A little birdie told me...

What a stunning hand-made card arrived in my mailbox last week from a dear friend, we affectionally call Baby Chik.  This masterpiece is lovely enough to be framed and will perch in my art studio where it will brighten my day whenever I look that way.  Cathy is such a talented artist, and I was delighted with this sweet surprise.  Take a closer look at that darling nest made of threads, with paper clay eggs... simply adorable!  Thanks so much, Baby Chik, for making my day!

Anyone who knows me well, knows I am a fashionista for sure!  I made this fabric and paper art girl collage... using all neutral tones to achieve a vintage, shabby chic look.

Catherine Moore's paper doll art stamps served as my inspiration.  I have loved playing with Catherine's    designs for years.  They are just so delightful!

I've been "playing" with snippets on a free-style embroidery piece.  I adore this fabulous shimmer blend  ribbon floss.  I stitched the message below in a wonderful color called Picasso.

My favorite aspect of this project is using some great items from my stash, using them in new and unexpected ways... like a dandelion top made of scrunched up seam binding.

I just love bunnies and one had to be stitched, sitting in some grass made of that yummy shimmery floss.

New threads and funky ideas make for an exciting challenge... and one I look forward to meeting! 

Hand stitching again.

As August rolled in,  I put finishing touches on my Art Journalista visual journal.  What fun it was to complete those pages with all sorts of media tucked inside a re-purposed magazine.  After a day trip to "play" at Random Arts in Saluda several weeks ago, I was even brave enough to complete a page with an altered face.

I am anxiously awaiting Melody Ross' next online class- Brave Girl Art School.

The beginning of Melody's class is a few weeks away, so I decided to go in a different creative path for these late summer days.  One of the goals I have had for quite a while is to practice different hand embroidery stitches.  Embroidery is almost a lost art, but one that is such a part of our rich heritage.  One of my favorite artists/stitchers is Charlotte Lyons.  Charlotte has some beautiful samplers on her ETSY site, one of which is the Bluebirds Stitching Sampler.  I got one from her a while back, began stitching, then got sidetracked by life and other adventures.  So I picked it back up recently and really enjoyed completing it this week.

I had a pre-made canvas tote that I dyed a yummy greenish aqua color.  I made a funky shabby chic, ragged ruffle and attached some ball fringe on top.  It will be great to tote all kinds of things in.  

 I think the embroidery bug has bitten me, as I have ordered another of Charlotte's samplers. Her  LOVE-LY sampler has been redesigned for this year, and my initials will go inside the bubble where the date is on this one.  I'm learning so many fun new stitches... almost stitching in my sleep!  

Whatever your passion is...create something soon... it sure feels good!

Soft hues as July ends

As July ends,  my recent journal entries contain favorite, soft hues.  The page above is my favorite of the summer.  These white-washed colors are quintessential "baby jane".  What a profound quote here... "Don't go with the flow. You are the flow". Below is the companion page.

"Stand in your own space and know you are there."

I just love "drippage", too... especially using these delicious colors.

Layers, layers and more layers...

I am truly "free-motion stitching impaired", but still had fun with this guerilla sewing.

Change is hard... but is does help us move forward.

"The journey is what prepares our hearts for our dreams".  My dreams are in these delicious colors.

Yummmmmm.

Old Gringo love

For quite some time I have been lusting after a pair of OLD GRINGO boots.  I am a boot collector, loving every pair I own.  They are just the most fun accessory ever.  I swooned over a pair that I ordered last Christmas, but unfortunately they weren't a proper fit, so they had to be returned.   I had put these lustful thoughts on the back burner until just a few days ago.  I knew of a store about an hour or so away that carried this wonderful line of handmade boots.  So I called on the chance that they "might" be having a sale.  I was THRILLED to hear that many of the styles were indeed 40% off the original price.  So I dashed over yesterday afternoon, and had a grand time trying on so many gorgeous pairs.  I came home with these beauties and I am over the moon... hardly able to wait to wear them when it cools down just a bit.

Even the box they came in was oh-so-cool.

Another little "find" from yesterday's shopping was a darling pillow with an adorable blue bird... just perfect in my bedroom easy chair.  Can you tell I'm loving that hint of soft blue???

Another color I adore these days is this delicious tomato red... So thankful to great friends who have brought me these scrumptious beauties that I let fully ripen in my garden window. Even my "fake bunny friends" look like they want to take a big bite!  There is nothing in the whole world like a "real garden" tomato.  YUMMMMMMMMM...

I'm about to tear off the July page of my 2012 calendar.  Where has the summer gone???  Here's to a few more lazy steamy days, filled with drippy tomato sandwiches, sweet early morning coffees on the porch and other late summer pursuits.  The crisp winds of autumn are just weeks away. Ahhhh, life is so good, and lately it seems to go by so very fast.

Sparkle... Color... Collage...

Some days I get brave enough to try a simple sketch in my visual journal. "Sparkle and Shine" was inspired by a lovely dish towel given to me by my pal, Kristi.  I do adore chandeliers and thought it would be fun to sketch and glitter one in my journal.  That blue German glass glitter is just delightful.  

Lettering practice from Joanne Sharpe's class gave the impetus for this page.

I loved this quote on a magazine tear-out, and knew the message needed a permanent place in my book.

The magic of collage has endless possibilities.  I just love to cut, play, and paste away.

When I put this book together weeks and weeks ago, I included pockets, both horizontal and vertical.  Just love secret words and messages tucked inside envies and pockets.  The birdy and flowers are the designs of Teresa McFayden... soooooo cute.

Vintage postcards always appeal to my senses... so many thoughts about days gone by.  This one particularly reminded me of childhood times.  On this page I used a very cool pencil.  When you write, it looks like any other graphite pencil. When it is dampened, it turns to ink!  How cool is that???

There has been much sadness on the national scene lately.  I find it hard at times to keep a "clear lens" on life.  Taking time to meditate, write and make art helps me to keep "la vie claire"... the clear life.

Immersed in art journal "play"

It was sad when Teresa McFayden's Art Journalista e-workshop ended a few days ago.  After four weeks of art play and experimentation... I just couldn't stop when Teresa waved goodbye to us in the last video.  Her guidance was so inspirational, and a great springboard for page ideas.  When the class ended, I took a look at my journal... loving the pages we had created together.  My book had many blank pages left to fill... sooooooooo I decided to "show up" in my little art studio most days just to see what I could create.

As a mixed media artist, one collects a plethora of ephemera... so great to have on hand, but hard to keep organized and "corralled". If I can't find it,  I usually don't remember that I even have it.  With that thought in mind, I decided to have a major clean-out of all my stash...  The purge proved to be the impetus to moving in new paths, using different materials in various ways.

My pal, Kristi, mentioned using molding paste on lutradur.... so I just had to try the process on a pocket in my journal. Just yummy...

 While I was into the molding paste jar, I thought about trying to use it with another stencil on my ever-favorite scrim.   It turned out really great.

 I cut it into shards and used it on different pages as an accent.

Layered backgrounds have always been one of my favorite "looks".  After an image transfer and layers of stains, crayons and a bit of glitter, I loved the mood of this page.

As every artist knows, it's often really scary to look at the blank, white page.  I have found the best cure for this dilemma is to just get my hands moving... and then wonderful things often happen.

Getting the hands moving, while listening to one's longings is really all it takes.  Every page won't be perfection, but true growth will happen... and that is quite an accomplishment for me.

I hope you'll take some time to listen to your heart, and then spend some moments doing something you truly love.  

So glad to see the sun...

My roses and all my other flowers in the yard have loved the cooler days and showers we have had this week.  It was certainly a respite after a string of days above 100 degrees.  But today, the sun returned and I am basking in its glory.  

During some of the gloomier days, I stayed in my little art studio and played to my heart's content.  Here is my glittering art journalista... with all the things that inspire her...

Learning to use a new phone app with very cool fonts was also part of the fun. I was even snapping pictures of the banana pudding I made for our 4th of July cookout.

Combining the phone app altered pictures with washi tapes, sprays, doodles and a hidden pocket made for a new kind of journal page.  I always love hidden compartments and glimmer-misted tags...

One of my favorite spreads involved altered magazine pictures, and a nifty grid, sewn on with black thread...  This "dream cottage" feels like a perfect getaway... one could lose oneself in the visions.

Back to my own little cottage on Garrison... with two sweet pups by my side... Maybe we'll take a seat on the porch and rock a bit as the shadows fall... lovely indeed...