Today's Gratitude

"Everyone has inside of her a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish!

And what your potential is!"

 – Anne Frank

Pin It

Gone Camping!!

Will return late next week!!!! Keep on creating!

Pin It

Sweet Serendipity

I just happened across the exact piece of furniture I'd been wanting for fabric storage. My fabric was taking over and this deepest heart's wish came to me - free! My sweet husband did a lot of handy work to get it home, up our stairs (set on a corner of course!) and into place for his crazy wife. Did I mention I had to call in my brother to bring a second truck to get the top half home because ours was already full?? Right place, right time, wonderful guys with trucks who apparently love me!

What could make a girl feel more special??!!

More  pics to come when its all comfy in its new home.

Pin It

Project 12 - Week 1

This week was a busy one! Lots going on with the family so I was determined to get my 12 minutes and am proud to say I did! I was in the mood to play in my art journal which lends itself very well to small bits of time. My BIG PROJECT of the week was cleaning the studio! It feels great in there now and I am excited to get going on purses for the market this summer!

Day 1: Preparing journal pages...not super exciting but must be done in order to go forward.

Day 2: Slapping some Gesso and paint on there!

Used this cool utility tape from Lowe's for some texture. My friend Renea' gave me some to use and I don't even claim to know the actual purpose for it.

Day 3: Adding some Sharpie doodles and stamps. Starting to think a lot about getting to visit Paris this fall!

Day 4: Renea' and I geeked out on some serious You Tube craft videos and saw a super cool way to fancy up a picture. This is junk mail I had snagged from work!

Tore off the face and Collage Pauged it to the page.

Then Gesso'd over it.

After the Gesso dried I used oil pastel crayons to redo her look.

She might be a little intense (my son says creepy! HA!) but in my not so highly traveled mind I think she actually looks a little French!

Days 5 and 6 were spent painting the purse I shared in my last post and day 7 consisted of me in a ball on the couch surrounded by magazines, scissors and a box of fabric scraps....NOBODY wants to see that! Ha ha! But seriously, this week was a perfect example of taking a little time for something I really want/need to do and how much better I feel when I have even the smallest of outlets! On to week 2!

Pin It

Happy Hearts, New Purses!

Heart Update! Our family is full of happy hearts and my Dad is doing well. We are all thankful for our great news!

This is my newest project. Kinda hard to tell from the picture but its a purse. I love this print and decided it would be a great candidate for an original (re)design. I got out my teeny tiniest brush and went to work with some acrylic paint. The color really pops and the lady in the swing seems even more beautiful. This first side was one of my Project 12 endeavors!

(I'll update you more on that later in the week!)

I still have the other side to go but had to allow for some drying time. Painting on fabric is FUN!



Pin It

Hearts on My Mind

Recently as I was putting away some of my art journal mess I noticed a bit of string had curled itself into a perfect heart. I placed it on the page in the same way. Its a little poignant today as my Dad is dealing with some health issues and I've been spending a lot of time the last few days thinking about happy, healthy hearts!

Hopefully all will be well and we will know more soon but waiting is never fun. Take a second today and hug somebody you love, look around and maybe, just maybe you'll find a happy heart where you least expect it!

Pin It

The Power of 12 - A Project

Okay, so the number 12 has been floating around in my life lately. I know, its sounds a little cosmic but just hear me out!

I recently finished a 12-week running clinic. I went from running one minute to running 20 minutes at a time - over the course of 12 weeks. I kept at a steady routine that slowly built itself into something I am really proud of. And now that I can run for 30 minutes at a time I am left to wonder - what else is possible? Or, for the sake of this project:

What is the power of 12??

A friend who has become a Take Shape For Life coach recently put a quote on Facebook about twelve and it was the spark that got me thinking. Here is the quote:

"It takes 4 weeks for you to notice your body changing, 8 weeks for your friends to notice, and 12 weeks for the rest of the world to notice. Give it 12 weeks. Don't quit."

When I thought back about running I knew this to be true but I realized this strategy can be applied so many other places - especially creativity! Hence, my summer project.

THE POWER OF 12!

Life is busy and if you are like me often the things you really want to do...your heart's desires...get put last on the list for various reasons. So I propose two challenges!

First Challenge: Pick 12 things you want to accomplish - big or small. Anything from organizing the closet that is mentally draining every time you walk past it to tackling the quilt you've been meaning to start for the last five years (this is one of mine!), starting an art journal or reorganizing your socks. Then write one on the calendar for each of the next 12 weeks and allow yourself to face these projects head on instead of letting them continue to clutter your mind. (Notice I said START a quilt, as opposed to making a quilt in a week....not a possibility in my schedule). Keep it fun and inspiring - not all the projects need to be heavy, and if one sounds more doable than the one you have written down for that week allow yourself the luxury of rescheduling!

Second Challenge: YOU TIME!! For the next 12 weeks you are committing yourself to something YOU want to do for 12 minutes a day! Read, sew, draw, take pictures, walk, whatever is your heart's desire! For me it is working in my studio on various projects. Even the busiest of people can find 12 minutes sometime during the day. Then, no matter what's going on we have done something for ourselves, even if its been only 12 minutes. And if we are lucky enough to have longer then by all means go for it! Often I may have the time but struggle with getting in the zone so my 12 minute commitment may be the tool to get me in the right frame of mind.

Mark your calendar for the end of your 12 weeks and look back on what you've accomplished. You will be shocked at how a little mindfulness has added up for the better! This is not about perfection - its about making time for the heart and clearing some mental clutter - you can't go wrong!

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Please let me know via comment or email what you are up to and how its working out. I will be posting weekly updates to hold myself accountable to you all! Lets make this a creative, inspiring, freeing summer! Good luck!

Pin It

Kid's Recycle Art

The other day, as I was blissfully sewing my heart out, my son wandered into the studio (fancy term for crazy, messy sewing room!) and asked if he could paint a random piece of cardboard I had left on a table. I said sure, figuring since his little sister was actively pulling everything out of her closet one calm kid out of two wasn't bad!

He started with a junky drip catcher and I noticed his technique was collage-like, which was sweet seeing as how he had just been looking through my art journal.

I went back to what I was doing and was so excited when he showed me his final project! I've had an empty, wooden Goodwill frame just sitting around that I've been trying to figure out what to do with and wouldn't you know it - it fit like a glove!

I sealed the picture with matte Collage Pauge and slipped it into the frame. Its now the main work of art in our bedroom and I just LOVE it!



Pin It