Sunday, May 29, 2011
My Inspiration Journal princess page...
I did a page using an old photo of Maddy for my Inspiration Journal this week and I'm so happy with how it came out!
Friday, May 27, 2011
My Inspiration Journal
I've been following Donna Downey's blog (Donna's blog) for a while now and each Wednesday she shares a new page from her Inspiration Journal and a video showing how she created it. At the moment I am going through a transitional phase in my life and love the idea of using art to help me through this process. I bought one of Donna's blank canvas books while I was at the Inspired event and I've done two pages so far. While I'm finding my groove I am following Donna's style fairly closely. Once I get comfy with my inner artist it will be interesting to see what comes out! For now though, it's great to learn process, while I process :)...
Friday, May 20, 2011
The Roswell Incident...
I had a special surprise in the mail today. The girls I met at Inspired had decorated one of the canvases I left behind with personal messages and sent to me in the mail! It totally made my day - how sweet! Here are my 'hugs on a canvas'...Thank you ladies:)
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Inspired!
I had such an unbelievably amazing time at 'Inspired' - Donna Downey's Art Retreat in Charlotte, NC. It was a birthday gift for my 40th from Michael and a complete surprise. I have no idea how he knew that I really wanted to go and it actually made me cry when he told me I was going :). Inspired is a 4-day event with workshops covering a wide variety of different arts and crafts. All instructors are really well-recognized in their respective fields and the classes were small enough to get individual one-on-one instruction with these incredible women too. As soon as I arrived I was greeted by Donna and her husband Bill as if I was a long-lost friend! They are so incredibly friendly and made me feel so welcome:). I have been following Donna's 'Inspiration Wednesday' videos on her blog forever and it was great to see the actual finished products. I bought a blank Inspiration journal so that I can start one of my very own ;).
We were given a goodie box when we checked in and giveaways throughout the event. I only just made the baggage weight requirement on the flight home I had so much stuff! I loved my handmade nametag and apron the best:)
My first workshop was with Christy Tomlinson (Christy's blog here). I was really excited about this one since I love her work and have been wanting to create a 'proper' multi-media collage forever. I was thrilled with my creation in the end and wanted my first piece to reflect my gratitude to my husband for everything...
The following morning we had class with Trish Baldwin (Trish's blog here) to play with wax.
Encaustic is an area I know nothing about which was pretty apparent in my end result! I 'threw my dolly out of the pram' a bit and actually disposed of my piece because it was so rubbish and everyone around me seemed to be creating masterpieces. So childish. Ironically, in the end I think I learned my most important creative lesson in this class, i.e. to let go and try new things with an open and positive spirit. I realize now that just because something isn't comfortable at first doesn't mean you won't learn to love it and create something amazing:). The next class was jewelry making with Becky Nunn (Becky's site here). I learned a bunch of new techniques to get a more profession-looking result and got the opportunity to play with products like Gel Du Soleil...
At dinner, Donna had everyone sing 'Happy Birthday' and congratulate me on my recent 15K. Donna has been such a running inspiration for me since she completed her Half Marathon so it was very special coming from her:).
The next morning we printed onto canvas and fabric with Alisa Burke (Alisa's blog here).
It was really good to get messy and let go :). I thought about how well Michael must know me now to have booked this trip and remembered the House of Blues where we met...
In the afternoon we worked with Lolly (Lolly's blog here) to make a fabric tree picture on canvas. I felt ready to get a bit more 'creative' and make something different in this class. I decided on an owl to serve as a reminder that one of the (few) upsides to aging is acquiring wisdom:). Hot-gluing jute on to the canvas required a massive amount of patience (not exactly my best attribute), so after 4 hours of literally blistering my fingertips with hot glue and nearly losing my ever-loving mind, it was so exciting to have a result that was truly my own :).
At Tracie Lampe's class (Tracie's Etsy store) we learned how to fuse plastic together to make purses. I love the idea that you can create from trash and help the planet a little ;)...
Into this...:)
I think in the past I have considered art as primarily a solitary activity. Creating in groups was a total eye-opener for me so now I'm following some blogs to stay up-to-date with both events like this and local gatherings also so that I can continue to create in this way.
All of these ladies were so creative and I learned so much from each of them. Brenda for example had painted a case to bring her art supplies in. She was featured in the latest edition of Art Doll magazine and it was the first time she had even submitted a piece!
I haven't done anything like this before and found it a bit intimidating at first since all of the ladies I met were so creatively talented:). However I can honestly say that every single person I met was really friendly and aside from learning so much from my classmates we had a lot of fun too. It seemed like I laughed from the minute I got there to the minute I left! Learning and laughing - two of my favorites :) Thank you ladies, thank you teachers, thank you Donna and thank you Michael for an amazing, inspirational experience that I will never forget...
We were given a goodie box when we checked in and giveaways throughout the event. I only just made the baggage weight requirement on the flight home I had so much stuff! I loved my handmade nametag and apron the best:)
My first workshop was with Christy Tomlinson (Christy's blog here). I was really excited about this one since I love her work and have been wanting to create a 'proper' multi-media collage forever. I was thrilled with my creation in the end and wanted my first piece to reflect my gratitude to my husband for everything...
The following morning we had class with Trish Baldwin (Trish's blog here) to play with wax.
Encaustic is an area I know nothing about which was pretty apparent in my end result! I 'threw my dolly out of the pram' a bit and actually disposed of my piece because it was so rubbish and everyone around me seemed to be creating masterpieces. So childish. Ironically, in the end I think I learned my most important creative lesson in this class, i.e. to let go and try new things with an open and positive spirit. I realize now that just because something isn't comfortable at first doesn't mean you won't learn to love it and create something amazing:). The next class was jewelry making with Becky Nunn (Becky's site here). I learned a bunch of new techniques to get a more profession-looking result and got the opportunity to play with products like Gel Du Soleil...
At dinner, Donna had everyone sing 'Happy Birthday' and congratulate me on my recent 15K. Donna has been such a running inspiration for me since she completed her Half Marathon so it was very special coming from her:).
The next morning we printed onto canvas and fabric with Alisa Burke (Alisa's blog here).
It was really good to get messy and let go :). I thought about how well Michael must know me now to have booked this trip and remembered the House of Blues where we met...
In the afternoon we worked with Lolly (Lolly's blog here) to make a fabric tree picture on canvas. I felt ready to get a bit more 'creative' and make something different in this class. I decided on an owl to serve as a reminder that one of the (few) upsides to aging is acquiring wisdom:). Hot-gluing jute on to the canvas required a massive amount of patience (not exactly my best attribute), so after 4 hours of literally blistering my fingertips with hot glue and nearly losing my ever-loving mind, it was so exciting to have a result that was truly my own :).
At Tracie Lampe's class (Tracie's Etsy store) we learned how to fuse plastic together to make purses. I love the idea that you can create from trash and help the planet a little ;)...
Here are some of Tracie's fabulous designs...
We actually turned this...
Into this...:)
I think in the past I have considered art as primarily a solitary activity. Creating in groups was a total eye-opener for me so now I'm following some blogs to stay up-to-date with both events like this and local gatherings also so that I can continue to create in this way.
All of these ladies were so creative and I learned so much from each of them. Brenda for example had painted a case to bring her art supplies in. She was featured in the latest edition of Art Doll magazine and it was the first time she had even submitted a piece!
I haven't done anything like this before and found it a bit intimidating at first since all of the ladies I met were so creatively talented:). However I can honestly say that every single person I met was really friendly and aside from learning so much from my classmates we had a lot of fun too. It seemed like I laughed from the minute I got there to the minute I left! Learning and laughing - two of my favorites :) Thank you ladies, thank you teachers, thank you Donna and thank you Michael for an amazing, inspirational experience that I will never forget...
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Big Cat necklaces
This was a really quick and easy project and Maddy loves her new Big Cat necklaces! First we bought these wood squares from Michaels, painted them in different colors and let them dry...
At first they look a little cloudy but the glaze dries clear over the next 24-48 hours...
Then we printed out pictures of Maddy's favorite big cats, cut them out, glued them to the dry wood squares and squeezed paper glaze (or diamond glaze) over the top...
At first they look a little cloudy but the glaze dries clear over the next 24-48 hours...
The pieces that we stuck on the back with hot glue to allow you to attach to a necklace are called bails apparently. Not sure why our Michaels doesn't carry them but we had to buy ours online from http://www.etsy.com/...
And here are the finished ones - Maddy loves them and has one to match every outfit!
Ring pull bracelets
Apparently there's a girl at Maddy's middle school that is suffering from bone cancer :(. Some of children in her class have gotten together to raise money for their friend's medical treatment. To do this they are selling bracelets they have made out of soda can ring pulls! Evidently they are selling like hot cakes (to boys and girls:)) and there's a huge line of kids at their makeshift sales booth which sells out every day! The bracelets are so cool and I can only imagine how proud the parents must be of their special daughters :)
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
I'M ACTUALLY GOING!!!!
This is the best birthday present I have ever had. It made me cry. Thank you Michael - I love you more than you know...
Inspired. Artist Workshop (details here!) is a four-day immersion in cross-genre art and crafting. Featured artist instructors share their vision and technique in an intimate, supportive environment, challenging students to expand their creativity through the exploration of new artistic methods and mediums. Donna Downey (who is not only my artistic she-ro but runs too! How cool!) is hosting the event and hand picks each artist instructor with the goal of sharing what she herself finds inspiring and current in world of art and crafting. With a focus on artistic process, the core workshop program gives you four hours with each of the featured artists for three-days of horizon-expanding instruction. You will also be able to choose from a variety of mini workshops to fill in the third day of your workshop experience.
Inspired. Artist Workshop is all about the experience of exploring the artist in you, as you step out and broaden your definition of personal creativity. The goal of the workshop is to feed your passion to create and express yourself through multiple mediums. All levels of crafters are welcome as the event celebrates the unique artistic vision each attendee brings with them.
Now I need to pack :)...
Inspired. Artist Workshop (details here!) is a four-day immersion in cross-genre art and crafting. Featured artist instructors share their vision and technique in an intimate, supportive environment, challenging students to expand their creativity through the exploration of new artistic methods and mediums. Donna Downey (who is not only my artistic she-ro but runs too! How cool!) is hosting the event and hand picks each artist instructor with the goal of sharing what she herself finds inspiring and current in world of art and crafting. With a focus on artistic process, the core workshop program gives you four hours with each of the featured artists for three-days of horizon-expanding instruction. You will also be able to choose from a variety of mini workshops to fill in the third day of your workshop experience.
Inspired. Artist Workshop is all about the experience of exploring the artist in you, as you step out and broaden your definition of personal creativity. The goal of the workshop is to feed your passion to create and express yourself through multiple mediums. All levels of crafters are welcome as the event celebrates the unique artistic vision each attendee brings with them.
Now I need to pack :)...
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