Organization for 2012

Just want to give you a peek into my studio and my organization system. 

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am a total STICKLER for organization. I love little cases and drawers and labels.

I've yet to find an old library card catalogue cabinet, but when I do, I'll be giddy with glee!

Here is one corner of my art studio. The gray filing cabinet on the right is from Ikea and holds mostly tools that I use  including different glues, scissors, scrapers, etc.

It's the white plastic drawer cabinet in the middle that I want to tell you about today...

I bought it from Target for somewhere around $50. The drawers are individual cases which have their own locking covers.
They are about 13"x13", so they hold even my larger papers...

I labelled them all with my fancy Dymo labeller.
Of course they are labelled according to the rainbow, in order: ROY G BIV, then brown and black/white at the bottom. 

Here is my brown case - you can see that each case contains scraps of all different media in differing shades of brown.
In this photo: fabric, wallpaper,  numbers, scrapbook paper...

...tissue paper, photo negatives, thin cardboard...

...magazine tear-outs, more scrapbook paper and wallpaper swatches...

...film negatives, more fabric, and a marvelous slice of agate.
All the brown tones are in this case.
And I have one drawer/container for each colour :)

This way, when something new comes into my hot little hands, I can file it right away in the right colour group to use later. 

Neat huh? And organized, too! Hop on over to Target and look for one for yourself!

In Honour of Winter...

I read this quote on Creative Every Day and I couldn't resist sharing it.

It makes me feel snuggly and dozy... *yawn*

"I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? 

And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt. 

And perhaps it says, "go to sleep, darlings,`til the summer comes again." 

- Lewis Carroll

Can you just imagine the soft pillows?

Happy Holidays!

As I depart for a much-needed 12 days off, I'll leave you with a nudge and a a sigh.

Nudge: Have you signed up for the International Mixed Media Postcard Swap yet?

Sigh: Look at this CRAZY CLEARANCE-PRICED Mandala duvet cover. Buy it. Now.

Happy Holidays, Lovelies.

WIWO Wednesday (on Thursday) - preparing my cards for the postcard swap

Have you registered for the International Mixed Media Postcard Swap yet? So far there are 6 countries participating. Is your country represented? Send me an email to enquire!

Here is a sneak peek of some experimenting that I'm doing in preparation for my cards. By using watercolor paints, black pen and my sewing machine, I'm pushing the term mixed media over the edge!

Journal Love

I'm absolutely salivating over the two new journals from Debra Cooper over at A Little Imagination and a Pile Of Junk.

Feast your eyes: http://www.debracooperart.com/a_little_imagination_and_/2011/12/a-tale-of-two-journals.html

Click on over to her etsy page for more details. :)

The Postcard Swap - It's As Easy As Eggnog Ice Cream!

Have you signed up for the International Mixed Media Postcard Swap yet?

What are you waiting for? You won't get your addresses until the end of January, so you'll have PILES of time to dream up and create some nifty postcards in your own style.

Email me (address is to the left!) with your name, mailing address and email address and you're in!

In the meantime, here is something to keep you warm, cool or just right over the holidays.

Check out this recipe for eggnog ice cream from Tom over at Tall Clover Farm.

I'm going to try it with light eggnog. Since the creaminess might not be there, it might work as well. But hey, for low-fat ice cream, I'll try anything!!

Also, you just HAVE to love instructions that consist only of "pour, turn machine on, eat."



Eggnog Ice Cream = YUM!



International Mixed Media Postcard Swap

Hello all you fine creative folk!

Today marks the launch for the 2012 International Mixed Media Postcard Swap!!!!

The basic idea:
- You will make 10 postcards in a mixed media format (don't be afraid - mixed media is a cinch! Keep reading...)
- You will receive 10 mailing address from me for other creative people just like you from around the world!
- You will send each of those ten people one of your handmade postcards.
- Then you will receive a handmade postcard from 10 other people from around the world!

Sound like fun? Then join us!


The rules:
The rules are easy, but make sure that you read through them and follow them! Remember, you have to follow through if you sign up! A real live person will be waiting for each of your postcards!!

1. Join the swap by sending me your information (full name, home address (including country!), email, and blog or website address if you have one). If you are missing ANY of this information or if I cannot contact you using the email address that you provided, I will consider you as not participating.

2. Last day to sign up day is January 20th, 2012!

3. Make 10 handmade postcards in a mixed-media style. Remember, "Mixed media, in visual art, refers to an artwork in the making of which more than one medium has been employed." That means that you can combine ANY types of art into your postcards! (Oh what fun!!!!! :D)

Here are some ideas to get you started:

- Photography and Ink
- Fabric and Watercolours
- Paint and Crayons (I *love* crayons!)
- Pencil Crayons and Ink
- Fabric and Photography
- Collage and Paint
- Scrapbook Style and Paint
- Embroidery and Ink
Use any or ALL of these combinations, or think of your own! The possibilities truly are endless!!!


4. After January 20th, I will email you 10 mailing addresses to send your cards to. They might be from across the city, across the country, or on the other side of the world because this swap is open for everyone!

5. Make sure that you fix the appropriate amount of postage, write a nice message, and then send your postcards "plain" or "hidden" in an envelope for protection depending on what you've made. (It’s up to you)! The deadline for sending your postcards is February 20th, 2012.

6. Tell your friends or grab this badge to put onto your blog, linking to this post! The more people we have participating, the more fun it will be! Spread the word; share a link to this page on Facebook or Twitter, write about the swap in your next blog post. Thanks for helping make this swap AWESOME!

7. Wait patiently for the snail mail to do its thing! You will be getting postcards from 10 different people around the world! How exciting!

Inspired yet? I sure am! I'm going to go start making my postcards right now!
 
*I'm taking a short break from blogging for Christmas, but I will still be glued to my email!

Send me your full name, mailing address, and email address to participate in the swap!

Our Big International Mixed Media Postcard Swap Starts TOMORROW!!

Wanna get a head start? Start making postcards using mixed media!

Wait a minute...what is mixed media? Simply put: any combination of art supplies used on the same piece of art.

Mixed Media: "A technique involving the use of two or more artistic media, such as ink and pastel or painting and collage, that are combined in a single composition."

Ink and Pastel. Painting and Collage. Photography and Ink. Crochet and Ink. Embroidery and Watercolour. Pastel and Felt Markers. Or get crazy and mix 3, 4, 5 of these together! The possibilites are endless!

Here is an example that I made today in my art journal using crayons and origami paper.

I absolutely love my Crayola Twistable Crayons!!

And here is another example using paint, old book pages (collaged together in the background), a felt marker and a feather:

Get the idea? If you have ANY questions, let me know in the comments section or email me!

Celebrating International Monkey Day (A Break From WIWO Wednesday)

It's true. Today is Monkey Day. And in order to celebrate Monkey Day, I'd like to share the following from the Monkey Day Official Website.

How do I celebrate Monkey Day?

 

In whatever monkey themed manner you deem appropriate. Dress in your favorite simian attire, talk like a monkey all day long, throw a monkey themed party, send some monkey greeting cards, draw a monkey comic, or perhaps give a monkey themed gift, or maybe even give to your favorite simian charity. (Do)whatever you find most appropriate without being arrested.

In honour of Monkey Day, I'd like to recognize monkeys around the world for their cuteness, their thumbs and for their unfortunate involuntary contributions to science.

Did you know that many monkey species are endangered? Have a look at this website to find out more about how man's closest living relative is on its way to extinction.

Did you know...

- a group of monkeys is referred to as a mission or a tribe?

- monkeys are sometimes used as service animals for the disabled (similar to seeing eye dogs)?

- the first monkey in space was Albert II who flew in the US-launched V-2 rocket on June 14, 1949?

- monkey brains are eaten as a delicacy in South East Asia, China, and Africa?

- the three monkeys in the proverbial "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" are named Mizaru, covering his eyes, Kikazaru, covering his ears, and Iwazaru, covering his mouth?

Long Hair Envy

There are some girls in my school who are re-inventing 80s hair. They're growing their hair out really long and then shaving one side. The result is long hair on one side, and 1/2" hair on the other side.

I'm not sure that I would do this, but man-oh-man it looks so awesome!!!

I'm having long hair envy lately.

I sometimes have dreams that I have long hair.

That I put my long hair into ponytails or buns or braids.

That I style my hair in a French twist for special events.

Growing my hair out would be a huge commitment. My hair is currently about 1.5" long and platinum blond.

The colour is fake - my natural colour is a homely, plain, mousy light brown.

If I were to grow my hair long, I would have to stop bleaching my hair out once a month (which damages it pretty badly). I would have to have darker hair, or at least darker than my natural hair colour.

I think that it would take me about 2.5 years to get my hair to a length that I would deem "long." If my hair grows 1/2" per month, that is 21" over 2.5 years.

With healthy trims in between, I would have an overall length of about 18".

It would flow down my back.

It would wave in the wind.

I could use a brush and make it shiny. 



"Long Hair Envy"



Would I love it? Absolutely!

Would it be a huge pain in the bum while it grows? Yup!

But most importantly, would I be able to run my fingers through it and twirl it?

*sigh*

Oh yes.

What's at the End of YOUR Rainbow?

Rainbows.    *sigh*     I loooooooove rainbows!

To me, rainbows have always been a mystical discovery. A rainbow is just like a sale at my favourite local art supply store: I never know when I'll see one, and when I do, it takes my breath away.




Watercolours in my art journal.

 

For all you science-types: A rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines on to droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere. It takes the form of a multicoloured arc. Rainbows caused by sunlight always appear in the section of sky directly opposite the sun.

And about that. I STILL remember Mr. Devereaux's grade eight science class and memorizing ROY G. BIV for a test...

In honour of hosting Rainbow Day on Daisy Yellow's "Building a Rainbow" project, I've decided to not only explore rainbows, but also the "just out of reach-ed-ness" theory of the pot of gold.

Have you ever tried chasing a rainbow to find the pot of gold?

I have found that by the time I find what appears to be the end of the rainbow, it has relocated to a few more blocks away. Or the magical moment has gone and rainbow has disappeared altogether. No matter how fast I drive and how carefully I track a rainbow, I have NEVER found the end of the rainbow.



Determined to find my own "pot of gold," I've been pondering what a pot of gold really is:

joy, excitement, wealth, surprise, magic

The most exciting realisation of all is that I have all of these things. I live in a lovely house with an completely adorable man and a cute-as-can-be kitten. I have a secure job that pays me a moderate wage. I keep myself excited by creating art every day with my sewing machine, in my art journal, or by designing new jewelry creations. And as for surprise, my romantic love keeps me on my toes with flowers for no reason, special messages and notes throughout the day, and new adventures for us to embark upon. I live the pot of gold.

This rainbow was fun; I cut squares of colour out of magazines and then arranged them into a cascading rainbow. The background was made using pencil crayons with a mossy green wash over top. Nice!



A new rainbow mandala in my art journal. I started with yellows in the centre graduating to the darker remaining colours of the swpectrum. Materials: finetip Sharpie and pencil crayons.



Coming Soon - Mixed Media Postcard Swap.

Contact me with your email and mailing address to be included or for more information.

Details will be posted this Friday!!!!!



Grey = Moody Melancholy

For today's instalment of Building a Rainbow, the colour is grey.

I found an awesome quote about a mirror, and I thought I would use it for grey since
a) mirrors are greyish and
b) mirrors rarely show us either the black or white of ourselves - there is always an analysis being done when we look into the mirror...

"There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it" - Edith Wharton

I studied Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth in university, so when I saw her name I paid a lot more attention to this quote. I won't go into my interpretation of its meaning. You can interpret it for yourself...

Materials: Acrylic paint, watercolour, white Sakura gel pen, punched lettering, foil photos

Coming Soon - Mixed Media Postcard Swap.

Contact me with your email and mailing address to be included or for more information.

Details will be posted this Friday!!

Just in Time for Morning Frost!

This post is a little late today, but I wanted to capture this and show you what we've been experiencing the past few days up here in White Rock, BC, Canada.

So beautiful that it's worth getting up early for! :)

I Believe in Pink

This quote from Audrey Hepburn really inspired me today.

I believe in pink.
I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner.
I believe in kissing, kissing a lot.
I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong.
I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls.
I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.


- Audrey Hepburn

I took my favourite parts and pasted them into my art journal. Because of this quote, today is a pink day.

And yes, happy girls ARE the prettiest girls.

WIWO Wednesday - It's What I'm Working On.

These past few days I've been working a lot in my art journal.

Here is what I've been working on: just something fun inspired by a magazine ad that I saw for some brand of brassiere.

Materials: watercolour paints, coloured markers, envelope (background w/elephant motifs), black crayon, magazine cut-out.

More Black and White

I know I know.... today is Tuesday and the Building A Rainbow project over at Daisy Yellow is over, but I wanted to share with you something that I had prepared for the Black and White day.

This is something that I do often for backgrounds in my art journals. I LOVE old books. I use the covers to re-purpose them into journals. The best part is looking around at the local thrift stores for interesting titles...

Once I tear all of the pages out of the books in order to reuse the covers, I am left with pages of type.

On this page, I used some book pages that I had ripped up into smaller pieces. I collaged them together using and acrylic medium. I placed them all randomly so that the type was not always the right way up. The result is a great-looking background.

Here is a link to see an example of this type of page used as a starting point.


And here is what I made over the weekend for Black and White:

I circled some of the text that stood out to me and then re-wrote it larger in my own handwriting.

It could be a poem:

"Closed off from air

But somehow

sure

Not all that interesting

It follows

and

Makes you wonder."

Black and White

Over at Daisy Yellow, there are a number of artists who are Building A Rainbow.

Today is Black and White day!

I've cheated a bit - this is an art display that I did a couple of days ago on Saturday.

I've been wanting to do a gallery wall for a few months. The wall in our dining room is pretty much perfect for it, since we're always in there and it gets a great amount of northern light.

It took me about two weeks to collect everything and decide how it was going to look. I had all of the family photos printed in Sepia and matched everything else to be in black and white or sepia tones.

I think it looks AWESOME!!! :)

December Calendar is Ready to Fill!!!

I finished adding my doodles to December's calendar.

I think it's pretty awesome. What do you think?

I used my new White Sakura Jelly Roll pen - SO AWESOME!!

A close-up of some of the detail...

Check out this journal page sharing concept - I love seeing other people's journal pages and now they can see mine too!

Blue is MY Colour

I am building a rainbow with Daisy Yellow. 

Here is a page that I did last night in my art journal. I started with book pages which I collaged with an acrylic medium. Then I coloured the circle in the middle with two different blue crayons and painted around it with blue acrylic paint. The lettering was done using an old-fashioned alphabet stencil and the feather was glued down using plain ol' white glue. 

Neat!

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Go Green!

All day I've been thinking, "green, green, green...what can I make that's green....?"

You see, over at Daisy Yellow, there is a rainbow being built and I'm part of it! Yesterday was Orange. Today is Green.

I thought about doing something in my art journal. in fact, I prepped some pages for tomorrow's Blue and Monday's Black and White.

But today. Green.

Christmas is right around the corner, right? How about a Christmas-y wreath for the front door?

Aromatic cedar, Douglas fir and holly make my front door welcoming and Christmas-y!

I got so excited about wreaths that I made FIVE of them this morning. FIVE! So much fun :)

Let's Build a Rainbow!

Tammy at Daisy Yellow is running a GREAT creative activity this week! We're building a rainbow one day at a time. Today's colours are Orange and Yellow and I've taken a couple of photos of some of my orange pages.

It's interesting - I'm noticing that I tend not to work in Orange and Yellow; I lean more towards Greens and Blues....

Anyhow, here are my Orange pages:

This was all crayon circles before I decided to give it an orange wash.
I love the ways that the orange made the circles into more of a muted background than a focal point.
Now I can use this page to journal on!



After reading Violette Clark's Journal Bliss, I've been playing around with creating my own font. Here are some letters that I like. I painted the background in orange and yellow watercolour paint, then pasted on some magazine letters. The letters that I couldn't find are the ones that I attempted to do by hand. Not my best work, by any means, but fun for the exploration!