Winding Down

Several weeks ago, I purchased a book from Amazon called "Art+Life Combined". It is full of projects you can duplicate. I so wanted to do this heart canvas. Really don't know why it appealed to me so much, but just wanted to try it. Now that it is done, I can't make up my mind if it is completed, or waiting for me to add something else. This happens. Sometimes you just need to walk away from something you create. Forget about it!

Jake was doing his level best the other morning to ignore me with the little camera in my hands. Perhaps he thought if he closed his eyes, I'd stop taking pictures. Guess again, little guy. And, lastly, we have Gracie doing her Snoopy impression. What really happened was that she was in the hallway, realized her brother was getting all of the attention, and jumped up on the bed to intervene. My Diva. She is unique.

Have a restful weekend.
Linda

A Whimsical Owl

Perhaps I will call him Fred. No reason.

His eyes are metal brads

Jake on the freshly laundered quilt.

A very famous nose.

I worked yesterday at Allyscraps, so the dogs went to Puppy Playground for a half day of fun. The owner, Deb, does a daily picture of whatever is going on and posts it to her Facebook page. When I arrived to pick up the babies, she showed me yesterday's chosen photograph: Gracie's nose. As Deb was snapping a photo of the various dogs, Gracie came up and sniffed the phone, giving Deb a little kiss. Basically (knowing my Aussie) she was checking for treats. One never knows how a treat may be disguised. It could look like a cell phone. One never knows.....

I am in the process of taking an online course from an amazing mixed media artist, Christy Tomlinson. She recently had a sale on her classes, so I bought 2 of them. These classes are not just "2 hour" wonders. They are divided into weeks, and there are several videos per week. Monday I watched the 2 part Owl video, and this is the result. He's suppose to be funky, whimsical, and very colorful. Still not happy with his body, but I do love the colors.

Have a wonderful, colorful day.
Linda

A Fine Mess

Old Beach Towels on the table. I am a slob.

Forgot to move the step ladder back to the utility room

Open art journal on the cabinet.

My new inspiration wall

Just finished this week

I am not proud of the condition of this room. And, trust me on this, THIS is clean! It was horrendous about 5 weeks ago, when I got in a whirlwind of activity and put everything in it's place. But it is getting out of control again....

Most of my canvases are at Allyscraps in Plainfield, IN. We put them there to entice people to buy the supplies needed for creating Mixed Media art. Cathy and I have them scattered all over 2 walls. But this week I decided to put a few on my wall in the craft room. Still can't make myself call it a studio. Maybe some day I will.

I purchased the 2 Kelli Rae prints years ago when I was visiting my friend Sandy in Green Bay, WI. We were in one of the small towns north of Green Bay, and had gone to a gift shop. The two canvases to the right are mine. I've been exploring using more texture, and the one above was done with modeling paste that I colored with paint, then smeared over a plastic template or stencil. When you carefully lift the template, you are left with the image. It takes about 24 hours to dry completely and cure. (First applied old dictionary paper to the canvas with Mod Podge). Then I sprayed over the entire area with Dylusions Pure Sunshine spray. Let that dry, and decided to add some more modeling paste in black with a letter stencil. THEN decided to add the letters, which I stamped on yellow card stock.

I am having way too much fun. It must be illegal.
Linda

And what did you get for Mother's Day?

This is what I saw when I walked into the bedroom this morning

Don't bug me, Mom!

Green paws. I mowed yesterday.

Her Highness, the Diva Princess of Avon

Yesterday was Mother's Day. I received several calls from my step-daughter, a text from my granddaughter, a call from a daughter-in-law, and absolutely nothing from the 4 legged kids that live with me. I took them to the dog park for well over an hour, to run off some of that energy. I did inform them that it was Mother's Day, and they could be nice for 24 hours. That resulted in a few kisses.

We have a regular routine in the mornings. They go out, and when they come back in I have their breakfast ready. I then sit down in the kitchen to stand guard while Jake eats. Gracie is a piglet, and will try to get his food. I am the wall that prevents that. After I finish my breakfast, normally, I go to the computer to drink my second cup of coffee and check emails. This is the time they settle into their favorite spots. For whatever reason, Jake returns to my bed. He is still there. The dogs are creatures of habit just as their human owners are.

Whatever you do today, enjoy it.
Linda

Just have to share

My friend, Cathy, has holed up in her studio all week. She is churning out pieces of art like crazy. I know this is happening when she doesn't answer the phone, nor respond to a text message. When Cathy is in the zone, nothing else exists. Except the dogs. They are very demanding, and won't let their mom ignore them for long.

This is a paper mache boot she found on one of her buying jaunts. We have this little joke between us: she who has the most products wins. Cathy is in the lead. She covered the boot in some Prima papers, book pages, and paint. I am not sure what else is on here. Then she added the girl. I love this, love the colors which remind me of spring, and the placement of the girl on the side of the boot. Just had to share.

I have 3 days of no obligations, no reporting to work, the house is clean, and I am going to play in my studio. What better way to spend a rainy day?
Linda

Art Journal

Scrapbook paper from 7 Gypsies

Dylusion stencils and sprays

Dylusion sprays, alphabet, stamps, and various stencils

Good Morning.

Last week I was feeling at loose ends, not sure where I was going with the art. So I just played in the journals, liking the colors, enjoying the experiments. I had also tried to make some greeting cards. Yeah, no that wasn't in the plan either. Just couldn't seem to get in that mode of thinking.

One of the things Dyan taught us in the journaling workshops at The Scrapbook Studio in Moline was not to waste any ink. So once you use a stamp or stencil, you turn to a clean page and clean it off. You will indeed end up doing something with it. I had tried painting with Gelatos from Faber Castell in the top photograph, and ya know how you think you can make something right and it doesn't happen? Those two pages were bugging me, so I papered over them with 7 Gypsies, added Flossie (Dyan names her stencils), colored her in, and added a few stamps. It's not all that creative, but I like it. And it's my journal....

The last 2 entries had stamps and/or stencils cleaned off on them as blank pages, and I just added to it. All about having fun. All about trying new techniques. I am not going to hang these up on a wall, framed. This is for me.

Try something new today. It's fun.
Linda

A Laugh a Day

This is a mixed media canvas I did last week. We now have a huge stack of these suckers, so thinking we will do a craft show this summer to try and sell some of them. It would be nice. But Cathy and I agree, that even if they don't sell, we won't stop making them. I'll give them away. Just plain fun. It's a happy time.

I was watching an Inspiration Wednesday video on Donna Downey's blog, and she had this quote that was going into her art journal. It made my morning. Enjoy.

"She is crazy. And just when you think you've reached the bottom of her craziness, there is an underground crazy garage."

The older I get, the more that applies to me. Have a good day.
Linda