Weekend Journal

I have lots of artsy goodness to share with you this weekend, so lets get started!  First, here are my finished canvases currently on display at the 33rd annual East Shore Invitational Art Show.

NEW CANVASES

"Watch Over Me", mixed media/acrylic 24" x 18"

"Shaman's Tale", mixed media/acrylic 11" x 14"

"Hope and Faith", mixed media 12" x 12"

"Tree of Life", mixed media/acrylic 11" x 14"

"A Mother's Love", mixed media/acrylic 11" x 14"

"Inner Knowing", mixed media/acrylic 12" x 12"

It was good to work on canvases for a change.  I'll be completing more canvases in the coming months.

 ART SWAP

Another really fun thing I did in the last couple weeks was to make 10 inspiration cards to trade with April Cole.  If you haven't seen her blog, you need to check it out because you're going to LOVE it!   Here are the cards I made for April:

And here are the wonderful cards that I received from April.  I enjoyed this swap so much that I'm going to host a swap myself very soon, so stay tuned. Thanks very much, April!

TRAVEL JOURNAL

It's been a while, but remember my travel journal?  I'm still continuing work on my pages for our California journey.  It's been slow going due to technical difficulties like my printer running out of ink, resizing photos, using a new laptop, etc., etc., but I've finally have the first few pages almost complete.

California Day One

I still have lots of little details to add to these pages - as well as the other pages in my journal.  I didn't realize how time consuming this would be, but I also didn't realize how rewarding the finished product would be!

I'm going to be showing lots of little details, because I know "The Californians" are eager to see these pages!  Hopefully you'll get some ideas for your own travel journals too, like this little add in booklet. 

This is one of my favorite details!  I wonder what's behind the door?

This little detail was well worth the effort.  It tickles me every single time I open the door!

 The blue mosaic wall at the Sawdust Festival opens to reveal photos I took of the cards that I bought there.  I met some fabulous artists there and saw some fantastic artwork too!

Business cards glued back-to-back make great tabs!  "Thai Bite" is on this side, and "Zona's" is on the other side.

I have photos of my steak breakfast and mimosa for the big empty spot.  My captions and other details must still be added.

We had so many great adventures on the California leg of our trip that I'm sure I'll be working on this journal all winter.  I hope you enjoy seeing it!

PRE-WINTER

Well, in my mind it's official:  Autumn is over with and we're now in the state of limbo that I refer to as "pre-winter".  All of the beautiful leaves have mostly left the trees now, and it's mostly cold and gray now.

Our second puzzle of the season has been completed - an autumn scene as a last-ditch effort from me to hold on to the season. 

Not to worry, though.  There's beauty to behold every day if you're paying attention.  Enjoy the beauty in your day, and have a fabulous weekend!

CELEBRATE * LOVE * CREATE

Tuesday Tips & Techniques: Playing with Paper Featuring Barb Owen!

Day 4 of My Vacation: 

Making Collage Papers with Barb Owen

Day four of my vacation in Missouri was spent as an art play date with Barb Owen.  I met artist and author of "Normal Doesn't Live Here Anymore", Barb, online about 3 years ago, and we became fast friends.  This was our first opportunity to meet each other face to face.  Needless to say, we were thrilled!

We played with several different methods of creating papers to use as backgrounds and in collage.  As a bonus, we also took a brief side trip using fire.  I'm happy to report that all of my fingers remain intact!

The UStream videos total about 3 hours, but I think you'll find our day entertaining and even maybe informative.  I'll be doing a tutorial for each of the processes in the coming weeks.  In the meantime, pour your favorite beverage, pull up a chair, and get ready to be inspired.

I've also included images of the goodies I received from Barb, images of the wonderful papers I made on our play date, and the pages from my travel journal that I created from our play date.  Thanks for a wonderful day, Barb.  I had a blast!  Be sure to check out the other great UStreams that Barb has recorded.  You won't believe how many creative ideas my creative sister shares!  Also, be sure to visit her blog: The Art and Soul of Barb Owen.  It's been a few weeks since she last posted, but I spoke with her yesterday and she assures me she'll be posting again very soon.  Right, Barb?



Video streaming by Ustream


Video streaming by Ustream
Barb streams live on Fridays at 2:00pm EST.  Stop in and tell her hello - there are a great group of creatives who visit there each week, and they'll all be glad to see you!

Goodies From Barb

Barb gave me the most lovely goodies when I visited.  This journal she gave me is amazing!  It's packed full of her homemade papers using the techniques we played with during my visit.

I can't stop rubbing the heart embellished spine filled with wonderful fibers of every color and texture. 

Barb also gave me pages of quotes.  Don't you just adore quotes?  I'm especially fond of the quote Barb gave me from her own book.  Isn't this old typewriter font great?

She gave me burnt brown paper embellishments that she made...

And these beautiful polymer clay embellishments.

Barb also gifted me a stack of ATC sized prints of her original artwork.  They're gorgeous!

The Papers I Made

I can't begin to tell you how much fun I had making these papers with Barb!  I only wish you could see how truly luscious and glittery they are - the camera (and my photography) just doesn't do them justice!  Here are the first papers we made using the resist technique with glue and Scribbles fabric paint.

These are the paste papers....

and these are the papers I made using the stamping technique using paper towels, acrylics, stamps and stencils.  SO much fun to do!

My Travel Journal Pages - Day 4

Here are my travel journal pages from my day with Barb.  They aren't 100% complete, but very close!  I used some of the paper that I made on our date, a couple burnt brown paper embellishments, the "holey tape" that Barb generously shared with me, and photos of our day that I printed from the computer.

I hope you've enjoyed today's Tuesday Tips and Techniques post.  We have a wonderful online community of creatives, and if you get the opportunity to meet some of your online friends in person, I hope you'll make the effort.  There's just nothing like being "face-to-face" after an electronic relationship!

See you next time.  You still have time to enter my giveaway if you haven't done so already.  Instructions are HERE.  Scroll to the bottom of the post to find out how to enter.

CELEBRATE * LOVE * CREATE