulting to quotations. That was fine, but I wasn't really looking for another way to display a quotation collection. This time I stayed away from words pretty much altogether and stuck with visual images. At first, I felt like maybe something was missing, but when I came back to look at them later, I kind of like them without any words.

A couple of these cards have a top-secret destination. The other two will make their home, at least for awhile, in the Rolodex holder on my desk. It's rather satisfying to watch it get fatter and fatter with these small, colorful collages.

Enjoy a happy, creative weekend!

Mandalas

2011-11-28T16:08:00.000-05:00

Since I started reading Tammy's blog, Daisy Yellow, at the beginning of this year, one of the things I have most enjoyed have been her mandala drawings. I didn't really know anything about mandalas, and I certainly had no idea how to draw one, but I liked looking at the different designs she created.

Back in August, I started to do a little "research", and checked out a couple of books from the library about mandalas.

Some of my mandala note-taking

One of the things that made the biggest impression on me is how mandalas are found everywhere in the natural world. Crystals, atoms, hurricanes, the solar system, sound waves, hair shafts, a fetus in the womb, the rings of Saturn, snowflakes, tornadoes, snails, shells, sunflowers, roses, daisies, an octopus, the iris of an eye, pincones, an apple slice, starfish, spiderwebs, the cycle of the seasons, animal migrations....all are mandalas!

Bailey Cunningham explained in Mandala: Journey to the Center, that "the circle becomes a container to hold your most cherished ideas and emotions. You organize your thoughts around a central point that represents a particular theme or concept, and express ideas and meanings by choosing symbols and colors that reflect your intent."

It sounded SO meaningful and interesting, yet I still had no idea how to get started. I even took notes on all the different radiations and their meanings: 3 radiations suggesting wholeness, 4 suggesting stability and order, 7 suggesting divinity, etc. I understood that to create a mandala was to create intricate designs along multiple radiations. I just wasn't sure how to do that!

Just two weeks ago, I came across Rainy's website, Honey & Ollie, and I noticed she had a mandala tutorial in the left margin of her page. She describes a mandala as "a meditation that you build up in layers. Work from the inside to the outside." Simply put a dot, spiral, flower, circle, etc. at the center, and then build up your design around it. She provided a link to a web site with basic henna motifs, and suddenly it all kind of clicked in place for me.

After some more note-taking, I tackled my first mandala.

Keep in mind that these are not patterns of my own making. Some are copied as-is from the sites I was looking at, and for the others, I put together the patterns I found there.

As I started to draw the mandalas, I was reminded very much of the Zentangles I have been enjoying all year. They look so complex and difficult when looked at as a whole, but when you just make one mark at a time, and let the patterns build up over the page, it's a simple but focused process.

I am not a "mindless doodler"...I wish I were! For me to make these designs and patterns, I really have to focus and concentrate. Drawing both Zentangles and mandalas is a soothing, restful pasttime for me. It has also been an exercise in giving up perfection, which is a valuable exercise for me to undertake. I know that some folks working on mandalas get out the rulers and compasses, and I even bought some of these tools when I first intended to create some mandalas. But at this point, I have put that approach to the side in favor of freehand drawing that brings me greater satisfaction. How fun to have such imperfect lines and spacing, and yet enjoy the results so much!

Finding Warren's web site, The Doodle Daily, has opened up another whole set of mandala symbols to incorporate into my designs. I don't think I have anything symbolic going on in my drawings so far. Right now, I still feel like I'm getting used to the process, and exploring design and pattern options. I do lots and lots of thinking while I'm drawing, though, so it wouldn't surprise me at all if my work gets more personally symbolic when the designs and patterns come to me naturally, rather than from me looking on the computer for ideas to copy or incorporate.

This mandala is a copy of one of Warren's designs.

Drawing these mandalas was the perfect art experience to bring along with me when I traveled to Atlanta for Thanksgiving this past weekend. All I needed was a little notebook of drawing paper (which I bound for myself with my Cinch machine) and a black PITT artist pen. I took along some colored Sharpies, too. Nothing bulky, nothing messy, and I had a great "arty" outlet to enjoy while I was away from home!

Have your read about mandalas, or created them yourself? I have MUCH to learn, so please share your knowledge and resources with me in your comments.

Doing My Part

2011-11-27T20:51:00.000-05:00

I had never heard the term "Black Friday" until I moved to Philadelphia in my early 20s. Silly me, I thought it was some sort of local phenomenom!

One year I went out to the King of Prussia Mall (which happens to be the size of a small city, with parking to match), drove around for 40 minutes without finding any spot for my car, and just headed back home. Black Friday shopping is not for the faint-hearted up here, and now I guess that is the case for most of the rest of the country.

This past weekend, I was in Atlanta celebrating Thanksgiving with my sister. We left the kids with our (disgruntled) husbands to catch a quick meal at Mambo Italiano and stop in to a few stores to sample the Black Friday excitement. The Forum shopping center in Norcross was positively civilized!

I was happy to do my part to support the economy when my sister took me to a store called Silver Linings (not to be confused with the plus-size bridal shop or the local classic rock dance band in Atlanta). The first sight that greeted me was a table of Kelly Rae Roberts licensed items--mugs, notebooks, canvases, figurines.

I am now the happy owner of a new mug:

The mug was sitting by several attractive boxes in the same style. Because the boxes had price tags, I assumed that they were a separate item available to buy. It turns out, the mug was packaged in one of the lovely boxes for me to take home!

Image of the top of the box

I also purchased a new notebook:

Cover

Inside the cover

I need a new notebook like I need a hole in my head, but I simply cannot resist a beautiful blank book!

Don't I look ready to write the Great American Novel with my
Kelly Rae Roberts mug of Orange and Spice tea?

In my defense, I also found gifts for my mother and my sister at the store!

Just thought I would share my recent contribution to our nation's economy. Did you find anything fun to buy on Black Friday?

Vintage Thanksgiving Greetings

2011-11-24T10:30:00.000-05:00

Wishing you and yours

a happy, healthy, creative

Thanksgiving!

[Photos of the vintage Thanksgiving postcards in my collection]

It's a Cinch!

2011-11-22T12:51:00.000-05:00

I am loving my new Cinch binding machine!

I am taking a trip soon, and I went looking at the store for a little drawing pad that I could take along with me. The only small notebooks they had were filled with sketch paper, which was thinner than what I was looking for. And the only drawing notebooks they had were larger than what I was looking for.

Cinch machine to the rescue!

I bought a notebook of 80 lb. Strathmore drawing paper, and cut it into 5x5 inch pieces. Then I cut a piece of heavy cardstock for a front cover and a piece of cardboard for the back cover.

I ended up with a custom-made notebook for drawing while on vacation--just the size I want, just the paper I want.

And, to make it even better, I followed the machine's directions more carefully, and achieved almost perfectly round wire rings for my notebook! That had been one of my greatest concerns after using the Cinch for the first time, but I think I understand how to achieve the circular shape that makes a notebook look professionally bound.

Paper-taped cardboard back cover

You know I won't be able to resist book-making now! My Cinch is going to get a pretty good workout in the coming months.

1001 Journals

2011-11-20T16:10:00.001-05:00

I have signed up to contribute to three different traveling journals that are part of the 1001 Journals Project!

1001 Journals is an outgrowth of the 1000 Journals Project. In that project, 1000 projects were "released" into the world by Someguy, who then attempts to track their progress around the globe.

Anyone who finds one of these journals is encouraged to add a story, a drawing, or a picture--anything they care to contribute--and then pass the journal along to a friend or stranger to continue its journey. It is a giant interactive art collaboration that encourages creativity in those who are lucky to come across one of the journals. According the FAQs on the originator's site, only one has returned home to him, and 999 are still in circulation!

Because 1000 journals in the scope of the entire earth isn't really that many, and there's not such a huge chance that you or I would ever get our hands on one, the creator of the project began 1001 Journals, where you can go and sign up for a journal to come right to your doorstep for your contributions. Or better yet, you can start a journal of your own, so that at the end of the project, the journal comes back to you and becomes your own personal piece of art.

Bonita's photo of her traveling journal, from the 1001 Journals site

Sometime in the next year or so, I should be receiving journals sent out by Bonita Rose, Regina Lord, and April Cole. Regina's journal has been sent off, and participation is now closed. Bonita's journal has been created, though I'm not sure if she has sent it off yet; participation for hers is closed now too. There are still spots open to contribute to April's journal.

Regina's photo of her traveling journal, from the 1001 Journals site

Each originator sets up their own guidelines, but basically when you receive the journal, you have a week or two to create a page or a spread, and then you send it on to the next person on the list. Fun, right?

It will be interesting to see the contributions of the people ahead of me, but I can sure see the appeal of launching a book so that it would come back to me full of art after its journey is complete!

Maybe that will be a project for a later date.....

****************************************

A thought from the October 2011 issue of Self magazine:

"To succeed at any challenge in life,

you've got to tune out the noise around you--

the footsteps of others (ahead and behind),

distracting "advice,"

doubters who tell you it can't be done.

Instead, focus on your inner voice.

Setting your own goal, charting your course and

trusting your instincts

take courage,

but they are the surest route

to crossing your personal finish line a winner."

File This Under "Awesome"!

2011-11-17T19:45:00.000-05:00

I recently reconnected with a friend from high school, Kristen, at our 20-year high school reunion. When she saw my blog post about the Great Big Stitched Postcard Swap in August, she proposed that we should do our own postcard swap sometime in the future. Well, my mail art from Kristen arrived earlier this week, and you can definitely file it under "Awesome"!

Check out what she did:

She took my profile pic from Facebook--

And she used fabric to create this--

How cool is that?!

The pressure is on, because I haven't yet created my postcard for Kristen. I better come up with something great, don't you think?

Throwing a Themed Kid's Party

2011-11-15T21:15:00.000-05:00

I'm no good at parties.

Don't get me wrong--I love to go to a good party. But when it comes to throwing a party, I am truly out of my element.

When you become a mom, though, organizing birthday parties is part of the job description.

Up to this point, the girls' parties have been pretty general--Play Doh, balloons, some crepe paper streamers, and a cake. For Katy's 4th birthday, though, she had a theme in mind--her very favorite movie, Cars.

Now, Martha Stewart I am not, so I felt no need for handcrafted decorations and table centerpieces. I headed to Party City and bought some packaged posters of Lightning McQueen and his cinematic sidekicks, along with some coordinating sticker packs and themed invitations.

I arranged to hold the party on a Saturday afternoon in the largest Sunday school classroom at our church. Many thanks to my friend Tracy, whose daughter held her party at her church, and demonstrated the brilliance of the plan: large space, central location, and NOT MY HOUSE!

As the kids arrived, they found red and white balloons all over the ground to kick around and play with (another stroke of genius from Tracy). There was also a rug with buildings and roads all over it, with toy cars and motorcycles, as well as Cars coloring pages and crayons on one of the tables.

After a little free play time, I asked if anyone wanted to make a birthday crown. (That has nothing to do with Cars, but who can resist a birthday crown?) I provided pre-cut crowns and loads of sticker pages to choose from.

After everyone had a customized crown to wear, I announced our first game: Pin the car on the racetrack! My husband showed his true artistic talent in the creation of the racetrack.

The kids were blindfolded and did their best to tape their car the closest to the Finish line as they could. Everyone got cheered, and left with a little gold "Winner" medal around their neck.

Then it was on to the bean bag toss.

I wanted the kids to toss the bean bags into a tire, but my husband nixed the idea because it throws our car into a tizzy when the spare tire is removed. He thought of using a little toy push car we keep in the garage. We opened up the "hood" and the kids gave it their best shot.

One little girl had a particularly solid shot. Another little girl was having some trouble, and we found her in front of the car later on, practicing!

We tried some toy car races, but the 4-year-old set was having trouble mastering how to slide the car backward to give it some power to move it forward. It became a brief free-for-all, and then it was time for cake and ice cream.

Someone asked if I had made the cake. Heck, no! Our local grocery store did a phenomenal job with a Cars-themed cake, and we added our own little Lightning McQueen candle from the party store.

Next came the gift-opening. The first gift came from the lone little boy at the party, whose father helped him pick out a remote-controlled Lightning McQueen. Perfect! Two party-goers gave Katy sets of rubber stamps (do they know her mother OR WHAT?!), and one gave her a sticker mosaic craft kit. She also got a Tinkerbell doll, lip gloss (yikes!), and an Olivia book.

After opening gifts, we played a rousing game of Red Light, Green Light--another appropriately car-related game. When you play that game with 4-year-olds, it becomes a pack of kids surging willy-nilly between two strips of masking tape, running off all the sugar they have just ingested.

After some kid-created versions of Duck, Duck, Goose, and a game called Monsters, the kids were sent home with favor bags decorated with Cars stickers, containing a Hot Wheels car, a Cars coloring page, a Cars-themed box of four crayons, star-shaped plastic glasses, a whistle, some Fig Newtons, and a bookmark (I'm an English teacher first and foremost, People!).

I hope the other kids had as much fun as our two girls did. I enjoyed seeing their faces during the different activities, and chatting with their parents. It is such a joy to see your child being celebrated, and handling it with pretty good grace for a four-year-old.

It was a nice combination of store-bought and hand-crafted, and I think it maintained the simple fun of a traditional kids' party without all the exaggerated excess of so many shindigs today.

Many thanks to everyone who through this blog, Facebook, e-mail, and in person helped to celebrate the special day when Katy entered my life!

Craft Show Report!

2011-11-13T20:11:00.001-05:00

The big day has come and gone: my craft show debut!

I had spent about two months planning for the event: crafting items to sell, determining prices, planning my table display, preparing my business cards and shopping bags. It was an exciting process for me, because I have been wanting to participate in this kind of event for at least two years now. I have dragged my feet, asking myself if I really wanted to do it, but truly wondering if I could pull it off.

It all came to fruition at Ashbridge Manor in Downingtown, PA, on Friday evening at the Mom-Hosted Holiday Bazaar:

There were twelve crafters and "mompreneurs" at the bazaar, selling paper-related crafts (me!), jewelry, flameless candles, door decor, scrapbooking and rubber stamping supplies, decorated miniature Christmas trees, hair bows, baby crafts, and gourmet foods. We set our tables up around one large room, and welcomed shoppers for four hours, from 5 to 9 pm.

We all offered free snacks or wine at our tables, and I added some candy cane package toppers made from red and white chenille stems.

The first wave of customers were mainly residents of the home where we were holding the event. One woman in her wheelchair proudly told me that she is 93 years old, and that she has so many people in her family now that she doesn't even bother buying them gifts anymore! One elderly man happily told his friends and I the story of how I must have gotten my dimples, from all of my aunts and uncles squeezing my cheeks when I was a little girl (which, of course, he did to me to illustrate his story!). I enjoyed these interactions early in the show.

I didn't make a large number of sales, but I went there ready for any possible level of success, so I didn't feel disappointed. My mother had shared with me a few weeks ago something she read from the book Blink about how people make decisions "in the blink of an eye." Experiments were done at a gourmet food shop where sample jellies were displayed. In the instances where 3 different jars were offered, 30% of the customers purchased one of the products. When 12 jars were available for sampling, only 3% bought anything at all. The theory is that with a small selection of like items, impulse takes over and people buy without really thinking about it (in a blink), but with many varieties of the same type, choosing takes over, people take time to decide which of many is "best" for them, and end up deciding they don't really need any of it. This phenomenon wasn't a one-time experiment -- it's been true many times.

When I heard about that, I knew I might be in trouble! I have just a few of LOTS of different things, rather than lots of a FEW different things. I'm pretty sure I could see the dynamic my mom warned me about playing out at the show. I'm not sure if I'll be able to change that, though! I don't have a lot of interest in just producing lots of the same thing. Something to think about, though, in terms of future success.

The most successful items of the evening were the Scrabble tile and flower gem magnets.

One woman bought three of the jumbo embellished clothespins as gifts for her grade-level teaching partners, which I thought was a great idea since they make such fun desk accessories.

I also sold several gift tag sets, which makes perfect sense for this holiday season.

Several people asked about my stitched journal cards, but not a single one of them sold! And no one looked twice or commented on the collaged vintage bottles, which are some of my favorite things!

One of the most commented-upon items were the Gratitude Gift Tag booklets. Many people thought it was such a great idea to start a new holiday tradition where family members record the things they are grateful for that year--something to both keep the purpose of Thanksgiving at the forefront (besides stuffing ourselves with food!) and give something fun to look back on in future years. I only sold a couple of the booklets, though, and I suspect several people figured they could use the idea and fashion something similar for themselves. (I could see the wheels turning in their brains as they looked them over!) Obviously I would have loved the sales, but I enjoyed sharing the ideas quite well, too.

Gratitude Tag Booklets are at the front right of the photo.

I had a wonderful time spending the evening with these other creative and entrepreneurial women who were part of the bazaar with me. I felt proud of myself for tackling a challenge that I have had in place for myself for quite a long time now. I was excited to have earned some money for my handiwork. And I benefited from a number of observations and lessons that will help me, I think, be more successful in future craft shows!

Here's a peek at some of the other wonderful women who were a part of the Mom-Hosted Holiday Bazaar:

Melissa, representing Tastefully Simple: She was our fearless organizer, so generous with her time and talents to get all of this put together!

Meredith, of MerJoy Designs, selling handmade cards and jewelry

Kelly, of Scentsy

Laurie, with her decorated miniature Christmas trees

Kris, with Stampin' Up

Jen, with handmade hair bows for her company Elephants on Parade

This experience has given me the motivation to pursue additional show opportunities in the spring, and I am planning to open an Etsy shop in the new year.

Onward!

My New Toy

2011-11-10T13:54:00.000-05:00

For quite awhile now, I've been wanting a binding machine to create my own books. I love the idea of using old book covers--both paperback and hard cover--to create new books, and of putting together all kinds of interesting papers to create a book that is almost a collage itself.

Rather than waiting around for someone to pick it from my Christmas list, I decided to treat myself to the Cinch.

Two fun packages arrived over the past two days...

binding wires from JoAnn, and...

the Cinch v2.0 from Amazon!

Normally when I get a new toy like this, it sits around for awhile. I shove it from place to place, eyeball the instruction booklet, and put a million other tasks ahead of figuring it out.

Not this time!

Maybe because I had a few dozen things I ought to have been doing (to get ready for my craft show tomorrow night, and my daughter's birthday party the next day), I decided to mess around with the Cinch immediately.

It helped that I had watched a couple of videos on YouTube to compare the Cinch with the Bind-It-All, as well as the original Cinch with the version 2.0. I recogized how all the parts worked, and in what order things needed to be done.

I found an old book of Mark Twain short stories that I bought at a library book sale, and decided to use its cover and some of the interior pages. The most tedious part was cutting papers for my book, using Strathmore drawing paper that I raided from my kids' crafting cupboard. I am definitely putting a guillotine-style paper cutter on my Chrstmas list now, because my Fiskar's paper trimmer and X-acto with a straight edge got old fast!

Debris from my project, and from testing out my new Cinch

Overall, the book came together more quickly than I expected. One of my character ~~flaws~~ traits is the desire and expectation that I will be able to do everything perfectly the first time. It quickly became apparent that this would not be the case with this project. There were a few issues with my hole spacing, as well as with the cinching of my wires. But here was the result:

Front cover

Back Cover

Spread with text page

The reviews I read and listened to for the Cinch mentioned that it is difficult to get the wires to bind with a perfect circle, and I found that to indeed be the case.

I am hoping that with some additional practice, I can get a better shape to my wires. I think it would be fun to create books to sell, and I don't think I could sell something with this much distortion to its shape.

I like the circular holes that the Cinch punches better than the rectangular holes of the Bind-it-All, and my pages turn very easily on these wires.

Overall, I'm happy with my purchase, and I look forward to playing around with it some more. I might even make a few Christmas presents with it, if I can get the hang of it a little better!

Art Journaling in Perspective

2011-11-08T10:11:00.000-05:00

In the midst of the more "practical" preparations for my craft show on Friday evening, my art journal has been a daily creative constant.

Right now my attention has been on creating inventory lists, tying business cards to shopping bag handles, and fashioning a Studio 791 sign for the front of my table.

There is a certain amount of creativity involved in this work, but a lot of it is more practical or repetitive in nature.

On top of this work, there have been family responsibilties, and, more recently, terrible flu symptoms.

Sometimes I only manage a few minutes at my work table--I put down a few lengths of paper tape, stamp out a phrase, or create a quick Zentangle design.

I definitely like it best when I can sit down for 20 minutes to an hour and make a full page or spread. But even these stolen daily moments give me a feeling of satisfaction to take to sleep with me.

For awhile, I felt like working in my art journal was my only creative endeavor, and I felt like I was limiting myself. But I didn't have time for much more.

Now I feel that art journaling is in its proper place--for me, that is. It's not the only creative work I am doing. But it's a daily discipline, a daily playtime, a daily satisfaction.

Studio 791 Tour

2011-11-04T15:37:00.000-04:00

Studio 791 has found a home!

When my younger daughter was born in early 2009, I gave over my dedicated art-making space to be a nursery. My work table, books, notebooks, boxes, papers, files, pens, paints, totes, brushes, ribbons, buttons, glues, stamps, punches, ink pads, scissors, and all the rest found an uneasy home in the playroom/living room downstairs.

With the addition of a sewing machine, my workspace expanded into the dining room.

As itinerant as it made me feel, the one truly driven nuts by the crafting overflow situation was my husband!

When our girls decided they wanted to share a room, we jumped at the chance. It was a win/win/win--they got to share a room (and act like banshees every night at bedtime), I got my craft room back, and my husband got my crafts out of his constant line of sight!

It was so "meant to be" that it only took a few hours to get everything back upstairs and into place two Saturdays ago.

For me, it is a creative haven of art-making bliss!

The two little urchins are never far away!

The opposite corner of the room has the closet (doors removed), which gives me most of my storage space, and my computer cart-turned-sewing table. You can see my tote bag at the ready by the door, containing basic supplies (mostly for art journaling) to carry between the upstairs and downstairs.

In the back corner of the closet, I tucked a two-shelf bookcase on wheels to hold all of the books I use for collage and art journaling elements--nursery rhyme books, foreign language texts, art books, dictionaries, that sort of thing. The two storage cubes also have all sorts of ephemera--papers, filed magazine images, stamps, tickets and postcards, etc.

The top shelf of the closet holds labeled shoe boxes of embossing materials, punches, tags, adhesives, stencils, and Scrabble tiles. The next shelf down holds my rubber stamp collection, organized into labeled acrylic photo frames:

The shelf under that has ink pads and seriously small bits and pieces (beads, game pieces, etc.). And the shelf under that has my painting supplies. On the floor I have a crate, filled with jumbo Ziploc bags holding all my paper scraps in rough color groupings (blue and purple; orange and red; yellow; green; white and cream; brown, black and vintage):

A tower of drawers holds my scrapbooking papers, used for all kinds of projects, along with drawers for cards, scissors, pens, and "miscellaneous". (You can categorize all year, and I swear you'll always end up with a "miscellaneous" drawer or two!)

There is an enormous armoire tucked in a back alcove corner of the room, and it provides me another great source of storage, with doors that can shut away the inside from view. Right now it holds mainly sewing supplies and magazine archives.

I let my four-year-old take a picture of me in my new digs. By the look of the outfit I have on, it's a good thing it's blurry! But I think you can still see how gloriously relaxed I look to sit back in my own personal art space.

I leave you with a couple cute pics of my "studio mascots":

Bayla, age 2-1/2

Katy, turning 4 next week

Enjoy a happy, healthy, creative weekend!

It's Official!

2011-11-03T14:06:00.000-04:00

It feels official, anyway!

I made my first batch of official business cards this weekend, and shared them with friends at my monthly MOPS meeting this morning.

Originally, I was planning on some fancy graphic, or maybe some hand-stamping on each of the cards to give it an "artsy" touch.

Instead, I opted for a straight-forward, "just-the-facts" approach to make it simple and easy to read.

What do you think?

I know that the style of the cards will evolve, and I may investigate Moo cards, which would allow me to include examples of my work. (Cool!) But for now, I will use these cards to represent myself at my first Holiday Bazaar next week.

(I hope it's well-attended, because I got carried away and ran a zillion more cards than strictly necessary!)

I spent some time yesterday in my dining room, planning the "staging" of my table for the bazaar. I will give you a sneak peek at the rough-draft version, but you'll have to come back next weekend to see the real deal!

Happy Thursday!

Happy Halloween!: A Look Back on October

2011-10-31T21:08:00.000-04:00

In the early days of the month, we had plenty of beautiful weather for trips to the playground.

I even got to teach the girls the not-so-finer points of soccer.

We didn't do nearly as much Halloween crafting as I had intended, but a "fan favorite" was making spiders from paper plates. I took charge of cutting and folding the legs, but the girls did the coloring and added the googly eyes.

The girls played with them for days!

We also enjoyed a birthday party with one of Katy's preschool friends:

The weather changed late in the month, and we made our first fire of the season. The house smelled like fireplace smoke for a week, but the coziness of that afternoon was well worth it.

More gorgeous weather brought a trip to Kelly Drive to watch the geese in the Schuykill River.

Katy's new autumn game is building a "nest" from twigs and leaves, and then sitting on it while pretending to be a bird. It's been "bird day" for a few weeks now!

And how's this for the face of a child who just got her flu shot:

The girls took their shots like champs, and rallied to play with the stickers and other treats they got from the pediatrician's office.

That same day (this past Saturday) we were completely surprised with our first snowfall of the season.

Where we live, it is noteworthy to have snow at Thanksgiving, so for it to arrive before Halloween is downright crazy!

There wasn't a ton of snow, though...just enough for the girls to scrape it off the patio table to make "snow birds" with their Daddy!

And for this month's grand finale: Halloween! I've never been a big fan of this particular holiday, but for some reason I have been very gung-ho about making sure my girls have a great time each year.

They asked to be kitty cats, which couldn't have been easier! They were SO excited to get their whiskers, and to see them in the mirror for the first time.

They had to bundle up a little more than I had hoped, but, really, what's cuter than two little kitty cats in sweaters! My older daughter had the bright idea that they should carry around balls of yarn as part of their costumes.

I hope you all enjoyed a creative October and a safe Halloween!

A Return to Art Journaling

2011-10-28T22:25:00.000-04:00

After faithful art journaling from February through August, I set the practice aside for the past couple of months to pursue some other projects.

Winning a custom journal from Natalie Malik, housed in a Gift from the Sea book cover has brought me back!

As I was sifting through my files of papers, photos, and ephemera, I found a couple of images of the book's author, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, to include at the front of my new art journal. How fortuitous!

I followed Caatje's strategy for completing art journal spreads: I prepared my backgrounds, added my collage elements, then finished with my journal writing.

If you didn't catch her comprehensive art journaling tutorial, be sure to visit her blog posts. (The link above directs you to the third and final installment, so you can work your way backward!)

On this page, I discovered a very pretty effect of my own: Try using gel medium to glue a decorative napkin over the top of a page of text, and enjoy the beautiful result!

I am having the most fun adding doodled details around the borders of my pages and pictures. As everyone knows when they start to doodle, you can find inspiration where you least expect it. The little loopy doodle above can be seen on the bandana worn by Izzy on "Jake and the Neverland Pirates," a cartoon my girls sometimes watch on the Disney Channel!

Some more favorite things, aside from the doodles: simple watercolor paint backgrounds, letter stamps, white gel pen over colored marker, paper tape borders, and elements that lift to reveal additional layers to the journal spread.

I feel like I finally have internalized some practices that I have read over and over again in art journaling books and on blogs, but have never really done in my own journals.

Practice #1: Use paper actually intended for wet media. Natty included nice thick mixed-media paper in my journal, and it is clearly superior to working on the drawing paper I usually get by with.

Practice #2: Paint lots of backgrounds at once so you can work on several pages in the journal at one time. You have the benefit of cleaning up fewer paint messes and wasting less paint, too.

Practice #3 (directly related to #2): Use your embossing tool to dry your pages! Why did it take me so long to finally do this? No more waiting overnight for a single spread to dry; I can crank out as many as I want at one time without any worries!

Practice #4: Use paper tape as borders. I've been reading about washi tape for months now, and finally indulged in many (many, many) rolls of paper tape (the stuff of another blog post). It is such a simple and striking border for journal pages.

Practice #5: Work in a book with fewer pages. For me, working in this Gift from the Sea book feels like a project with a foreseeable end, rather than a day-after-day-after-day journal that I am more likely to abandon. For me and my psyche, the fewer number of pages keeps me motivated.

It feels great to be back into an art journal again, playing around with art supplies, actually using the fabulous goodies I have been receiving in art swaps lately, and keeping a record of what has been going on in my head and in my life lately.

Ain't it grand when something that is good for you is something that you love and enjoy, too?!

Good Things Come in Small Packages

2011-10-27T10:00:00.000-04:00

It is definitely lots of fun to find a big box delivered to my doorstep, or a bulging envelope of swap materials. But sometimes a little envelope of goodness is all it takes to brighten my afternoon.

I have recently received three little envelopes of artfulness that I want to share with you. They each come from amazingly generous "bloggy friends" who have contributed to my enthusiasm for online fellowship and community.

April Cole is so generous about sharing her techniques and her fun art experiments, and her sense of play is contagious as she shares information about all the swaps she participates in. She recently had a giveaway on her blog, and decided to send something fun to everyone who entered. I received this bewitching ATC:

Karenann has played a large role in getting me hooked on altered Rolodex cards, and not only has she generously shared examples of her work on her blog, but she has also helped me along with all sorts of tips and ideas she has collected on her own artistic journey. In a recent letter to me, she included this fun corrugated cardboard tag, inspired by April's work:

Finally, Seth Apter is a well-known presence in the world of creativity and mixed-media art. He, too, has a generous spirit that pulls in artists around the web with collaborations, blogging tips, and interviews with artists who share their favorite techniques and tools with the rest of us!

He has these petite and very well-made handstitched journals for sale in his Etsy shop.

Many thanks to my bloggy friends for continuing to make my trips to the mailbox a pleasure!

Happiness Project Update: How Am I Doing?

2011-10-25T16:35:00.000-04:00

Note: You can find all earlier Happiness Project posts by clicking on "Happiness Project" in the list of labels in the left margin of this blog!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the past month, I have been working on detoxifying my life by incorporating more exercise, drinking more water, and replacing toxic personal care products with safer, organic brands.

My greatest personal triumph has been making my way through the Couch to 5K running program; I am currently in week 5. Each Monday and Friday, after dropping the girls off at their morning preschool programs, I head to the track and do the next assigned workout. Either in the evening on Wednesdays, or on one of the weekend days, I fit in the third required workout. So far, so good, on keeping the commitment.

It's all I can do to resist the urge to work on a craft project or take time for my art journaling, and head to the track instead!

The very first day, I had to alternate running for 60 seconds, then walking for 90 seconds, over a 20 minute period of time. It took at least 40 minutes for my bright red face to return to its normal color!

By the end of that first week, I was questioning whether I would be able to extend my jogging time, as required by the program's schedule. So far, I have stuck with it, and at this point I am alternating 5 minutes of jogging with 3 minutes of walking.

The next workouts require a fast jump to 8 minutes, and then to 20 minutes. I have decided to slow things down, and take a full week of workouts to make each of these time-increases. I am trying to strengthen my legs and my cardio-vascular system, not kill myself!

I have made some interesting observations and learned some lessons over the past few weeks. First, please do not wear heavy perfume when you go to walk around the local track; it makes those of us struggling to breathe evenly through a tough jog want to hurl!

Likewise, please don't stand next to the track smoking a cigarette; it kind of defeats my healthy-lifestyle goals to breathe in your second-hand smoke.

And, while I'm being a little crabby here, please don't walk three abreast, meandering around the track to share your gossip and memories of the good ol' days, forcing me to get around you by dodging bushes, benches, and American flag memorials as I must run off the track to do it.

I get myself through the jogging portions by writing blog posts in my head, planning displays for my upcoming craft show, and observing the other people sharing the track with me. I've seen plenty of folks listening to iPods or talking on the phone, but I was particularly intrigued by the man, about my age, walking around the track while flipping through papers on a clipboard; now that's some strange multi-tasking!

As expected, incorporating all of this exercise into my life has made it super-easy to increase my water intake. I easily fill my 24-ounce water bottle three times throughout the day, and usually have some additional water besides. I've noticed that getting thirsty makes me a little irritable. Not that I needed a new source of irritability, but at least it's as easy to remedy as drinking some water!

My third resolution had to do with finding safer and healthier alternatives to some of the products I use. I am only at the beginning stages of this process. I made a list of all the personal care items I use--soaps and lotions, dental care, hair, makeup, that sort of thing. Then I found a website called GoodGuide.com where I could find a rating for most of the products I use.

The site alerts me to ingredients in the products that put me at a greater risk for cancers or various forms of body toxicity. I discovered for example, that my Skintimate Shave Gel was like slathering cancer on my legs, and my Colgate toothpaste scored a 0 on a 12-point rating scale! I focused on the items that scored the lowest and seemed to pose the greatest health risk.

So far, I am trying new brands of shave gel, shampoo, facial scrub, conditioner, body lotion, and toothpaste. I don't like the organic shampoo and conditioner I am trying, so there will be some additional investigation there, and I need to look into new hair spray, powder, eyeliner, and blush.

Once I started looking into the ingredients that are put into some of these personal care products, I was so amazed by what is allowed in our country! Being aware of this issue, I am seeing more and more articles in the mainstream press (even seeing an article in Elle magazine while getting my hair cut) alerting people to be more conscious of what they are unwittingly putting into their bodies.

I've decided to extend this set of resolutions for one more month, since I have a long way to go to finish the Couch to 5K program, and I still have many products to consider and possibly replace, including laundry and dish detergent. I am doing this Happiness Project to incorporate some important changes in my life, so it's not something I feel any need to rush.

Thank you for sharing this Happiness Project journey with me!

More from Studio 791!

2011-10-21T23:30:00.000-04:00

I recently unveiled my new business, Studio 791, and my plans to participate in my first-ever craft show, the Mom-Hosted Holiday Bazaar. I also shared some of the products I will have on sale.

I thought I would share some additional items, focusing on paper goods, especially gift tags and notebooks.

There is a definite Christmas focus to a lot of the gift tags, which makes sense for a November sale.

I had lots of fun playing around with postage stamps for many of the tag sets.

The tags below are fun; I had stickers that say "naughty" and "nice," so you can turn the two-sided tags in either direction, as appropriate:

The tags with the stickers would have been super-quick to make if I didn't have to cut out all of those circles! They make bright and cheerful tags for Christmas gifts.

And then I discovered that once I started making gift tag sets, I just couldn't stop!

Perhaps you recognize the journal tickets I mentioned purchasing at the Invoke Arts booth at a recent stamp show in York:

And I recently ordered TONS of paper tape from 7Gypsies, including this beautiful set with Christmas colors/designs:

A few of my tag sets don't have anything to do with the holidays:

I think if I didn't "call time" on myself, I would just make gift tag sets ad infinitum!

In the spirit of tags, I created Gratitude Tag Books using autumnal decorative papers.

It would make a great tradition for each member of the family to record on a tag something he or she is especially thankful for that year. The tag book could come out each year, so that everyone can recall the blessings of the past, and reflect on the blessings of the current year.

You have already seen my journal cards; they'll be at the sale, too!

I also took the idea of embellishing clothespins with paper tape, and made sets to sell, along with a 3-1/2 foot length of hemp twine. Now everyone can build their own inspiration board like the one above my work table!

I also embellished jumbo clothespins (6 inches tall) with paper tape to make fun desk accessories that can hold photographs, postcards, or mail.

I'll be using some I made for myself to hold price signs at the sale.

I used some more of my postage stamp stash to decorate some two-window picture frames:

While I am hoping to get a binding machine soon to create my own books and journals, for now I am having fun embellishing existing notebooks to make them a little more fun to carry around:

These are little 3x5 pocket notebooks, above.

These are a bit larger, and I added some interest inside with additional French text pages and paper tape on the dividers:

This post doesn't include any of the cards I created--some for Thanksgiving, some be-ribboned cards with vintage papers and images for any occasion, some nursery rhyme illustrations with machine stitching.

Now I just need to get some business cards created, some price signs made, and a display strategy worked out!

I am feeling so enthusiastic about this first craft show; no matter how it turns out, I'm more certain than ever that it won't be my last!

Lady Luck is Smiling

2011-10-18T09:46:00.000-04:00

I don't have much of a history of winning things--contests, giveaways, freebies, raffles, anything of that sort. But lately, Lady Luck seems to be smiling upon me, and I've won some fabulous blog giveaways.

First, I won a copy of Stampington & Company's new publication, Mingle, from Quinn at Quinn Creative.

The subtitle is "Creative ideas for unique gatherings." There are articles about retreats, birthday parties, dinners, and anniversaries. The photography meets Stampington's usual high standards of dreaminess and fun detail.

The articles provide information about the organizers' backgrounds and planning efforts. There are also details about decorations and foods.

There were references to crafts and other projects, but not a lot of details about what was created; that's the type of thing I would be most interested in reading about!

My second "win" was a copy of the first issue of Gina Armfield's Artful Purpose zine, provided by Kate, the Queen of Creativity.

Though I've heard so much about zines, I haven't really had much of an opportunity to check one out. I sat down and devoured it in one sitting!

Gina's focus was art journaling, and she included interviews with Juliana Coles, Deb Trotter, Nina Bagley, and Patty van Dorin. There were also lists of inspirational quotations and prompts, as well as her favorite art journaling supplies.

A fun read! I can see the appeal of zines.

Last, but certainly by no means least, I won a custom journal from Natty at Awkward and Beautiful.

She gave me a choice of covers, and I selected Gift from the Sea.

She also let me decide if I wanted her to include some interesting papers in the journal along with the mixed media paper (yes!).

Finally, she let me know that she would include collage materials, and she let me choose whether I wanted something thematic, or just a random fun selection of things (random, please!).

What a generous giveaway!

I suppose, statistically-speaking, it was only a matter of time for me to win something, but--wow!--what a fun streak this has been!

What's New from Studio 791

2011-10-16T18:33:00.000-04:00

Everything!

Very recently, I decided to give an "official" name--Studio 791--to my creative endeavors, before participating in a holiday bazaar in November.

Over the course of a few posts, I thought I would share some of the things I will be selling at the craft show. I have collaged birdhouses, embellished bottles, all kinds of cards, holiday gift tags, magnets, tag books, framed collages--all sorts of varied goodies with the hope of offering something of interest to everyone who comes by!

There are actually several pieces that are not technically "new"--things I crafted over the past couple of years just for fun, without any clear plans for selling them. Now that the bazaar is happening, I think it's time to find them a good home.

For example, here is the front of one of the birdhouses I will have for sale. I used Diamond Dust on the rooftop to give it a little bit of a wintry look. The text page you see on the left there is a piece of handwritten text from the 1850s, part of a great find from an auction several years ago:

And here are the other two sides of the same birdhouse, collaged with many of my favorite things: maps, text pages, music scores, photos, and stamped images:

Here's another birdhouse I will have available at the bazaar:

And the back:

It doesn't suit my usual style, but I really love pom-pom fringe! And I love the color of that flower, which is just a magazine image, but makes a huge impact on the back corner of the house.

I am also going to try to sell my Christmas tag canvas:

I love each of the individual holiday collages on each of these tags.

I am also putting my embellished vintage bottles in the sale:

I have made tons of magnets. Some are little collages on wood pieces, and some are even smaller collages showing through from the back of accent gems:

I also have an on-going love affair with Scrabble tiles, and have made a number of different fun magnets from them:

I also have some pieces made from Scrabble tiles set onto Scrabble racks. They can be used as magnets, too, or simply as shelf decor:

One thing I am learning as I share my work and think about offering it for sale is that I could definitely benefit from improving my photography skills! There is a big difference between trying to capture cute snapshots of your kids for a photo album, and trying to capture a piece of artwork or a craft item to the best effect!

I have many, many more things to share with you that will be available for sale at the Mom-Hosted Holiday Bazaar on November 11. Stay tuned for future Studio 791 posts!

What do you think? Do you see anything here that you like?

Harry Potter Days

2011-10-15T15:17:00.000-04:00

What better way is there to spend a gorgeous, sunny, windy fall day than to celebrate Harry Potter Days?

We took the girls (who have no idea who Harry Potter is, by the way) to Chestnut Hill in Philadelphia to enjoy this special weekend event. It was "open to Muggles," but the streets were filled with little wizards in black robes and yellow/burgundy striped scarves.

The absolute highlight for me was meeting Boo, Hedwig's sister, outside Stagecrafter Theater.

What an amazing creature!

She is 9 pounds, but can lift three times her weight with her talons. She is 12-years old, and has been with her owner since before the age of 1. And her life expectancy is 50 years, so as this falconer said, they will grow old together.

The falconer lives in the Catskills, and apparently has several different birds, which she takes hunting around where she lives. What a different way of life that would be!

We also visited the Hay Maze at Woodmere Museum, but were too cheap to pay the $8 per person tickets, so we just hung out on the periphery.

Ahh, the joys of having 2- and 3-year olds who don't know any better! (Well, truth be told, Katy was a little put out at not being able to enter the maze, but she enjoyed the giant sofa, chair, and coffee table made of hay off to the side, just the same!)

What have YOU enjoyed on this gorgeous fall day?

Introducing: Studio 791!

2011-10-13T11:52:00.003-04:00

I am excited to announce that I will be participating in my first ever craft show in just a few short weeks!

Participating meant that I needed to create a business name for myself, so I have decided on Studio 791, a reference to my address, since my home also serves as my studio space.

My friend Melissa sells products for Tastefully Simply, and holds a small annual gathering of friends with similar types of businesses at her home. This year, she found more and more friends who were interested in participating, so she found a space to accommodate a larger group.

My friend Jen suggested to her that I might want to be involved too, so Melissa invited me to join in. I have been wanting to participate in this sort of holiday bazaar for a year or two now, but this was the push I needed to finally throw in my hat!

We are setting up our wares at Ashbridge Manor, located at 971 East Lancaster Avenue, in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. If you are anywhere near the area, I would love for you to come by to our Mom-Hosted Holiday Bazaar. It will be held Friday, November 11, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

We are each serving either snacks or wine at our table, so there is an additional incentive to attend!

Here is a list of the vendors, with links to their web sites where available:

Melissa Auvil- Tastefully Simple www.tastefullysimple.com/web/mauvil
Meredith Roddy- handcrafted jewelry http://www.meredithjoydesigns.com/
Kelly Hornak- Scentsy https://khornak.scentsy.us/Buy/SetupPrompt
Jen Ward- Babee Crafts www.babeecrafts.etsy.com

Kristen Hudgens- (represented by Melissa Auvil)- Lovely Little One (handcrafted baby goods, find on facebook)

Jennifer Pontzer- Elephants on Parade (handcrafted bows) www.peanutsaccessories.blogspot.com

Danielle Jaszczak- Creative Memories scrapbook supplies http://www.mycmsite.com/sites/dsj
Jennifer Snyder- Thirty-One www.mythirtyone.com/JenSnyder
Kimberly Polidori- The Smiling Door- Handmade front-door arrangements

Tiffani Baker- Tiffani A-Z- Antiques and used items

Andria Kaskey- Studio 791- http://andria-drawingnear.blogspot.com/
Kristen Blankmeyer- Stampin' Up!- www.krisblankmeyer.stampinup.net

Over the next week or two, I will share with you some of the items I will be selling at the event.

Every one of you who visits this blog supports me and Studio 791, and I thank you for that!

In-Coming and Out-Going Mail

2011-10-11T15:37:00.000-04:00

In August, F.M. of La Wendula was kind enough to send me some vintage library catalog cards when I expressed interest in them through her blog. She expressed to me her interest in the Amish (a community not far from where I live, west of Philadelphia) as well as tissue paper as an art supply. As a thank you for her gift to me, I sent her an Amish cookbook (thanks to one of my church friends who was willing to "thin out" her collection!) and a stack of pretty tissue papers. I sent the goodies in this envelope, decorated front and back:

[prior to adding our addresses to the front]

[back]

Each month, F.M. hosts a paper swap for interested participants. I signed up for the month of September, and swapped with Anne Marie, a fiber artist in Toronto.

I didn't take a photo of the loot I sent along to Anne Marie, but I did photograph the envelope:

[front, with covers over our addresses]

[back]

And here is a photo of the great collection of papers, fibers, fabric paper, punchinella, and other treats I received in Anne Marie's package. It is truly amazing what fits in one envelope!

Some closer-up shots:

I encourage you to participate in one of F.M.'s swaps if you are interested in getting some fun surprises in the mail, and having a chance to work with some materials that you would be unlikely to acquire on your own. It's kind of fun to put yourself "at the mercy" of another artist, to see what kinds of things she chooses to share with you!

Rubber Stamp & Paper Arts Festival

2011-10-09T20:40:00.001-04:00

My friend Sue and I made one of our twice-annual pilgrimages to rubber stamp and paper heaven yesterday, attending an Heirloom Productions festival in York, Pennsylvania.

We've been to York before, but somehow both forgot just how long it takes to drive out there. It took us a full three hours to get there, and two-and-a-half to get home. Add to that four hours of fabulous crafty shopping at 27 vendors, and we put in quite a day!

It helped a little that I do not use unmounted stamps, and that I don't have a die cut machine. That meant that there were whole sections of the booths that didn't really apply to me.

I went in figuring that I wouldn't buy too many wood-mounted rubber stamps, since I have several here at home that I haven't even used yet. Silly me; I left the show with 12 new ones. Argh!

(Someone please tell me why I keep buying Halloween stamps! I don't even like that holiday very much, and it's not like we are all sending Halloween cards to each other. Probably the most impractical thing in the world, but I get swept up in the moment!)

I also found some great papers for card- and tag-making, including two beautiful paper pads from 7Gypsies:

My favorite booth was Invoke Arts. They had a lot of Tim Holtz products, and stamps, ephemera, and other supplies that suited my style better than most of the vendors.

I picked up what they call "journaling tickets" and "adage tickets," which I just couldn't resist.

Besides the fantastic shopping opportunities, we enjoyed watching attendees doing the Make 'n Takes, and the vendors demonstrating their products and designs.

At the end of the day, Sue and I remembered to pose with our loot:

I think we both came home energized and full of new ideas for our creative projects!

Here's hoping you enjoyed a happily crafty weekend!

Journal Cards: My New Favorite Thing

2011-10-05T14:34:00.000-04:00

Over the past week or two, I've been making something that I am calling "journal cards."

At their base is regular off-white cardstock. On top are three layers of different papers--musical scores, foreign language text pages, dictionary entries, and/or decorative papers.

These four layers are then stitched on my sewing machine, usually using either a zigzag or honeycomb stitch in a thread color that highlights the papers in some way.

You can "flip" through the pages, and find areas to write and draw in to personalize a message for your recipient.

These little babies are my new favorite thing!

They have everything I love--interesting papers, the effect of a collage, stitching. Delicious!

I call them journal cards because in my vision, a person would not only write a message, but attach a photo or include a quotation or add some interesting hand lettering or an excerpt of text they want to share. The multiple pages allow it to be so much more than just a card.

I am curious as to how broad their appeal might be. Maybe it's a little too quirky for some, or people might wonder how they are supposed to fill up all the space. For anyone who likes to keep a journal--especially an art journal--I think it would be pretty simple to dream up ways to personalize them.

So, now here is confession time: The idea for these cards came from a listing I saw on Etsy not long ago.

I was browsing the "paper goods" section, just enjoying the sights. Later that same day, I made my first journal cards. After I made them, I wondered how close they came out to the Etsy listing that had inspired them in my mind.

I spent three days, going through thousands of Etsy listings, and could never track down the original source of my inspiration.

If you run across something similar to these, please let me know. I have no idea in retrospect what the seller called her version of these, or whether mine look just like hers or completely different. I just know that after browsing through various projects, the thing that stuck in my head led to my new favorite thing!

Why did I make so many of these journal cards? Well, that announcement will need to wait for another post...

Altered Rolodex Cards

2011-10-01T15:22:00.000-04:00

One of the highlights of becoming a Curriculum Coordinator in my school district ten years ago (a job I did for four years) was ordering all kinds of fun office supplies for my desk, including a rather important-looking Rolodex to keep vital phone numbers at my finger tips.

Never mind that it never held more than ten filled cards, and never mind that it was pretty much already obsolete, since everyone else was already using more technologically-advanced "address books."

Imagine my delight to discover that altered Rolodex cards have become a "thing" in the world of art I love to follow.

I don't remember how I first stumbled upon Patty Van Dorin's blog, but it was there that I first saw the most deliciously altered Rolodex cards, which she refers to as a "Scrapodex."

From her site, I found Brian Kasstle's altered Rolodex cards, along with Karenann Young's work. The design and detail in their small Rolodex collages were amazing. And inspiring.

I found an inexpensive Rolodex at Staples, and after staring at it on my desk for several months, I ventured to create some altered Rolodex cards of my own.

I found it more difficult than I thought it would be. After all, it isn't as small of a canvas as an inchie, which involves handling pretty tiny pieces. And it isn't as large as a collaged art journal page, which can involve a lot of considerations regarding content and composition.

I think I was trying to make it more difficult than it needed to be. I think I was putting more pressure on myself than strictly necessary. I fell back on using quotations on the cards in order to include meaningful text. And while I like the result, I wasn't really looking to make another project for keeping favorite quotations at hand.

I have been watching artist April Cole have fun with her Rolodex creations, and I am planning to "revisit" the project later when my mind is less cluttered with other pursuits.

Altering Rolodex cards has everything about it that I enjoy: small size, almost instant gratification, collage (my favorite form of play), and now a community that loves to swap them with one another. What's not to love?

Wishing you a creative, artful weekend!

Show & Tell

2011-09-27T10:59:00.000-04:00

Today's post is a Show & Tell of art!

First, I want to share a beautiful Frida Kahlo postcard I received from artist April Cole at the beginning of this month:

Be sure to visit her web site, where she shares her beautiful art all week long, and posts great links to other sites every Friday.

Yesterday, I received an original art canvas from Chris, of Parabolic Muse. She also sent an adorable little bottle filled with tiny beads, and a book of gold leafing sheets to experiment with.

What a generous and talented blogging friend she is!

I have put my art journaling aside for the most part, in favor of some other creative pursuits. But I thought I would share the two pages I have done in the past couple of months.

First, when I engaged in the craft stash swap with Janet, she suggested swapping an art journal page as part of our packages. At first, never having created an art journal page to give to someone else, I panicked and figured I would never be able to do such a thing.

Almost immediately, though, I got to work and had a great time creating this page for Janet:

I had read Lisa Bebi's article "Stitchy Chix" in Volume 4 of Artists' Cafe: Best of Somerset Studio Art & Design. She paints magazine images of women with gesso and various colors of acrylic paint. She then cuts them out, adheres them to cardstock, and adds freeform stitching with a sewing machine. So that's what I did here, and I really like the effect!

I added a different face, a butterfly headpiece, and used plastic lids and a handcarved swirl stamp to add details to the page. Then I journaled about the changing of seasons to fall, and added a quotation:

And here is the second journal spread I wanted to share:

I had the blue and green background painted in my journal, but didn't really love the effect. After I covered it with black Sharpie swirls, lines, circles, and words, I like it quite a bit more!

I was always a fan of Show & Tell back in elementary school, and I think I enjoy the blog version just as much!

Wishing you an artful week!

Discovering the Clover Market

2011-09-25T22:01:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday, in addition to finding a Paper Source within an easy drive from my home, I discovered a lovely place called the Clover Market.

The organizers describe the market as "an upscale vintage outdoor market...featuring original art, antiques, vintage jewelry & clothing, artisan crafts, and handmade items." In other words, my ideal browsing destination!

The vendors all take real care when setting up their booths, in order to make their vignettes interesting and their merchandise accessible to their customers.

Half the fun was checking out how items, as well as prices and other information, were displayed.

One of my first stops was to visit my friend Jen, who in addition to being a full-time high school English teacher, mother of two boys under three, writer of two blogs, and owner of an Etsy store called Babee Crafts, finds time to represent her hand-crafted baby items at markets, shows, and bazaars!

(If I ever find out her secret for juggling all these roles--and doing them all so WELL--while maintaining an admirable level of good humor and a relaxed vibe, I will definitely share it with you!)

Some of the vendors included:

--antiques and vintage items for the home--

--architectural salvage--

--purses and other fabric items--

--jewelry--

--paper crafts--

My mother was here for the weekend when I visited the market. That made my browsing even more fun, because we have always been VERY in-synch shoppers. We may not love exactly the same things, but we appreciate what the other enjoys. And we're ALWAYS ready for lunch at the very same time!

Here's my mom looking at some hand-sewn aprons for adults and children. Whenever I see sewn items like this--aprons, table runners, tote bags, placemats, pillows, you name it!--I think of how my mother could create an amazing inventory for a market like this. If we lived closer to one another, I think there would definitely be some mother-daughter craft show appearances in our future!

Paper, Tape, and Clothespins

2011-09-23T15:06:00.000-04:00

Paper Source came to Ardmore, Pennsylvania, over a year ago, and I just found out about it last Sunday!

I visited the Paper Source in Alexandria years ago, drooling over rolls upon rolls of gorgeous papers, yummy stationery, and unusual rubber stamps.

Their Suburban Square location is just as dreamy!

Their prices are a little steep, so I held myself back, but came away with a few new items:

Their gorgeous paper sheets cost anywhere from $2.50 to $9 or more. I steered clear of the super-expensive racks, and shopped in the "under 5" areas!

I also couldn't resist a super-overpriced set of paper tape:

Yes, it was $17.95, but when you've got to have it, you've got to have it!

I discovered that the two thinnest rolls of tape are the same width as a clothespin, so I immediately embellished the pins that hold postcards to a length of string on my inspiration board:

Easiest "how-to" ever: Just cut a length of paper tape the same length as the clothespin, and stick it one, rubbing well to adhere completely.

What a quick and simple way to completely upgrade the look of things!

(See all those beautiful postcards from my various swap friends? They've all been blogged about before, so check out the "art swaps" topic link in the left column of my blog to learn more about them!)

Paper Source has a pretty nifty blog, too, which I just discovered this morning, so check it out for all kinds of paper projects and inspiration.

I might be in trouble (but very happy!) with a new Paper Source so nearby!