Happy New Year!

Tap... tap... tap... is this thing on??  Happy New Year everyone!!  I'm so sorry I've been away for so long!  Life has been keeping me busy over here - whew!  I plan to get back into blogging regularly in 2015 though - I've missed you all!

I love a new year for so many reasons:  it's a fresh start; a chance to forget about all the things you wanted to do last year, but didn't quite get get around to; the opportunity to update/set new goals and plan your path forward.

So here's to re-grouping, making new plans, and kicking off new adventures... let's see where this year takes us, shall we?? :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Strawberry Swap Mini

Hi Everyone!  Happy weekend :)  I'm back to share the other projects I made for the Instagram Strawberry Swap.  (see previous post for part 1 :)

This mini was so much fun to make.  I used a 45 degree ruler to make the octagon center of each block, then added the corner triangles.  My swap partner likes Heather Ross fabric, so I used the Briar Rose collection (which has strawberries of course!).

This was a quilt/sewing project swap, but I also wanted to include something a bit unconventional, so I made up some fun watercolor recipe cards for my favorite strawberry treats.  (In case all this strawberry talk is making you hungry, give this recipe a try, it's a definite winner...)

   

I hope my partner likes her swap package - I sure had fun making everything!

Thanks for stopping by!

Stash Building & Sketching

Hi Everyone, hope you're all enjoying the holiday weekend :)  I've been a bit under the weather since mid-week, so I haven't been doing much sewing, but I did recently pick up a few fun fabrics to add to my collection.  Can't wait to feel better so I can cut into these goodies!

 

I did manage to get outside today and do some sketching though.  Yup, that's a sure sign I'm definitely on the mend - whew!

These little sketches have given me an idea... stay tuned :)


Hope you all had a fun-filled weekend!


Thanks for stopping by!

Settling into Summer

Happy Weekend Everyone!  Hope you all are having a good one.

I've been inspired by the fantastic summer weather we've been having here lately...  Normally we don't get nice consistent warm sunny weather until July, but Mother Nature has really been kind to us Pacific North-Westerner's this year.  And when inspiration hits, the watercolors come out... :)

This morning I made a trip to the berry patch. :)  Strawberries are my favorite (you're surprised, right?!?), and nothing beats fresh picked!

Hope you're all settling into summer as easily as I am (not like it's taken much effort)!


Thanks for stopping by!

Art Retreat Weekend - Part 2

Hi there, hope everyone is having a good weekend.  I'm back to tell you about the second day of classes at the art retreat!

On the second day, Christy Tomlinson was our teacher.  Christy's "She Art" class was my first online mixed media class, and it opened my eyes to a whole new way of creating!  As you know, I'm also a quilter, so mixed media was something completely different for me.  Quilting is so exact and precise, which I love, but mixed media is completely the opposite, it's messy and loose, and completely fun :)  And Christy's style is so inspiring!

When we walked into the art studio that morning, lovely gifts were waiting for us... seriously, how cute is this presentation?!?

Christy taught us how to draw girls.  Normally I'm kind of intimidated by drawing faces, but she made the process so easy.

First we tried charcoal...

Then a Stabilo pencil, which I LOVED.  You draw with it, then run a wet paintbrush along the lines and they smear some, resembling paint.  I'll definitely be creating with this tool again!

Then, once we were a little more comfortable with drawing faces, we created a full color girl on a canvas board. Christy showed us her process for adding shading with paint and markers - she is seriously so talented, we had so much fun!

Everyone did such a great job with their girls!  I love this group shot showing all the different personalities and personal interpretations.

Christy really is an amazing teacher, and I have to say, she's just as sweet in person as she is online :)  Have you heard about her upcoming Boot Series class this spring?  I just signed up and am definitely looking forward to learning more from her.

Our project on the final day was creating a simple mixed media background on heavy-weight paper.  It was great to have one more creative project to pour ourselves into before departing.

I'm so grateful for my time spent with these lovely ladies and hope we can keep in touch.  We started the weekend out as strangers, but our common love of art and creating brought us together and we became fast friends.  It truly was a special experience that I will always remember.  If you're a creative person who has never been to a retreat, I encourage you to give it a try, you're sure to find some kindred spirits along the way...

Thanks for stopping by!

Art Retreat Weekend - Part 1

Hi Everyone!  I recently had the absolute pleasure of spending a wonderful weekend with a fantastic group of creative gals at the Nurture Your Creative Seed art retreat on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle.  We were submerged in art and all things mixed media for an entire weekend - it was amazing!

The retreat was hosted by the lovely Serena, who seriously has a gift for organizing creative events and making everyone feel so relaxed and comfortable.  This is my second year attending one of Serena's retreats, and hopefully not the last!

On the way to the retreat, I met up with my friend Cindy, who I had the pleasure of getting to know at last year's retreat.  We took the ferry from Seattle over to Bainbridge Island, about a 30 minute ride.  The day was overcast (so Seattle!), but we got to see an amazing view of the city shoreline from the ferry.

The first night, we all got to know each other over a delicious meal in town.  It was so much fun to be around such a creative group of ladies, who had put their fears aside and traveled in from all around the country to spend time making art.

Classes on the first day were taught by Junelle Jacobsen, who is such an inspiring mixed media artist.  We started the day doing sketching exercises, which we then translated into watercolor paintings.

The weather was absolutely beautiful on the first day, so after a break for lunch, we spent time soaking up some much needed sunshine at a local harbor area.  The views were spectacular and it was great to be outside and see some signs of spring.

After our harbor visit, we went back to the studio and Junelle taught us how to make mixed media wood blocks using lots of yummy paints and papers.

Here's a group shot of all the blocks everyone created in class.  I just love seeing them all together -  seriously, what a talented group of ladies!!!

Have you signed up for Junelle's new Saturday Morning Wood Block class?  It just started and there's still time to join in - these little blocks are so much fun to make and Junelle is such an inspiring teacher!

As if that wasn't enough, we had another whole day of creating to look forward to with this amazing gal.  I'll be back soon to tell you about all the fun we had on the second day of classes - stay tuned!

Thanks for stopping by!

Mixed Media Monday

Hi Everyone - happy Monday!  Hope you all had a great weekend.  Mine was good, kinda low key, just how I like 'em. :)

I spent most of the weekend getting ready for an upcoming quilt retreat.  Seriously looking forward to that!!  I usually try to cut out and prep a lot of projects before I go, so I can feel extra productive while I'm there. :)  I still have one more project that I'd like to cut out before I leave, but we'll see how this week goes...

I did manage to take a break from cutting long enough to try out this new Christmas gift...  I even found some actual watercolor paper in the back of my closet to play with.  

Watercolor is not usually my thing, but seriously, these paints are really fun to work with.  And super addicting!!

I'm definitely going to have to spend some more time with these new friends. :)  

Thanks for stopping by!

  

Mixed Media Monday

Hello out there!  Happy Monday...  Hope your week is off to a great start!

With the start of the new year, my goal is to make Mixed Media Monday a more regular occurrence.  It really encourages me to keep creating and trying new things, which I really look forward to.  So now that we have that out of the way...

This week's Mixed Media Monday project is a card I made for a friend.  Lots of fun papers, paints and inks made their way into this project, along with this fun product I recently acquired. :)

Be back again soon...


Thanks for stopping by!

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Mixed Media Monday (Christmas Edition!)

Hello out there!  How are your holiday preparations coming along?  Only two more sleeps 'til the big day, how did that happen?!?  Hope all your shopping, baking, decorating, wrapping, etc, etc... are well under way or almost done.

It can be difficult to get into the studio this time of year, but I just had to get a Christmas painting in.  This little lovely was painted on regular canvas from the fabric store, with some free motion stitching for added texture.

This was the first time I've created on plain canvas, but definitely not the last!  I really enjoyed experimenting with this material.  So many possibilities!!! :)

And then I had the privilege of waking up to this the other day:

So pretty :)  It's just doesn't feel like Christmas without at least a little snow...


Wishing you all safe and happy holidays.  Hope you're able to spend lots of time with family and friends, and maybe even find a little time to create...  :)


Thanks for stopping by, and Merry Christmas!

Mixed Media Monday

Hello out there!  Hope everyone is doing well, and hope those of you in the US had a great holiday weekend. Now comes the exciting count down to Christmas! :)

Apologies for the lack of Mixed Media Monday posts lately...  life has been keeping me busy over here.  All good things, just busy!  (the holiday season + fun projects in the works = lack of blog posts...)

This week's project was created in my small 5.5" x 8" mixed media journal.  The flowers are made from several overlapping paper circles, creating some fun dimension.  I also used dry wall tape to add some texture to the band of "grass".  (It's amazing the great supplies you can find in your garage, who knew?!?)

Other supplies used were vintage pattern paper (for the background), plus lots of paint, ink and stamps.

Love this saying...

And now the full 2-page spread...

Be back again soon with more fun updates...


Thanks for stopping by!