simplicity {tgif}

may your friday be filled with simplicity.

tgif.

xo. kristin

top nine {instagram}

are you on instagram? come find me.

top nine posts from 2016.

happy wednesday.

xo. kristin

happy holidays to you and your family

found. remember the reason

xo. kristin

tgif {cork stamp}

sending love to you today....

tgif.

xo. kristin

... {art journal}

this isn't maybe my usual color combo; but sometimes you need to stretch and push outside of your comfort zone...and not every page needs to be pretty.

who wants an art journal full of cupcakes? life is messy. art journaling should be messy.

i really like the texture and the edges, where other pages colors have seemed through.

i was trying the image transfer again- love the inconsistencies and the color variations.

this corner is more than messy, but, i somehow love this.

the edges full of color from other work. gesso'd variation that lends itself to other colors and possibilities. the brown oil crayon with the pink and gold colors.....

....this is the reality of art journaling. no cupcakes here.

xo. kristin

image transfer {art journal}

i went to washington d.c. for my big girl job this past week, and i had purchased a few new magazines to read along the way. one of the magazines was stampington's artists' cafe best of mixed media, which was excellent. in this issue, there was an article about image transfer by heather kindt.

not sure how long you all have been following this artistic journey, but, i have a thing for image transfer; so any article that talks about transfers- is a must read. heather used a fashion magazine for her images which made the transfer much easier as the paper was easy to rub away. 

i couldn't wait to get home to try this out....below is my first try using a fashion magazine image.

happy monday.

xo. kristin

tgif {composition}

tgif.

composition.

happy friday.

xo. kristin

tag {thank you- original}

i love sending original work as thank you tags with my etsy orders. 

love the colors and texture on this one.

much appreciation for the support.

xo. kristin

salvation {teabag art-mixed media}

this piece was made with a used tea bag. 

scraps, stamp, stencil, book page, pen.

happy monday.

xo. kristin

tgif

just for you all of my lovelies.

tgif.

xo. kristin

sharing {art journal}

working the paper; scratching, clawing for creative freedom. i love how the scratches take the next layer of paint. new again. bright. showing through the graphite and dark. little pops. makes you want to hold the paper closer. see. 

tore through in the upper left hand corner.... sharing paint to the page before. 

other side of the journal. and i love how the masking tape is there 'cause it is not needed; and worked. holding up, but, not really completely staying stuck. eventually, it may stick the the other page and when the book is opened. it may pull paint from the otherside. working together. sharing. 

water? alcohol? something sprayed when the paint is not quite dry. lift. rub, wipe. love the texture. sharing a glimpse at what was below.

sharing.

xo. kristin

just like me {on canvas}

i had painted on deli paper and thought i liked what i had and such, tried to transfer onto canvas. once i had the paper onto canvas, i didn't like it as much....which lead to me picking at the paper of course.

pick here; peel there....pull. and pick some more.

 to get to the above photo- some of the paper was really stuck down and was not coming off.

paper off, pencil on. and doodle.

then add some ink and darks. 

really liking this piece now.

happy monday.

xo. kristin

sale {etsy store}

morning! are you looking for a unique artsy gift for family or friends? i am offering a 15% discount with a minimum purchase of $20.00 in my etsy store starting today through december 20th to help with your shopping needs.

there is a nice variety there of prices and original handmade items. check it out!

christmas tree hand painted ornaments

hand painted wrapping paper

art dolls and original art

stocking stuffers- such as this postcard.

happy thursday. happy shopping.

xo. kristin

stamped {art journaling & video}

loved the playfulness of these pages,... the colors and stamping; the pencil and scratches. 

i love the stamp's nondescript, abstract shape with misshaped circles.

some of the irregularity of the stamp is my ink pad....thinking i need a new one; but, didn't mind that on these pages.

like this stamp? it is part of my set of stamps i created and can be found at Roben Marie's PaperBag Studios.

below is a quick video of the pages. you can find me on youtube here.

happy wednesday.

xo. kristin

she {newest dolls}

newest she dolls to my collection. created by deb combs.

happy monday.

xo. kristin

destruction {art journaling}

sometimes it is just as much about the destruction of my page as it was about making the page.

paint, wet, rub, wipe, dry, scratch, pick, peel....

to find something you are okay with; but, not even that-

this page that is now in front of you that has somehow made you feel better; and, maybe you are not completely okay with

xo. kristin

found heart {reassurance}

sometimes you just need a little reassurance #foundheart #lunch

happy tuesday.

xo. kristin

teaching

i had the opportunity to teach an art journaling class a week ago in sioux falls, sd.

this was my class minus one who took the photo and owns the space (thank you Jayne!). these ladies worked so hard all day on art journaling. 

we talked about foundational concepts for art journaling and how to use those and when to break the rules. i shared some of my own secrets and how to really just have fun and make the art journals their own.

gesso, collage, paint, ink, charcoal.....

i was really worried about teaching this class for one day. it really should be 2 or 3 day class to really demo and allow the students to try.

this past saturday i met one of my student to share some art supplies and she gave me the best compliment ever.... she is a successful watercolorist and she told me i changed her artist world; that i changed how she looks at things and really opened up her view.

really?!.....pinch me! i feel so blessed to have come this far and to have the opportunity to do this.

blessed.

xo. kristin

quin crimson and homemade papers {art journal}

for the love of a new bottle of quinacridone crimson (thank you jennifer for adding a new color into the palette) and homemade papers.

gesso, spray ink, pencil, quinacridone crimson, payne's grey, homemade papers.

happy thursday.

xo. kristin

story within {art journal}

the story within is sometimes difficult to find found.... 

(hid) among layers; the (good) parts managing to see the light of day; be seen.

the rest (of the story) is pushed back; covered. layered. buried.

everyone has parts of a story that they want to tell. 

listen. listen.

xo. kristin

papered & stamped {ATCs}

happy monday.

xo. kristin

pocket page- backsides {tgif}

i was having some technical difficulties with my computer this week.....we weren't talking to tell you the truth.....but, nothing that an 18 year old boy can't fix apparently (and thank goodness....).

i made another pocket page for a swap. i of course, could not find my actual cards. why would i want to find my decks of cards- especially since i know i have at least 4 decks?....so, i made my own from sturdy paper. but, could have been a bit more sturdy so i finished both sides.

these are all of the backs of my cards that i made. recipe paper, receipts, bingo cards, written in old vintage book paper, scrapbook paper, and of course, a bit of my new homemade paper.

one of my favorite pieces is that mr. sweet potatoes.....makes me laugh.

tgif.

xo. kristin

layered {handmade papers- used}

handmade papers layered. squared.

happy monday.

xo. kristin

tgif {made papers}

love....

#ido

a little polka dot magic close up.

tgif.

xo. kristin

finished piece {class}

i can hardly explain how much fun i had at class last weekend....this is my finished piece. 

it is basically some of the various papers i made; a scribble of black stabilo pencil spritzed with water, and some scratchy doodles of a regular pencil.

amen.

happy thursday.

xo, kristin

class {weekend}

so this past weekend i was the pupil. and what a treat! we made stamps and tinted papers on friday. above is one of the stamps i made.

and i am just gonna say.....love it!

then, on saturday we made papers. and made papers. papers.

did i tell you that we made papers?!....oh- cuz we made papers. i came home with a stack of papers that i cannot wait to use. (in fact, i think i feel a cold coming on....maybe i better stay home....)

so above and below are a portion of my papers i made.

and the studio space we worked in........aaaaahmazing! it is filled with her art and these totally adorable little gardens.

there is just cool stuff there.....fabulous art to look at, lovely plants, interesting and colorful mixed yarn blankets, a pile of art books and this wonderful pillow below, and windows to die for.

simply said, a wonderful space to create.

below was our instructor Jennifer Stone. 

she is the best. great demos and explanations and plenty of help while you are working to keep you on track and be successful!

thank you Jennifer for the best weekend!

xo. kristin