Cristina Zinnia GalliherMixed Media Artist

2012-02-12T00:02:00.000-08:00

Our Next Artist is Up for the Artful Gathering Blog Hop!

Celebrating Artful Gathering 2012 Online Art Retreat,

Open for Registration!

Blog Hop your way for chance to win!

From June to August 2012, ArtfulGathering.com will be presenting TWO exciting semesters of premiere online video workshops offered by fabulous artists who are known nationally and internationally. We are all very excited to share out knowledge, skill, and creativity with you, and we hope that you will join us for this AMAZING annual online event.

Blog Hop with us for a chance to win a prizes from Jerry's Artarama!

Each week the faculty of Artful Gathering will be announcing a featured blog to visit.

You can hop along with us until the final destination blog is reached, and where ONE Grand Prize winner will be chosen at Random for a chance to win a $200.00 e-gift card from Jerry's Artarama!!!

Two Runner Up winners will also be chosen at random for a chance to win a $25.00 e-gift card from Jerrys.

Each week I will announce the next featured blog for you to visit, and there you will find a new secret word or words that you will need to collect along your way from blog to blog. Once you have collected all the words from each blog you visit, they will work out to say a very artsy phrase. Here are the rules:

For your chance to win, you must collect all the secret code words and submit them upon the final destination blog in May. A random drawing will be conducted from those contestants who have submitted the complete collection of secret words!
Three winners will be randomly drawn. One for the $200.00 e-card to Jerry's, and two runner's up for the 25.00 e-card to Jerrys.

Week by week we'll go from one blog to the next!

Remember to collect all the secret words. These words will work out to say a very artful phrase, and you'll need all the pieces to be eligible for the final prize drawings!

Please HOP over and visit the Amazing Mixed Media Artist

Mary Jane Chadbourne

http://desertdreamstudios.weebly.com/

(Pick Up the Next Secret Word)

Sharing My Little Highlights...

2012-01-30T14:09:00.000-08:00

Artful Gathering is coming and I feel so inspired. So many amazing talents to teach with, and the best and nicest students, artists, and enthusiasts gathering. Oh...I'm so excited, and I just can't wait. Soon I'll be posting some info about my AG 2012 Class!!!

Our Next Blog Hop Destination...

2012-01-22T00:54:00.000-08:00

Our Next Artist is Up for the Artful Gathering Blog Hop!

Celebrating Artful Gathering 2012 Online Art Retreat,
Open for Registration!

Blog Hop your way for chance to win!

Blog Hop with us for a chance to win a prizes from Jerry's Artarama!

Each week the faculty of Artful Gathering will be announcing a featured blog to visit.

You can hop along with us until the final destination blog is reached, and where ONE Grand Prize winner will be chosen at Random for a chance to win a $200.00 e-gift card from Jerry's Artarama!!!

For your chance to win, you must collect all the secret code words and submit them upon the final destination blog in May. A random drawing will be conducted from those contestants who have submitted the complete collection of secret words!
Three winners will be randomly drawn. One for the $200.00 e-card to Jerry's, and two runner's up for the 25.00 e-card to Jerrys.

Week by week we'll go from one blog to the next!

Remember to collect all the secret words. These words will work out to say a very artful phrase, and you'll need all the pieces to be eligible for the final prize drawings!

Please HOP over and visit the Amazing Animal Portrait Artist...

Elizabeth G. Johnson
http://windandhoney.blogspot.com/
(Pick Up the Next Secret Word)

Journal Journey at Roses...

2012-01-18T13:19:00.000-08:00

I am really enjoying the journal journey. This is part of a page spread I've done with a statue. I love statues so much, and would love to do a whole journal with the theme!

I pulled out everything for this spread!

Our Next Artful Gathering Blog Hop Destination is Laura K. Aiken!

2012-01-14T21:10:00.001-08:00

Our Next Artist is Up for the Artful Gathering Blog Hop...Laura K. Aiken

Celebrating Artful Gathering 2012 Online Art Retreat,

Open for Registration!

Blog Hop your way for chance to win!

Blog Hop with us for a chance to win a prizes from Jerry's Artarama!

Each week the faculty of Artful Gathering will be announcing a featured blog to visit.

You can hop along with us until the final destination blog is reached, and where ONE Grand Prize winner will be chosen at Random for a chance to win a $200.00 e-gift card from Jerry's Artarama!!!

For your chance to win, you must collect all the secret code words and submit them upon the final destination blog in May. A random drawing will be conducted from those contestants who have submitted the complete collection of secret words!
Three winners will be randomly drawn. One for the $200.00 e-card to Jerry's, and two runner's up for the 25.00 e-card to Jerrys.

Week by week we'll go from one blog to the next!

Remember to collect all the secret words. These words will work out to say a very artful phrase, and you'll need all the pieces to be eligible for the final prize drawings!

Please HOP over and visit the Amazing

Laura K. Aiken

(Pick Up the Next Secret Word)

http://www.laurakaiken.blogspot.com/

New Beginnings...

2012-01-14T00:52:00.000-08:00

I'm just getting ready to start my next spread of journal pages for my Journal Journey group at Roses On My Table. This is my first spread for the new year. Loving the colors and the stencil work, and plan to do many more pages as my time allows. Journaling is fun!

2012-01-08T11:29:00.000-08:00

Celebrating Artful Gathering 2012 Online Art Retreat,

Open for Registration!

Blog Hop your way for chance to win!

Blog Hop with us for a chance to win a prizes from Jerry's Artarama!

Each week the faculty of Artful Gathering will be announcing a featured blog to visit.

You can hop along with us until the final destination blog is reached, and where ONE Grand Prize winner will be chosen at Random for a chance to win a $200.00 e-gift card from Jerry's Artarama!!!

For your chance to win, you must collect all the secret code words and submit them upon the final destination blog in May. A random drawing will be conducted from those contestants who have submitted the complete collection of secret words!
Three winners will be randomly drawn. One for the $200.00 e-card to Jerry's, and two runner's up for the 25.00 e-card to Jerrys.

Week by week we'll go from one blog to the next!

Remember to collect all the secret words. These words will work out to say a very artful phrase, and you'll need all the pieces to be eligible for the final prize drawings!

Please HOP over and visit the Amazing

Jodi Ohl

www.sweetrepeats.blogspot.com

Join the Artful Gathering Blog Hop Starting Sunday, Jan. 8th

2012-01-07T20:56:00.001-08:00

Celebrating Artful Gathering 2012 Online Art Retreat,

Open for Registration!

Blog Hop your way for chance to win!

Blog Hop with us for a chance to win a prizes from Jerry's Artarama!

Each week the faculty of Artful Gathering will be announcing a featured blog to visit.

You can hop along with us until the final destination blog is reached, and where ONE Grand Prize winner will be chosen at Random for a chance to win a $200.00 e-gift card from Jerry's Artarama!!!

Blog Hoppers need to Register for the Artful Gathering 2012 Event to be eligible for the Grand Prize Drawing, AND must have all the secret puzzle words collected from each instructors blog.
Runner up prizes will be randomly selected from all participants. Registration to Artful Gathering is not required, but blog hoppers will need to have all the secret puzzle words to be eligible to win.

Week by week we'll go from one blog to the next!

Remember to collect all the secret words. These words will work out to say a very artful phrase, and you'll need all the pieces to be eligible for the final prize drawings!

Please HOP over and visit the Amazing

Jodi Ohl

Sweet Repeats

The Journal Journey Begins Again for 2012 at Roses

2011-12-29T19:59:00.000-08:00

The Journal Journey continues into year three!

As I embark on my third year as leader and organizer of this amazing group of artists, I am overjoyed to see over 200 members in the group now. Very exciting! I am closing the group at 250 because that is a nice small number for the fun we will share without it getting too big and have everyone get lost.
I'm sharing my photos today of the tiny composition journal I'm planning to use only for writing notes. Sandi G. is going to be heading up a poetry discussion in our group..and rhyming is not necessary! Thank goodness.

The cover is done in collage, and I've discovered these great paints by Turner, and they are awesome! I love them! You can get them here, at Jerry's. You will love them, and if you know me, I wouldn't say so if it weren't so!

Ella Wheeler Wilcox wrote some of my favorite poetry so I hope you will enjoy this poem they she wrote in the early 1900's. By the way...the lady on the cover of my little writing journal is Ella.

'Tis the Set of the Sail -- or -- One Ship Sails East
Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1916

But to every mind there openeth,
A way, and way, and away,
A high soul climbs the highway,
And the low soul gropes the low,
And in between on the misty flats,
The rest drift to and fro.

But to every man there openeth,
A high way and a low,
And every mind decideth,
The way his soul shall go.

One ship sails East,
And another West,
By the self-same winds that blow,
'Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales,
That tells the way we go.

Like the winds of the sea
Are the waves of time,
As we journey along through life,
'Tis the set of the soul,
That determines the goal,
And not the calm or the strife.

Sweet and Nutty Love

2011-12-27T17:47:00.000-08:00

I rarely ever post these days unless it's art. I mean to, but I am always working on something creative and so I like to post my art here, but today I had to share this. I made my son pancakes this morning for breakfast, and he loves when I add chocolate chips to them. Well, when he finished eating (his eyes are always bigger than his stomach) there was quite a bit still left on the plate. He goes to carry his dish to the sink and stops. "Hey mom, check this out," he says. And, my son found a heart in his pancakes!

Well, I told him he needed to eat it of course! And he did!

Then, I remembered some nuts I had "squirreled away" because they were so awesome when I cracked them open at Christmas and this what I had found.

Isn't love grand?

Merry Christmas and Happy Art Journaling!

2011-12-24T10:18:00.000-08:00

See you at Roses In 2012, for fun workshops, the Journal Journey, and lots of fun art trades and swaps!

oxoxo

Zinnia

Merry Christmas

2011-12-19T11:51:00.001-08:00

Just a quick study of Madonna, and I love drawing her. I would love to just keep on going...

She's Just Thinking About Stuff...

2011-12-09T19:39:00.001-08:00

Making a Memory Bottle

2011-12-07T20:39:00.000-08:00

Dreams are made of so many different pieces...that is what Mixed Media reminds me of! Little parts that by themselves make no sense at all, but when you piece it all together, they mean something, and usually the interpretation can only be decoded best by the dreamer...

My hand! Oh my!

2011-12-04T19:43:00.000-08:00

Well, I just shared this on Roses and I had so much fun getting back to drawing, that I wanted to share this here too. But I feel rusty these days. I've started taking classes with Elizabeth at Creative Pencils, and thought I would just not have the time, but then I knew that was an excuse, and that if I really wanted to get back to it, I would find a way. Of course Elizabeth thought I could do it too, and who can argue with that kind of encouragement? Not me. Thanks Elizabeth!

Special Price for Winter Mini Workshops at Eclectic Art Studio

2011-12-03T19:29:00.000-08:00

For the Grand Opening of
Eclectic Art Studio!
Special for THREE
Mini Workshops by Zinnia
Previously Available only to R.A.I.L.

Matchboxes...

Then we'll make micro slide ornaments...

Solder Free

Create beautiful little Matchbox Ornaments in all different colors, with all different embellishments. We'll embellish the outside and then make a little accordion inside.

Then we'll make Snowballs!

Classes Open Sunday, December 4 at Eclectic Art Studio

Mixed Media Collage Banner

2011-10-29T20:14:00.000-07:00

Mixed Media Art Banner

New RAIL Class at Roses On Table

Lot's of fun with paper, and pennants! Loved creating this work with a variety of techniques. Can't wait to see what the students do with their projects!

Tiny Tin is coming to life...

2011-10-18T20:54:00.000-07:00

Flowers just radiate energy and vitality and they always seem to be filled with a certain determination to grow, to sprout and to blossom. It makes me think about how how we 'naturally' are wired to create and grow as human beings. We truly can't help ourselves. Though we can put ourselves in a dark corner where we won't get much from the sun. Shame it is when that happens...never growing to our full potential. Get out...get in the sun and be a flower!

So this Tiny Two Inch Tin is progressing and slowly she is letting me know who she is... maybe one of those flowers who is reluctant to come into the sunshine, but she is coming...and I'll be working to get her there.

Tiny Tin

2011-10-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

So I am working on this teeny tiny tin that I plan to do something inside of. It is developing...and the tin is only 2" tall. I love to work small.

The funnest part of this was working small, and then holding the tin far away from my view so I could see what it looked like when I wasn't hovering right up close to it so I could see what I was doing. I want to add more touches to the top and then I have some great ideas for it's completion, so hopefully, if life doesn't throw a wrench in my way, I'll have more pictures as I go.
Toodles for now.

Transformed to Jounal...

2011-10-11T22:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, she is in my art journal now. I'm still working on the final details and then I'll be ready to share this in my Art Journal group. She is almost good to go...to fly where ever she likes as soon I'm finished, off she goes..into the wind..!

Remains of the Day...

2011-10-10T20:44:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my daughter found a damsel fly outside on the driveway. It was no longer alive but it was perfectly preserved. I looked at it thinking about all the insects in our day that go by unnoticed. They never stand still long enough for us to appreciate all the beautiful details of their living bodies. I know that I could not create such a thing...so perfect in every way.

What an interesting thought to consider, that laid bare for all to see are the remains of a damsel fly, fully preserved for someone to study if they might notice before the wind blew her away.

I thought that if I were to choose...I'd be a bee and not a dragonfly. This is what I might look like if I stood still enough for anyone to see me before the remains of the day carried me away with the wind.
oxoxo
Zinnia

Friends and Healing Art

2011-10-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we hear the word Healing intertwined with the word Art, and we think, "oh, no" not that again! But if you are pro active and you believe that healing takes an effort and takes work and a desire to "do something" then, do it for someone if not for yourself, for no other reason than because it will make someone else happy.

Think maybe that is too corny? Well, what if you have enough people caring about you and you receive something like these...two beautiful books of gothic arches, created by some 20 gals.

Maybe, maybe, maybe you might feel a little better? Right? Page by page there is a wish for healing, and caring.
A hope that things will get better.
One page. That is all. And then add that page to another and another, and now you have two books!

Healing can be something you do internally, but it can also be external, and it can be about someone else besides ourselves. And, in the tending to another's ills, sometimes, maybe...we feel healed as well...just a thought!

Thank you to All the Healing Angels at Roses! My adored friends who contributed to this project from their hearts. YOU ARE AWESOME...and Dear Bobbi, get well and hurry back!!!

A Great Time....!

2011-09-30T09:04:00.000-07:00

Wow! It was so much fun to take Leighanna Light's class at Art is You. How hard was it to choose a class? humm...very hard. So many great ones.
After lot's of debating, I left it up to my daughter Jesse to decide and she did GOOD!

We both made our own metal books! What a blast!

I hope to add more pictures soon.

Relaxing, breathing, unwinding....

2011-09-22T11:37:00.000-07:00

It feels good to be back in my studio again, making some art pieces that I enjoy creating. I've had such a journey with my bottle art as it is a great passion of mine, and now I've had the pleasure of creating things with my very tiny antique bottles. I've added a few in my etsy store, and hope to add more soon.

I'm heading of town tomorrow to Petaluma for Art is You! Very excited to see some familiar faces and to get some time away with my daughter. She and I are taking a class together, and I just want to sit back and enjoy the fun, the creativity and most of all relaxing!

These creations are truly from my heart, and they just feel enormously healing to me. I think as we get more experienced with our art, there comes a time when we feel a part of us is in our creations...and this is true with these prayer bottles. They feel very soothing and tranquil to have on display and I tend just to breathe when I look at them. I'll be parting with this collection in the weeks to come...

She Keeps Calling Me.

2011-09-15T08:59:00.000-07:00

I kept trying to walk away from her, but she kept on calling me back to paint. I was working on her just for some play time, with no thought about where she was going or who she even is really, but here she comes, still leading me back to paint and I so I went back...

I took her and set her up next my bed so I could keep looking over at her as I read and relax. She is becoming a welcome presence and I am letting her take her time to tell me where we are going together. I can't wait to see what she has in mind.

She won't let me get away with just painting for fun! So, I think there may be a few little things she might tell me before we are fully "there."

Some fun with free painting

2011-09-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed this time very much, just painting without a plan. It is my favorite thing to do in the whole world...

I hope to finish her this week and give her a name.

New Bottle Art for Healing and Revitalization

2011-09-11T21:04:00.000-07:00

Just a little vacation...for the soul.

A little time to revive, and to re-energize. Letting the sands and sea and the waters rush over me and envelope me in healing coolness! Yes, this is what a vacation is for me...time to work on my bottle art and allowing it time to speak to me and whisper the message it has for me.

I save all my special art books and this particular portrait has been in my collection for a while, and it was so reflective for me, a journal page wrapped around a bottle...

Look at her eyes! They follow you wherever you move. They are sad eyes, but also something is there I can't exactly see...some hidden mystery.

For the love of Mixed Media Bottle Art

2011-08-17T20:47:00.000-07:00

It is not a secret that I love to create bottle art. It is in my blood, and the more time I spend working on developing ideas for using bottles, the more I realize that reclaiming them is part of the joy for me.

Old bottles are always plentiful, but it's like picking up sea shells on the beach. Some seem more attractive and unique than others, and some though damaged, are just plain interesting and full of character.

My next Artful Gathering workshop will be a study in mixed media bottle art. I have a bottle art class in retirement now as I have been so busy with other projects, but I'll be planning a very special workshop for Artful Gathering 2012.

2011-08-06T19:20:00.001-07:00

A Kindred Spirit, I'll miss you

2011-07-24T01:17:00.000-07:00

I'll miss you Betty,

I didn't want to read the news today that my dearest Betty passed away and I didn't want to know that it was true. My dear Bev told me now and my heart is so sad and I feel so bad. But these last days Betty has been in my thoughts and prayers and I have thought about what an amazing lady she has been in my own life as a teacher and a friend.

Sometimes in teaching I have the chance to show people how to let what is natural and creative to flow forth, and to embrace that which comes natural to us. I always felt that if we did that, we would always be true to ourselves. Through our art, we would always see what was true and what was not about ourselves.

Betty was one of my first students here on Roses. She never shied away from trying anything. She never missed a journal entry in the Journal Journey Group, she always traded her art, always. She took every one of my workshops and learned everything she could, and created everything she could, with joy. When she felt well, she took on the job as an art trading hostess. She loved being here! And loved to share!

She gave me a nudge when I forget to visit her and see how her work was progressing, and she always told me how much it mattered to her that I did. She told me that Roses was the way it was because of me, that I had made it a place where people could learn and share their art, and support each other as they went through all the phases of learning. She didn't care about all the fanfare or the fake stuff, she was true blue Betty, and she didn't want me to forget to keep it real. Betty was my teacher too.

She gave me the confidence when early I may have been uncertain, and she made me better at what I do because she always asked questions, good questions. And she always, always, said thank you.

Last Christmas she sent me a clock with a pretty bird on it. And, it sits on my mantle. It ticks so LOUD, you can't believe it...but I think of it as saying to me, "remember, time flies, and in that time, make haste, and live your dreams."

I spoke to Betty about a week ago and I told her how much she means to me, and she knew. I told her I loved her and that she was in my thoughts and prayers. Betty being Betty said, "I love you too Zinnia." I knew she meant to make me feel better, and not worry about her. That is Betty.

So, I will say good bye to her in one way, but she will will always be with me. You don't forget friends like Betty, because they don't come along every day.

I want to tell you all that you can't make art without making friends. Loneliness, is a bad place to put yourself, it is what makes us feel tortured. Find friends who lift you up, who give you the positive energy and support you need to live your dreams and be yourself. If your friends hold you down or make you feel bad about yourself, let them go, and fly on. They might really want to keep you where they are, afraid and lost. The clock keeps ticking and it is reminds me that our time here is brief, and we need to keep moving on.

A countless number of wonderful Roses friends created the Kindred Spirits book for Betty and she received them in time to know how much you all love her. From your hearts, you gave your time, your art, and your prayers. Betty loved that. I loved that. And I thank you all for being, 'that kind of friend.' Some of you wanted to contribute, and if you couldn't, you sent prayers, and I thank you for that too.

Betty was the kind of friend who made you feel good about being you. I hope I can always remember that. So from her blog, her family has shared this and I want you all to read it and remember the best of who Betty was. She really did feel the words in this poem as she battled for many years to overcome her illness. She is the toughest lady I ever I met, and she knew how to face the dark with a strength I can only wonder at.

I will miss you dear friend...Zinnia

From Betty's blog:
Hope Floats

"Hope" is the thing with feathers—
That perches in the soul—
And sings the tune without the words—
And never stops—at all—

And sweetest—in the Gale—is heard—
And sore must be the storm—
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm—

I've heard it in the chillest land—
And on the strangest Sea—
Yet, never, in Extremity,
It asked a crumb—of Me.

2011-07-20T00:10:00.000-07:00

Just starting to lift myself out of countless e-mails from guests all over the world, my concept for an online Art Convention, Artful Gathering 2011, comes to life with well over 500 students, 700 registered guests, wonderful sponsors, wonderful teachers! And, also teaching at this event too! What a dream come true.

Special thanks to Articus Studio, Stampington and Co, Lisa's Altered Art, Artist Cellar and Plaid for believing in this concept!

Thanks to everyone who gave me the chance to prove "it can be done" and to work beyond the doubts of how all the mechanics would work!

A Textured Life Workshop and Stampington Project

2011-07-12T14:35:00.000-07:00

Layered Mixed Media, texturing, and mixing fabrics, papers and jewelry, these are my favorite things...

I feel something special happen when I create art with layers. It reminds me so much of how my own life feels, how I feel in my own skin. Life, experiences, emotions, and memories, they surround us, they are a part of us, and they become absorbed into the fabric of our personalities and our outlook on life.

It is nice to enjoy the colors, the paper, and the fabrics you can use in art, creating and feeling at the same time brings me back time and again to that one truth, "we are all made to express ourselves through art."

Artful Gathering 2011, Come Join Us

2011-07-10T00:28:00.000-07:00

Whatcha doing this summer? We have an Artful Gathering Event almost ready for open classes. Fifteen teachers, Debut Online Video Workshops, Lot's of Raffle Prize Giveaways, and lot's of Inspiration....join us! The teacher's will knock your flip-flop's off! Keith Lo Bue, Elizabeth Johnson, Me! Christy Meyers, Henry Li, Nancy Maxwell James, Lesley Venable, Pam Carriker (with a signed book raffle among a lot of other cool stuff) Jodi Ohl, Liz Miller, Shiloh Sophia McCloud, Mary Green, JoAnnA Pierotti, Monica Zuniga, Nellie Wortman!

My first year hosting this amazing event, and I couldn't be more excited! Great teachers, great guests, great art...!

Music Themed Tag Art

2011-06-16T13:51:00.000-07:00

These are music themed tags for my tag art swap. What a great theme! I really enjoyed making these.

Tiny Dancer

2011-06-14T21:58:00.001-07:00

I always dreamed of dancing like a ballerina, high in the clouds, weightless and graceful.

Madonna Bottle Art

2011-06-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

Here is an inspiration from above. A theme that makes me feel happy.

A Textured Life, My New Summer Workshop

2011-06-14T19:37:00.000-07:00

A TEXTURED LIFE,
I love the idea of living a textured life, because the vision of such a life is one that is very much like a warm and cozy patchwork blanket. While we all might long for our lives to be more like an exquisite tapestry, woven masterfully, with precision and artistry, our lives usually aren't so carefully orchestrated and planned. Would we be happy if our lives were?

Living a textured life can allow us to create a living collage of our possibilities and potential. If we didn't live our lives with purpose, our cozy patchwork blanket would have holes in it, with rips in the seams and tears in the batting. Sadly neglected, it would hold little protection for us against the cold.

I suppose what I've discovered is that living is far richer than having. But the former often attracts the latter. There is so much beauty in the things we have, but recognizing these things is a gift. Ordinary becomes extraordinary, if you can find the value in it. If you can find the value in yourself. Along the way, through art and through practice, it becomes an inescapable fact that we are what we do. So my wish for all of my art friends is be WHO YOU ARE! And, do it with gusto!

May every piece of fabric, paper, and ribbon you have, be a layer of your life translated through your art!

A sneak peak of some of the textures we do in my upcoming class at Artful Gathering 2011

Bella Donna Online Video Workshop Opens June 16th

2011-06-03T12:02:00.000-07:00

This workshop features one of my most favorite techniques with wax. I hope you will come join me.

Got Published and so Excited!

2011-05-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to have my first submission published! I have never sent anything in before. I've been so busy with building Roses On My Table, and I decided, why not? It was very exciting to send something in and have such a nice response! I wanted to share my excitement with all my friends!

Artful Gathering 2011 Online Video Art Fest Coming Soon!

2011-05-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

Artful Gathering Online Video Art Fest 2011

It's Coming Soon this July 16th!

I am so excited to be bring my on mixed media online art class to this event. A Textured Life is premiere workshop where I share my mixed media art techniques by first creating a simple texture warm up book, then we will apply what we translate our techniques into a bottle art project and then a wooden house shrine!

Artful Gathering is on it's way! It is so exciting!!!

2011-05-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

Now, you might think that an Online Video Art Event is exciting just by itself..but when you put a group of talented and passionate artist's into the mix, well...excitement turns to jubilation! Here is The Stuffsmith, Keith Lo Bue, introducing his artful life to you, close up and personal! June 25th we open the official Artful Gathering Website!!!! That means we RELOCATE and pull back the curtain to our amazing event!

So many things inspire me...

2011-05-14T13:16:00.001-07:00

Lady in the Glass Mixed Media Art

2011-05-07T21:51:00.000-07:00

Click to Enlarge

A new workshop coming soon!

My Art Journal Journey Continues!

2011-05-04T12:35:00.001-07:00

I just completed a sketch of a mysterious mask...it came out of my imagination somehow, as I love to create mixed media masks...and doing a quick sketch of one reminded me to think about scribbles, loops, and lines. This was the journal challenge and I went with it! I hope you like it, and I hope you inspired to get yourself into gear, and make some art! It is always such a good feeling!

Canvas Work From Journaling

2011-04-30T20:14:00.000-07:00

Busyness

Having more fun with journal pages to canvas. This work is from a journal page idea I have been playing with. I may be done with it, but I have to let it stew. I always stew before it's done. I enjoyed the "busyness" in this work, it's very reflective of my life right now! Butterflies, numbers, growing, maturing...always growing!

Captured

This one is reflective, as I always relate to pondering and considering things when I approach collage. I just love to feel and touch the paper as I work, and to let the layers fold over each other until they reveal the story. This pretty lade seems "captured" inside of a moment in time. So, this is where the name will come from.

My Artful Gathering 2011 Workshop

2011-04-19T21:37:00.001-07:00

A Textured Life

I'll be teaching a mixed media layering class at Artful Gathering 2011 and it I hope to jam pack it full of lot's of fun layering techniques for shrines and bottle art.

Spring flower Inchies!

2011-04-11T20:56:00.000-07:00

Just finished a fun set of Flower Inchies! I love to make inchies!

2011-04-09T12:04:00.000-07:00

My Journal Journey is the central heart of my art life. I love to work in my pages, free of stress, worry, or planning. I get to be spontaneous in my pages, and work with only my intuition and pleasure. I love to see where I will go with my pages, what I will discover, and what new technique I can explore.

I had a really fun and relaxing time on my pages, so after I was done, I just added some finishing touches on my little sweet angel collage, and now he is done and ready to display.

A Beautiful Little Friend, an Art Doll

2011-04-07T10:32:00.000-07:00

My beautiful little friend is almost finished...it seems I rarely have a chance lately to post my 'finished' work, but it is fun to share what I have going. There are so many fun and exciting trades going on at Roses On My Table, and I love to trade art.

I often think about the friends I have made along my art journey, and it is always exciting when someone influences us in such a way that we want to be better, do better, and be true to ourselves and to our work. This is not always easy for anyone.

Dancing Cranes in The Snow

I wanted to share a recent video that artist Henry Li has created. My first experience with Henry was when I purchased rice paper from his online store a couple of years ago. I love to use it in my bottle art and my shrine work. I hope to take his online class some day soon! It is so enjoyable to draw from different kinds of art, there is so much to learn, and each of these lessons can be translated into our work.

Beside my home, we have a beautiful wetlands, and there are these beautiful white birds that are called Egrets that come and visit all the time! The are so majestic, and sometimes we forget to look at such little things and what they can teach us!

These birds are everywhere the wetlands are! We also have turkey vultures, black birds, sometimes we'll see a magpie or two, and lot's of bluebirds! Such a great subject to study and paint and draw.

Mixed Media Owl Journal Work

2011-03-25T12:51:00.000-07:00

I worked on my owl according to our latest Roses On My Table Journal Prompt. I am reminded of the the children's book, "Sam and the Firefly." Some of you moms might know that story. Sam wanted to stay out of trouble when he played with his friend Gus. But, like most mischievious fireflies...Gus, could not do good things with his light! He just wanted to play afterall....

So I started out with a sketch of an owl. Fashioned after an Avon Bottle that I've had over the years. Don't you love it when inspiration is found right inside your own home? I always loved this owl bottle, and because he is sort of a creamy white color, I thought perhaps he might like some freshly painted feathers!

And, now for part one of my art journal inspiration, the owl sitting in the glow of the moon. "Prelude to Playtime" is what I am going to call this!

"Who, Who, Who wants to play?" But no one said a thing.

Quote from Sam and the Firefly, by P.D. Eastman.

Art journaling can never, ever, ever, EVER, be lost time. Exploring things that are rattling around inside your head is fun, and satisfying. So....get out your art journals and remember to be like Gus....PLAY. oh, and you should TRY to stay out of trouble. No paint stains on the carpet if you can avoid it.

New Altered Art Tags! Yummy Springtime!

2011-03-22T17:04:00.000-07:00

It's my party, I can cry if I want to! Well, I did cry. That is me. Little me on my birthday. I didn't like my hair all pulled back tight, swooped up on my head and tugging at my scalp! And, I was shy and hated a fuss. Do you like my little green dress?

But it's almost my birthday again. Only I am a lot older and not so shy as then.
That means that Spring is in the air and I love spring!

I love to think about Easter at Springtime. Little flowered hats and white gloves!

Mixed Media Art Journal Page

2011-03-11T18:52:00.000-08:00

I love this upcoming RAIL class! It goes from taking an idea from an art journal page and then beyond to canvas. Ever since I started my art journal, now about a year and half ago, I've had so many opportunities to try out different art supplies and media. Now, it gets easier to go from journal pages to canvas, while having fun! This is an 11 x 14 size which culminated directly from a blank page, to a journal layout and then a canvas. A fun exploration in creativity!

Mixed Media Bottle Art

2011-03-02T16:37:00.000-08:00

Getting more bottles ready for new homes. These are all created from antique vintage bottles except for the one on the far left. I like using bottles that are unusual in shape and size, so the slender rounded bottle was a special treat for me to create from.

The bottle above has actual newspaper collage elements from the 1930's. I loved using the old actual paper in this work.

2011-02-28T23:09:00.000-08:00

Working on new bottles, new possibilities, and enjoying the overall freedom of Mixed Media. So few rules, and so much latitude to explore color, texture, and collage ideas.

I hope to add these to my etsy store soon, but they are not completed yet. I get about three quarters of the way done with my art before I step back and leave it alone. Sometimes even for days...until I know just how the story needs to end, and how the artwork will be complete.

These little treasures will stay on my "thinking shelf" until I know what they are saying...it is up to them to decide!

Art Journal Pages

2011-02-23T20:11:00.000-08:00

Fly Me to the Moon!

Just a quickie in my art journal. This is our groups Doodling prompt. I was a little behind because I've had the flu, but I finished it this evening.

You HAVE to have your art journal time because if you don't, then you can't stretch, and grow, and push, and pull! You know what I mean? Art journals are Taffy Pullers! Get your sweetness on, and start doodling too.

2011-02-20T19:59:00.000-08:00

Sweet Madness

I've been a little under the weather with a rotten cold, but have finally had the chance to begin doing work again. Between the multitude of projects I have been juggling, there is only one "sweet madness" for me, and that is doing art. Everything else melts away, and in the quiet of my little workspace, I can give myself over to it and let it fly.

This particular altered vintage bottle has that special feeling to it that leads me to know that it has been given it's new life.

2011-02-14T19:46:00.000-08:00

Just finished my Mardi Gras Masks for my RAIL class! I really enjoyed this very much. Of course I love working with my favorite paints from theThe Artist Cellar! I just ordered more colors too!

Come join me for this new class! Roses On My Table

2011-01-29T16:04:00.000-08:00

I'm teaching another new project at Roses On My Table and I am so excited. I love masks...but not the scary ones! So, I wanted to be sure I did a class where the mask would be of course, pretty! I love the way mixed media can work in so many ways!

2011-01-25T16:12:00.000-08:00

Finishing my art journal pages for the week is almost as fulfilling as starting them. I love beginning the pages because I have no idea where I am going to go with it. The prompt is Shades of Color, and I started with a variety of blue-greens and then it just evolved. The video I made with this project is now live on my Youtube Channel

The little tiny girl, for me, is the whole thing! I loved her as soon as I put her on the page. Don't know why...?

I was at a flea market last year and I found boxes filled with old letters and newspaper clippings. The little old poem here is from that collection. The rest of the ephemera is from all the beautiful things that my art exchange members send me.

I'll be posting my video for this soon! I hope you like it.

2011-01-13T12:57:00.001-08:00

January 15th - February 15th RAIL issue:

Style One: Vintage

Vintage anything is good with me. I love anything and everything that looks aged and old. Even if means that I am the one aging it. Which is what I did in this project.

Style One: Victorian

With Valentines Day around the corner, I could not resist adding this second make-do to the workshop. I love pink! It makes me think of cake frosting, which I also love enormously!

2011-01-11T19:30:00.000-08:00

I hope this will bring inspiration to my art friends. Keeping an art journal is something profoundly personal, yet, when shared, it is freeing!

2011-01-01T20:02:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to do is to create little shrines. They don't need to be made for the purpose of worship. That is the cool part of it! Just the simple act of arranging very special objects in new and imaginative ways helps to release energies that we build up in every day life. You know, when you feel like your life is not in order in some way and you are trying to work things out in your head? Or, when you can't organize your thinking and you need something solid to hang on to so that you CAN put order to something that is within reach? Well..that is what assemblage means to me. Assembling is a great avenue for that kind of energy!

For me, these little shrines are like journal pages come to life. Just a moment, a mood, or a thought, captured inside of box. I just wanted to share these with you because they are special to me, and these little creations bring me so much joy.
I hope you will make some too.

2010-12-24T17:36:00.000-08:00

Working in my art journal! While I usually try spend about an hour for each set of pages I work on, this took much longer! I was just having the time of my life adding elements as if I were cooking up a wonderful recipe from scratch. Just seeing what all the different ingredients could do for my art taste buds!

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The prompt was to create something involving windows or doors and to use all media! A media free-for-all. So I included pencils, watercolor, paints, pens, and inks! (I told you it was like cooking).

I used lots of different papers to build up my textures.

The fish are also collaged and painted.

I slid a sketch of a girl looking into the water. I wonder if maybe SHE is the one in the fish tank looking out into the big blue sea?

My R.A.I.L. Workshop for last month is now available for individual purchase:

This is an extra special issue of R.A.I.L. because I love my mom so, and I had a chance to create a beautiful memory box with photos of her and I in it. The little girl in the plaid dress is me! The photo is of my mom when she was living in Rome.

Another little spirit baby I made for my daughter.

I'll be back soon to post photo's of some wonderful Christmas goodies that have come my way!

2010-12-17T08:14:00.000-08:00

On the hunt for pretty beads:

I love to make little spirit dolls! They somehow fit so comfortably in the palm of your hands, and these dolls have this way about them that assures you that you have a real friend to watch out for you! The beads I use are tiny, and after about an hour of doing the bead work, everything from my neck to my back gets stiff and sore! But, how else can you do this delicate work? One little bead at a time. So, I found this adorable little birdie bead, and for someone like me, who adores birds, I had to attach it in some way. There it is! I wish I knew where to find really cool, really amazing beads! I'll be out on the hunt for them and see what I find.

2010-12-10T18:08:00.001-08:00

Still working on beautiful bottles, jars, and vases.

2010-12-01T18:28:00.000-08:00

Another new one! This project is so much fun...! The colors all came together so well and the whole project just flowed. These are now sitting pretty in my home and the diffuser liquid smells so good! I like them as an alternative to candles and air fresheners because they have a nature-quality to them, and I love nature.

2010-11-29T15:46:00.000-08:00

I was able to finally complete my Rosa Rugusa Treasure Box! I thought it was going to be gifted to a friend, but I decided to keep this one and gift a different box. This one just needed to stay with me, I think.

The inside holds my stationary and diary.

2010-11-06T20:32:00.001-07:00

It doesn't matter how busy I get, or how sometimes I might feel overwhelmed with life and all my activities. Participating in art trades is such an important part of my art life that I make sure it remains a priority for me.

It is a beautiful thing when your children create art, and you happily (and proudly) hang their masterpieces on your 'frige. I do it. My children's art is better than mine, better than Michelangelo's. I think about the beautiful sense of honest self expression they have whenever I gaze on those brightly colored pages they've brought home to me, and nothing in the world can compare to that.

Art exchanges are something all together different in feeling and in sentiment. Giving your art to someone, in many cases, someone you have never met, is trusting in the fact that you are appreciated, and recognized as a kindred soul; an understanding spirit. Across the miles, someone has taken the time to create something, not for profit or for favor, but for art. I remind myself each time I do a trade that this is the most important element to remaining creative and honest. That is, giving.

They are small gestures, small pieces of someone's perspective. A look into their way of seeing the world. Little pieces of art, little parts of themselves, carried by the miles to another in an envelope. Opened by someone who, well, someone who gets it. I get it. I bet you get it too.

Thank you to Shelley, Andrea, Betty, Marie, Ineke, and Lucy. From here to across the ocean in Australia and Holland!

2010-11-04T12:25:00.000-07:00

Making Coffee, the old fashioned way.

Pour yourself a cup of coffee, but don't throw out the leftovers. Share it with a bowl of lace and create some beautiful vintage aging on your fabrics, flowers, and ribbons!

Yummy!

2010-10-28T14:07:00.001-07:00

I created more dominoes for gifts and they came out really cool!

The images are in my favorite theme, princesses. It is such a joy to make these, and the workshop at Roses is almost done before I move on to the next one.

Inchies for the holidays are done too! And, they are ready to mail off. Great images from Lisa's Altered Art! Love that little baby face!

Domino Mania Class

2010-10-14T12:09:00.001-07:00

More Domino Art!

2010-10-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

Upcoming on RAIL at Roses,

Domino Mania!

2010-09-29T09:08:00.001-07:00

A fun new prompt in my Journal Journey Group: A favorite color. FUN!!!

2010-09-23T20:34:00.000-07:00

Found a moment to take some photos of my art space. I work under a beautifully bright window and today I captured the pure brightness of this one little corner of my work area.

I found the glass cabinet at flea market! Brand new too! It is just right for holding all of my paints and glitter, and I love storing things so that they are easy to see.

Mixed Media Collage Book

2010-09-18T08:12:00.000-07:00

New R.A.I.L project at Roses On My Table . I've created a butterfly theme that relates to freedom, independence, and most of all transformation.

2010-09-08T09:10:00.000-07:00

My Marie Antoinette swap cards are ready for trading. I just finished them yesterday and I had so much fun using all the sparkles and glitz. Even a touch of those Stewart Gill flakey-flakes. Love those!

Time to move onwards to finish my newest mini workshop for RAIL on Roses, pictured below.

Marie Artist Trading Cards

2010-09-01T16:35:00.001-07:00

Just finished these for my tag art swap. They are "hat check" girls. This was fun!

2010-08-28T15:10:00.001-07:00

Inchie swap! Oh! LOVED making these!

These are called, Souls Asleep.

2010-08-26T12:24:00.000-07:00

I had such a good time creating these journal pages for my journal group. It is so freeing to sit down and create whatever comes to mind.

Here is my latest pages from Roses On My Table Journal Journey Group:

The Latest News on Roses:

2010-08-23T13:02:00.000-07:00

Oh! I am so, so, so excited! I've been developing new projects for a whole new set of mixed media art classes. I could just bust! It seems that even as I've been busy over the summer with lot's of activities, my muse didn't leave or rest. I am bursting with new ideas and have already started on my first new projects! I hope to have a new mixed media bottle art workshop, and a brand new tile workshop very soon. So, I hope all my friends will stayed tuned. I have to do it right, so I will post dates as soon as the video production is completed.

2010-08-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

You know what I like? Everything that is unique and different. Sometimes I will walk around a flea market, circling the busy crowds, spying inside one little booth, perusing the tables and blanketed grounds, searching eagerly for something, well, something different!

Just because I am getting older doesn't mean that I still don't want the world to hold wonder and awe for me. I am very selfish about that. I need to be wowed! When I was a child I remember going to the fair. Someone had one of those dog leashes that appears to be leading an invisible dog. The leash was there, extending out alongside the owner, but the dog really was invisible. I didn't think that there was no dog. Heavens no! There was a dog there alright, I just couldn't see him. That was a wonderful moment! It was a horrible moment when I later saw a big bucket of those leashes for sale beside the arcade games.

I really like to recreate those magical moments in my mind, especially when I am out and about the marketplace. I want the "elixir" the "snake oil salesman." The "flimflam gimmick. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't want to really be fooled, but I want to wonder what if there really was magic? What if there really was an invisible dog on the end of that leash? Is it just me, or is fun to believe in things we know can't be real? Even if is just for a moment! After all, what if Jack didn't buy those magical beans? Would there have been a golden goose? lol* I hope I never fully grow up. It is far more fun to imagine the unimaginable.

2010-08-01T18:21:00.000-07:00

Another bottle creation! I planning to create a new bottle art workshop the end of this year. The first one was so amazing, and I enjoy it so much.

My New Pages from my Journal Journey. I keep working towards journaling without thinking to much before I begin. It is more fun for me to be spontaneous in my art journal. I notice that when I have a preconceived idea of where I am going, I am less inclined to try new things or take risks. Getting past that hurdle is like hitting home run.

These pages pick up from a set a did awhile back when I first created the windows. I knew I'd come back to do the other pages.

2010-07-24T19:57:00.001-07:00

Faith isn't Faith....

...until it is all you are holding on to.

My prescription for stressful and trying times:

*Keep yourself sharp and creative by keeping an art journal. Really do it!
*Create something everyday. E-v-e-r-y D-a-y.
*Learn a new technique, or learn about a new product every week.
*Share your art with someone.
*Tell others how you feel about your art. (Some one you trust who will be supportive).
*Believe in your talent. Be real about how far you've come, and how far you want to go.
*Keep the faith that "this too shall past." But remember as well that inspiration is the cure for desperation!

Be inspired, inspire others, and keep the faith. Refill this prescription as soon as you run out.

2010-07-22T10:34:00.000-07:00

Bless this Mess:

Some folks say that there is nothing better than cleaning up your studio at the end of the day. uh-uh. I don't think so. Waking up to a mess is my bliss! It reminds me that I am working, that my ideas are flowing, and that somewhere in this mess something new is about to be born. So, I just ask that this mess be blessed, and that I am able to wake up to this glorious thing called creativity, everyday!

2010-07-20T13:02:00.000-07:00

Just a Quickie

I'm playing with some new collage elements that I haven't explored previously. Usually I try to combine media in new ways, and experimentation is part of the fun. Well, sometimes it can also be part of the frustration on those days when art elements don't want to play nicely together! I'm okay with this turn-out and have more ideas in mind for finishing it. This is a 5" x 7" chipboard, and just the right size for a larger composition. Still want to go bigger though!

2010-07-18T14:33:00.000-07:00

In doing this collection it seemed like a great exercise in saluting the old time gentleman. He wasn't perfect. He might have even been a chauvinist, brimming with double-standards and bullheadedness. But, what of he was kind and sensitive? What if he was gentle and silent in his strength? Hummm...it's something to ponder. Celebrating men for behaving like gentlemen with character and strength is a nice compliment. Don't you think? I enjoyed the idea of not making fools of them in these collages. Though to be fair they would have looked very interesting with butterfly wings!

And the Witches are on the loose for my pfatt listings on ebay. I love when Halloween comes early!

Boo!

2010-07-12T16:28:00.000-07:00

My Newest Journal Page! What a fun adventure. The prompt asks what my favorite film or literary character is, and guess who I chose?

2010-07-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

The glorious thing about blogging is the friends you meet and the experiences you get to share from miles and miles away. I just received my first ever prize from Sara of Seaside Diaries of a Kimberline. She had a blog giveaway, and I am over the moon and feel so totally special to have received all these beautiful goodies!

When I received the package I loved seeing how far it came, and it was a delight knowing it came from Sara who I have had the pleasure to know. I never expect to win things, but I always love to show for the party! This time, I won!

My son, who is 11, did not want to be left out of the festivities that had begun once the package was spotted in my arms as I came from the mailbox. After all, heard me say over and over again, "I won, I won!" and he knew it was pretty exciting for mom! He wanted in on the action so I let him open the envelope and then pass each beautiful treasure to me. It was so exciting! Sara filled it will all types of pink treasures!

And, do you think I can come up with some great ideas to do with these? Ah...you bet I can. Look at the fun jewelry, beads, stickers, flowers, and beads? Like Sara, they are magical, and I just had to share it with you all.

Now, the icing on the cake is that Sara just got married and she has beautiful pictures posted on her blog. The setting and scenery is almost as joyful as the happiness in Sara's eyes! Thank you friend! I will enjoy all the goodies!

2010-07-09T12:02:00.000-07:00

Inchies!

Corinne Marie is heading up this great swap at Roses On My Table. This was a blast! I was wondering what it would be like to work inside this little tiny area, and I wasn't disappointed! It was so much fun. I love challenges, and I love to try new things. It keeps my mind open and it motivates my creativity. Sometimes the muse goes out for a vacation leaving me feeling, blah. Trades like this really keep the pot stirring, and I LOVE receiving new art in return! I have to start posting my treasures when they come in the mail!!!

2010-06-30T12:39:00.000-07:00

I just finished making my cards for the July swap at Roses On My Table.

This set represents the word cat in Spanish, French, English, German, Russian, Dutch. I so enjoy these swaps. Creating art that you know you will give away is a very rewarding experience. Whenever I receive my cards in return, I am just overjoyed because I know that someone whom I have never met in person has put their whole heart into what they have created as well. This type of art exchange also offers an opportunity to enjoy works from all over the world! I have made so many new friendships, and I dearly love the experience!

2010-06-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

The Big Three's Journal Prompt: Three positive qualities I like most about myself.
I hope you like my video!

This prompt was really fun to do. I wanted to continue to work in my handmade journal because, I don't know, I just like working on smaller pages sometimes. I was able to squeeze in enough time do three pages.

It is really so enjoyable to keep an art journal. You don't have to plan too much in advance, you can let yourself go with the flow, and because you are not focused on perfection, new ideas can come in. For example, I just thought it would be fun to use my quilting iron to melt oil pastels! I have never seen that done with pastels before, but it turned out to be a neat and interesting new technqiue that I plan to use a lot in the future.

The point is to try something new whenever you can!

2010-06-22T23:05:00.001-07:00

A fun little video of some previous works over the years, my ATC's and ACEO's, and some tag art too. I enjoy looking at these because I only make originals and never create copies. I don't know why, but once I make one of them, I want to let it go. It is sort of like they grow wings and fly away to new homes, new destinations, new friends.

2010-06-18T12:06:00.000-07:00

The Artist's Trading Card Cafe is a new location I've added to my list of favorite places. I hope you will come and visit when you get an opportunity.
I decided it was time to make a place for ATC and ACEO artists. A place that is for and about this wonderful community. We blog and we visit each other with such great enthusiasm, but who are we, what are we doing, and why do we do what we do as artists? I love the sense of community at Roses, and it will spill out onto this wonderful new location too! If you want to be featured, please let me know as I am compiling a list of wonderful artists now!

2010-06-13T13:28:00.001-07:00

My son is out of elementary school! Here he is, with my daughter who is now in college! Both of them are a gift to me. I have never loved anything more than being a mom. It is the hardest unpaid job that exists, but it's worth all those sleepless nights, especially when you capture moments like these.

2010-06-12T21:38:00.000-07:00

My first go at Conte Crayons. Well...I wished I had used a smoother paper while experimenting with these, but I did give it a ago anyway! Lot's of fun. I love getting messy with them!

2010-06-06T20:20:00.001-07:00

This journal entry is called "the strands of time." I think that if I could turn back the strands of time, I think I should have let my hair down more often. A fun play on words! I enjoyed the exercise in patience that it took to create all those strands. lol!

Zinnia's Art Journal

2010-06-03T20:47:00.001-07:00

My daily art journal entry:

In addition to my Journal Journey Journal, I have started a daily journal. I thought that the subject of "wings" is a great place to start. This is not a halo behind the figure...it is the sun.

2010-05-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

I love working on wood! Just been playing with these and have much more work I'd like to do on them, but I'm finding out what mediums I like and how I like working with them.

I like working with pencils, paints, and stamps. So these have 'everything' into them. As I've been exploring in my journal with new mediums, I've been able to let the play time translate into finding what I like to do. Blending the accuracy of pencils with the translucency of paint is something I'm really into. I'll have to keep on playing until I come with the formula that I like...but so far I am pretty happy with the start of these.

2010-05-21T16:32:00.000-07:00

Kitty and Me

My daughter loves cats. She has been a SPCA volunteer for the care of the cats in the shelter. There are so many that need good homes. I made this little 5 x 7 artwork to honor my sweet girl who holds such a deep kindness in her heart for stray and neglected animals. Just the other day, she found a stray little dog, took him home, gave him a bath, fed him, gave him water, clipped the matted fur away...and then we called the shelter to pick him up and see if they could find it's owner! That's my daughter!

Here she is with our 14 year old parakeet, Birdie Anne. Yes, I did say 14!

Here she is with our dog Bridgette who was recovering from an ear infection. Poor baby!

2010-05-12T12:14:00.001-07:00

My ATC swaps for this months trading cards theme at Roses. I decided I would do "Goddesses" for my theme. Starting from the upper left, the "Sun Goddess", "Fire Goddess", "Wind Goddess",
"Water Goddess", "Earth Goddess", and "Lightening Goddess."