Paint Party Friday......BIG

Happy Paint Party Friday!!!

Last weekend I never made it around to all the Paint Party Friday blogs because we have been having internet issues. Fingers crossed.....looks like the problem has been resovled. So today I have been MADLY catching up on emails, and I will probably spend the rest of the day catching up on replying to emails and reading blogs!

Last Sunday I started an e-course called *BIG ~ a fearless painting adventure*.

Doesn't that sound awesome? Well it is!

It is hosted by Connie at Dirty Footprints Studio.

I am learning to enjoy the process of painting and not worry about the final product. This is a lesson I need to learn for all areas of my creativity. So many times I am so wrapped up with the image, in my head, of the final piece that I dont enjoy the process. Then when it doesn't work out many times I dont finish that piece.

Here are a few of my paintings from this week....

This whole process is like art therapy for the artist! I really need that since my creative juices just havent been flowing that well lately.

Take some time to check out all the creativity over at the Paint Party!

Have an awesome weekend!

Paint Party Friday Dreamin'

I have always been a dreamer.

By dreams I mean goals I have for myself for the future, things I want to accomplish, a bucket list of expectations for my life.

And I dream BIG!

I expect a lot from myself.

The last couple of weeks, while my muse has been away from me, I have taken some time to think about those dreams again.  Consider (or re-consider!) what I need to do to make those happen.

So I did a quick art journal painting for PPF with this theme.

 A reminder to myself that it is all possible.

Not sure who wrote this quote....

"if you shoot for the stars and miss, you'll land in the trees.  if you shoot for the trees and miss, you will land on the ground"

So DREAM BIG!
BIG HUGE DREAMS!!
Go check out all the other Paint Party Friday blog as well - right here!

Have a great weekend!

Mermaid Message for Paint Party Friday

In all my frustration this week with my creative block....or whatever has been going on....I started doing some blog hopping and came across this cool blog called "Paint Party Friday".

I have mentioned in a few posts how I have been wanting to do some painting again, so I thought joining this online party would be great inspiration.

In my last post I showed you a background in blues I had started in an effort one day just to do SOMETHING creative.  Well the idea I had for that background was not inspiring me anymore, but I had another idea.

I have also been pretty inspired lately by quotes and sayings and I love a painting with a quote.  So I gave this mermaid a message to say......

Something we probably forget a lot!

From the Paint Party Friday blog (don't forget to go check out all the other blog postings for todays paint party!) I found Kristin Dudish's blog.  This lady does some awesome paintings and sketches and she is one of the creators of Paint Party Friday.

Kristin has a button on her blog called "30 in 30 for 30".  She did 30 paintings in 30 days for $30!!  Pretty cool idea hey?!?!

I have been trying to come up with another way to raise money for the Humane Society that I volunteer for and I think I may do my own twist on this.  I emailed Kristin to ask permission to put my own twist on it and she was kind enough to say yes.  I am still brainstorming the whole idea, but stay tuned!

Have a great weekend!

Unfocused Ramblings

I thought it was just me......but after reading several artists blog posts over the last few days I don't feel so alone.

For the last few days I cant seem to concentrate.....I feel really unfocused in my work.

I am irritable, in part, because I have all this creative stuff in my head that can't come out.

There's so much in there that I am having trouble focusing on one thing.

I can't decide what to do first.  I start one thing and then think I should be working on something else.

I was waiting for this time when I only had a few orders ahead of me, when I could just play, do what I wanted for a few hours, experiment with new ideas......

Now I don't know what to do with myself.

It is so frustrating!!!!

It doesn't help that my studio is an absolute mess and I really need to deal with that before I start anything else, but I stand there and look at the fabric pulled out, the sketchbooks all over the place, the yarn that needs to be put away, the glass rods in a pile and I am paralyzed!

I have been having this urge to paint, so I pulled out three colors and started this background.....

Hopefully I can find the inspiration to finish this when it is dry.

As artists are we just supposed to wait for these phases to pass, or fight thru them......I am not sure.....

Have I held these new ideas in for so long that they don't want to come out anymore?

I am kind of jealous of my cat right now......

He's not fighting any repressed creativity!!

We finished the screening in the back porch and most of the cats love it.  They can sit and watch the birds, enjoy the breeze and chill.

Maybe I should take some lessons from my cats....relax and this too shall pass :)

A Quick Peek!

Yesterday I showed you my first freezer paper stenciled piece, and told you today I would be back to show you what I had done with it.  Well I didnt get to finish the piece, but thought I would show you where I am so far with it.

It is going to be a pillow, and the white parts will have appliques and some quilted words. Over the last few days the idea for these pillows have slowly developing in my head.

This wont be the last, especially since doing the freezer paper stencil was so much fun!  The worst part was waiting for the paint to dry.

My friend, Amy, who does some fabulous stenciling and printing on fabric, gave me some great tips for the stenciling.  Check out Amy's blog, During Quiet Time, to see the work she does.  Also check out her Etsy shop where you can buy her wonderful creations.

Give me a few days and I will be back to show you the finished piece :)

Hope you are all having a fantastic week!

Happy May!

I think the busyness of my life may be slowing down a wee bit!  I have finished up a good chunk of my orders, last Saturday was the last farmers market until October, and I have lots and lots of fresh ideas brewing in my brain.

One of my items that has been really popular are my quilted journal covers.

This was one of the last I did for an order:

The above picture is the front, and below is the back.....

Here is the entire cover.....

Do you see that ultra cute fabric in the *grass* that has flowers with black and white striped petals?  I won that fabric in a giveaway on the Jennifer Jangles blog.

Go and check out Jennifer's blog and the side tab has all the links to her Etsy shop, Flickr, and website.

She is an amazing ceramic artist who now designs really funky, fun lines of fabric.

This is the stack of fat quarters that I won:

I could only bear to cut off a strip to use for the grass on this journal.  I must get my hands on some more, then I wont be so possessive over these pieces!

Today I am trying my hand at stenciling on fabric.  Waiting for the paint to dry is the worst part.  I will be back tomorrow to show you the results ~ hopefully it turns out!