Cyber Monday shopping idea

did you venture out and shop on black friday? i was chicken this year especially being out of town. instead i am waiting for cyber monday to do a little online shopping.

do you have an artist you need to shop for? Northlight Books has something- check out this link for some great book ideas. there are books for everyone on your list! the book below is one that is available and i am lucky enough to have art journal pages in this one! happy shopping!!

sewn up paintbrush bag

on saturday i worked in my studio and had been envisioning a paintbrush/ pencil holder. my thoughts had been a long narrow little bag to throw my favorite few paintbrushes and pencils in when working elsewhere.

front:

back:

i had hand dyed fabric and then used Rae Missigman's new stamps for my background. i had to determine how long i needed the bag to be. once i figured that out i cut out my rectangle and chose my zipper. i had found that super cute black and white polka dot fabric and knew i wanted to incorporate that into my bag; along with the purple sari ribbon i had gotten at here.

so i used the polka dot fabric for the ruffle and then, turned it inside out for the end caps so that it would not be too overwhelming with the black. i did some hand stitching with the hot pink and added a button for the fun of it.

even one of my biggest brushes fits just fine. super excited about my bag. trying to decide if i should make others..... any thoughts on this?

tgif...

happy friday.

soft fabric ornaments- great gifts

i have been sewing up a storm getting ready for the holiday season so you can give a special handmade gift to some special person (or maybe a "santa" gift for you....). these ornaments are available in my etsy store.

each one is unique and is stitched up with love using dyed cotton that has been hand stamped with a homemade stamp i made in various shapes- like the star, tree and a heart.

then, i layered up some fabric to make the ornaments soft and touchable. most also include a vintage measuring tape hanger. the ornaments measure about 3.5" x 5.5".

happy thursday!

#raesstamps from PaperBag Studios

stacking up some great stamps..... these new stamps are from PaperBag Studios and were created by the lovely Rae Missigman. recognize the name?....she is one of the creative artists behind the Art to the 5th and the Documented Life Project.

each stamp has wonderful details and is super easy to use. i have made a few things using these stamps-let me show you some samples i created.

i love this card i made using the new stamps. for the feather encircled with paper and stitching. i actually stamped on tissue paper first and wanted to sew around the feather, so i backed it with notebook paper for support first. i tore out the middle of the notebook paper and attached to the card.

i made these mini's creating the backgrounds with acrylic paint and stencils before stamping on each with Rae's stamps. the bottom mini i used a stabillo pencil over the stamped image and spritzed with water to get the look that i achieved.

the possibilities with these stamps are endless..... interested in getting some of your own stamps? wondering where do i get these?! the stamps can be purchased starting today at noon by clicking here.

be sure to stop back to see what else i am creating.... and happy stamping to you!

TGIF

#soglad #happyfriday

about face and look a"head" to 2015

i am killing myself this morning.....

okay here is the scoop- i had been kicking around the idea of making a calendar from my 29 Faces art journal from this year and decided to take the leap and get the calendars made to sell to friends and family.

i already sold a few at the Holiday Studio Tour this last weekend, so i decided i better get the word out and share this information. i have 2 sizes available- one is a wall sized calendar that is 8.5"x 11" and the other is a desktop version that measures 4.5" x 8.25". each calendar has the same pics- so you simply need to choose which size would work best for you.

the calendar is made from 12 of my favorite faces from my art journal and is available in my etsy store. check back soon as i will also be adding some soft fabric ornaments for sale as well.

the calendar would make a great gift for someone special that features some interesting faces from my art journal.

here is to holidays!

publication fall....

i have had a huge fall as far as my art goes.  i had the privilege to be selected for several books that are now, or very shortly, available this fall.



the book shown above, "Art Journal Kickstarter" is available here. i was lucky enough to have art journal pages be selected for publication in this book.

do you love the magazine Cloth Paper Scissors?.....it was is one of my all time favorites! i had submitted an idea about a year ago and was contacted this past spring. my article about the cards i make had been selected for publication for the nov/ dec issue which is currently out now. then, with a huge surprise, i was asked to create a couple of options for the cover!! you will notice in the upper right hand edge the picture of the current Cloth Paper Scissors- that cover is mine!! want to pinch me now?!



and, pictured here above....is the newest book Incite II.it is available here. I had a painting selected for the book. the coolest part of this opportunity....is that my mom had a painting that was also selected! so we are both featured in the book- what are the odds of that?

just wanted to share all of my great news with you- i had been bursting at the seams!

tgif

giving thanks for today....happy friday!

Matboard tile frenzy

with the holiday season quickly approaching, i have several holiday art open houses this week. the first one is in Worthington, MN at the Dayton House. i will be there sharing a table with my best friend who is a stained glass and jewelry artist. then, friday and saturday are the local holiday tour here in town and i will be working down at HGS Gallery on saturday to meet shoppers.

one of the items i will be featuring are matboard tiles. most of mine are approximately 5"x5" squares. my hope would be to make more and then, also post to my etsy store- so i will keep you posted on that.

happy election day!

holiday warm up- tag style

here is one holiday tag i made with one of stencils from BlueTwig Studio.

i will walk you through my process for creating your own tags.

1. grab a tag....i had to make my tags, as apparently i did not actually have any premade tags. i used file folder and a template to make my tags.
2. use acrylic paint and the gelli plate to get paint down onto each tag as your background color. i did use my small 6x6 gelli plate with these tags.
3. stamp a little with an opposing color- i used a homemade stamp to make the light blue strips on the tags. i also sprayed lightly with a silver spray ink.
4. brayer some more color....i put a small amount of pistashio green onto my gelli plate and rolled the paint out with my brayer and then, rolled the brayer onto the tags in areas to add additional color. below is a sample of how the tag will look prior to the stenciling. 

    5.  use the Tim Holtz Christmas (THS030) stencil with holiday words. i used a cosmetic sponge          and white acrylic paint to pounce on the white paint.

    6.  hi-lite one word with a stabilo pencil. spritz with water to blend a bit. be careful with the   water, it is easy to use too much.

here are some other samples that i made using the stencils from BlueTwig Studio and this same process. 

the other supplies i used in the tags below are: 

• Tim Holtz Holiday Knit (THS028) stencil 
• Tim Holtz idea-ology Gumdrops that attached with Gorilla Glue

getcha in the holiday creative mood?....