Blog Revamp

What is a blog without any comments?? I have been asking myself this lately. I am planning on revamping this blog.

This blogging thing certainly isn't easy at all. It feels a bit strange and a bit lonely to be posting things and not getting any feedback so I am thinking of new things to post about. If you are reading along let me know what you like to see in a blog.

In a recent mailing from Etsy they listed alot of great ideas, ideas I have known about: eye candy, contests, giveaways, posting often, posting things other then your work. On artist Sarah Ahearn's blog http://sarahearn.blogspot.com/ she posts a page from her sketchbook every week. I think that is great. I like seeing into others artists books. I also love to see works in progress. I know there are tons of blogs out there but I am just wondering what keeps you going back to your favorites. Then I ask myself what is the point in blogging? For me I want to connect with others: artists, buyers, sellers, designers, etc. Also, to get my work out there and to get me thinking of new things, to create, to post about. I think that a blog itself can a creative project for sure. One that will change just as the blogger does.

So if you have a second I would love to hear from you. And in the meantime I am dreaming up new things to share/post here.

Have a wonderful weekend!!

I put them on blue.

Tracing paper flowers

Making some little tracing paper flowers for a collage.

Sweet summer

Let the fun begin..

Feeling a bit glum and trying to do some fun things... Working in my moleskin sketchbook. My huband gave me some inexpensive opaque watercolors yesterday and I played around with them.

Today...

...My all white wreath made a treasury, then the Front Page!!! I missed seeing it by an hour. I am waiting to see if it shows up on Flickr. Then Hanna from Hanna's Life is Cool sent me a nice note about my wreath and posted it on her blog. Thanks Hanna. This was the second time for the white wreath to be on the FP and it is so exciting!! First, I am honored just to be included in a treasury among such wonderfully talented people and then to make it to the FP... it is so great :).

....I got to open up my new Moleskin watercolor journal and sketchbook. I am so behind on the discovery of these little books. Can't wait to start working in them. I had an idea today when I was outside with my kids. I had to fumble around in my car and bag for a pen and paper to jot it down, it would of been great to have my moleskin. So I think I will carry my sketchbook around at all times for when an idea hits or I see something that I have to record just then. So I say this but I don't know how realistic it is with two little ones. Chances are they will want to draw in it and all over it and my idea may just disappear. I will give it a shot and let you know how it goes.

...I hung out my clothes on our new clothes line.

....My husband had to rescue a baby robin that was either pushed out of his nest or fell out. I felt so bad for it.

Now available

Available in the shop... various papers used... alot were handpainted/dyed. All hand cut. Bright and cheery colorway!!

Sneak Peek

New wreath coming to the shop later today.

New art

Now in the shop

New artwork available soon

Painted Woven

I was sifting through things and came across this hand painted woven plaid from my days at F.I.T. It was so long ago. Things have changed so much. This took quite a long time to create and now it would be done on the computer and about 5 minutes with the ability to change to color even faster. I really love the computer and all the great design capabilities it comes with but I still think there is something to be said for the hand drawn/ hand painted work. I know it isn't practical or even desired in the business world anymore. Heck, I wouldn't want to be the one having to sit there and paint a gazillion new colorways. I do think this would be a great element in a painting/collage that I am going to explore further.

Hostas again

Finishing up some Hosta pieces... If you haven't already check out the latest issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors. The cover is gorgeous!! The art is by Melanie Testa. She did wonderful art journaling and was so inspiring. I am going to get a moleskin and some Pelikan paints!

Hostas

Working on a Hosta design.

Treasuries

It is always so nice to be included in a treasury. My all white wreath made it into two this week!! Thanks so much Erin and eclu!

Color Stories:Pear/Blue

My sketchbook today...

Working in my sketchbook is so theraputic to me. It is a place to play, try things out and knowing it doesn't have to be perfect. It is place to discover things for yourself. It is the best.
Yesterday afternoon and last night I played with color a bit. I LOVE color. When I was a textile designer color was such a huge part of my job. It was so important to get the color right. It can really make or break a design. So I painted stripes in colors that I enjoy and have been inspired by nature. I like the colors on the paper that I used to test my colors on better then the ones in my sketchbook. They are brighter and more vivid. Anyway it all makes me happy.

I also layered different papers and painted them all white as a base to paint on... to see how things would look. So I tried out different things to see what direction I want to go in for upcoming Nature Studies.

So after a very exhausting day with my little ones this is what relaxes me. What about you?
I am off to do something fun for myself.. my husband took my son out and my daughter is sleeping. Ahhh... quiet.

Today

Today I have so many things I have to do like... laundry, writing my grocery list and going shopping and cooking dinner. Those don't sound like big things but when you have a 3 1/2 yr. old and a 1 1/2 yr. old those things can take a long time to get done especially when we all have a cold.

Today there are also so many things I want to do like.... paint and draw in my sketchbook, mix colors, cut and paste. It is hard to do the things you want to do when there are so many things you have to do.

So we have been spending lots of time outdoors lately. The weather has been wonderful. My son just got his first two wheel bike with training wheels and he wants to ride all the time now. It is so cute to see how excited he is and how well he is doing. I took these pics (and many more) while riding around our neighborhood. There is so much inspiration in nature everywhere you look. I am going to start a new collection of collages titled NATURE STUDIES. That was a title of a course I took at FIT. We just drew from nature. It was great.

So what have you been seeing around your neighborhood? I encourage you to get out and take a walk and bring your camera and see what you can capture for inspiration. If you live in a city.. go to a park or just walk down the street and you will find tons of inspiration.

True Blue Wreath

Done

New Blooms

I dyed some coffee filters for a new wreath.
And this is the wreath so far... is it weird? I am not sure.

Martha Stewart Inspiration

I have been wanting to make some collages for awhile now and I found this in the current MSL the other day... I think it is more for furniture but I want to try some of these techniques on paper. I really miss painting. I need a whole night to just play with paint. When I was in college I took a class that was called textures and techniques and that was all we did!! So great. Miss it. So I think I am going to do a beach theme and maybe floral/leaves. I miss the beach. I haven't been in so long. Longing for that.