GIFTS WITH HEART!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today is the official launch of my newest project: Gifts With Heart! There could not be a better day to start this adventure. Two months ago, December 14th 2012, the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut rocked that community, our country and the world. There is no making sense of such an unthinkable day. For me, as the numbness and shock slowly wore away I was left with an overwhelming sadness. But as sad as I was, I still had my own children and so very much to be grateful for.

Slowly, even in the worst of times, life continues. Kids go back to school, errands need done, bills need paid...and so it goes. I have not been able to stop thinking about the parents, families and friends who live in Newtown and how hard it would be to continue - to be forced to find a "new normal." The need for support, counseling, time and love is huge. No one, let alone an entire community, just moves on without obstacles. I wondered what could I do?? I am one person; just a mom who lives on the opposite side of the country with no direct link to Connecticut. But a recurring thought kept coming back to me - "We can't do it all, but what if we all did a little?"

With that thought in mind I decided to take a baby step in the right direction. Do what I can now, within my abilities and hopefully it will be one more drop to help fill up someone else's cup. And so Gifts With Heart was born! Available on Etsy, all proceeds from Gifts With Heart will go to causes close to my own heart, beginning with the United Way of Western Connecticut, Sandy Hook Fund. There is no end date...just when it feels right.

I hope you will visit Etsy and I invite you to check back as there will be new items going up regularly as well as featured artists who are pitching in the help make a difference. I am excited about this...and a bit nervous. It won't produce millions but I believe whole heartedly that no matter what, it all adds up! Lets remember those 26 beautiful souls as we reach out to those they left behind by giving Gifts With Heart.

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Today's Gratitude

I usually post an inspirational/meaningful quote for Today's Gratitude. But today I just want to enjoy the moment. Soak it in. Experience this beautiful fall weather and be thankful. These are some of the amazing views I am graced with on my way home each day. I just love it. I hope you all are having a wonderful day too.

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Today's Gratitude

"Dreams are the touchstones of our character."

- Henry David Thoreau

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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!

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Mixed Media Journal

MY INSPIRATION JOURNAL...


Mixed media art is everywhere and my addiction is growing! My friend Renea' is an awesome paper artist and after months of oogling and wishing, we took the plunge and decided to give mixed media journals a whirl. With her support and a few supplies I bravely stepped away from my sewing machine to try out our new craft.

But where to begin??

There are tons of amazing project examples on the internet and in magazines but I was still lost and not even sure if I had what I needed to get going. (I didn't even know that Gesso existed, or how to pronounce it for that matter.) Fortunately for me I came across Ashley at lilblueboo.com during my search. If you wanna be completely, overly, stupendously amazed at the crafting ability of a single human being I highly suggest you check out her site. And, again, I say WOW!

We chose her "composition book art journal" example to get us going and took it from there! Renea' dove in like a mad woman while I took a slower approach. (I'm still afflicted with flashbacks from grade school art class where it was painfully obvious a master painter I did not make!).

Some tools of the trade.



Doodle artist Traci Bautista's brand of mod podge.


So, half a glass of wine and a few loose directions later, I let myself be seduced by the no-rules approach to slapping on mod podge, colored paper, paint and whatever else tickled my fancy. I've kept a written journal for years and decided I wanted to make an Inspiration Journal; a place where I can put favorite quotes or images that inspire me and insights I want to remember and look back on later. These journals take time so instead of powering through I decided this will be a great project-in-progress. No pressure and I can apply different techniques to new inspirational ideas as they come along. I figured since it's for me and me alone I could let go of worrying about whether it actually looks like a first grader made it (besides, some of those kids are crazy good!!).

Here are some humble beginnings and I will be sure to share new pages and fun things to try as they come along. I'm excited to see how my journal grows. Hope you like it and maybe decide to try one of your own!




My first flower doodle. The ladies were printed from Stampington's inspirational quote of the week email and the big flower was outlined and painted from craft paper. I love how the typed lettering torn from a vintage dictionary and my writing add a layered look from under the paint.



This tag was soaked in coffee to age it, painted and covered in glossy mod podge. I love the loose texture of the ribbon.



The page as a whole.

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