Art Journal Jazz

Seaside, OR
Around this time a year ago, I attended one of my bucket list workshops in Oregon.  It was an art journal workshop with Alisa Burke in Seaside, OR.  She is one of my BIGGEST inspirations for SO many reasons.  I was seriously almost starstruck when I pulled in to the parking spot in front of her studio and she walked out.  THERE SHE WAS!!! IN PERSON!!! Holy shit.  Anyway, I had a blast and learned a ton of techniques for my art journal. I realize it really is so neat to have the base layer already completed so I can just sit and doodle anywhere. I even followed her tip to make it portable and I took it to the park. I completed a doodle page while my son played! Fastest hour of my life ;-)

Alisa's cute little studio

Bucket List Item- Check!! Met my inspiration artist :-)

A gift from teacher

My hotel, found randomly online

The backside of the hotel, right on the river

Look at all these yummy layers of color and papers I did in her class!  Just begging for some mixed media.

Pockets to hold scraps or stickers or washi tape

Another finished spread-almost like scrapbook style

A completed spread from the layers shown in the next image

Inside Alisa's studio- CUTE handmade/hand painted quilt that she made

Portable studio wall with table chock full of yummy supplies

Her artwork is featured in books, on accessories and home decor items

So much inspiration here!

Her darling daughter, Lucy

In action, demonstrating her techniques.

I love everything about her free, authentic style.  I strive to work towards that myself and was feeling a little nostalgic about it since she just held another art journal retreat one year after I attended.  I was wishing I was there again <3

I took this at the Japanese Gardens in Portland, so beautiful there!

Peace, Love and Paintbrushes,

Fun & Creative Mother's Day Gifts

Happy Mother's Day Mommas!
Hand painted drawings on cards and garden rocks make for some fun gift ideas.  Pair them with some plants and/or a culinary gift basket for a unique MD gift.  This is a great way to involve the smaller children and to keep them busy, but short enough to complete within the toddler attention span time frame. 

Peace, Love & Paintbrushes,

Calligraphy Practice on the Porch

  I have always disliked my handwriting.  I tend to want to blame my parents for not making me practice harder when I was learning penmanship in elementary.  The truth is, it was my choice to skate by and be average.  I just liked the Big Chief notepads and the weird paper they were made of and I did't really care how neat my writing was. Remember those pads of paper?  I wonder if they still make them.  I am going to find out and if so- I am gonna buy a pant-load of them and use them for more practice.  Maybe Colt can play along too.   

Anywhoo, I have been working towards embracing the ugly writing, especially when it comes to my scrapbooking. I have always been pretty interested in calligraphy.  We did a unit on it in high school English class my senior year and since then I have been hooked at trying it.  I want to practice more artsy ways to enhance my handwriting and found this book at the Target in Montrose.

Calligraphy Made Easy by Ashlee Gardner

Lettering and handwritten trends are all the rage and I too love the look of it all.  You can find hand lettering on everything from prints and art to letters and scrapbook paraphernalia. There are tutorials and practice sheets all over Pinterest, but this book and these brush tip markers were conveniently displayed right next to each other. All for around $25 I made the small investment to start working on getting fancy with my writing skills. I like to sit on the porch when it is nice and practice some of my art skills that don't require a lot of supplies and the book conveniently has the worksheets built right in.  I typically don't like writing in books, but whatever.  This one isn't like something I plan on getting rid of, so no one but me will see my doodling.

This is as far as I made it while Colt was in the bathtub.  Page one.  Exercise one.

Author's Workbook Page

My Practice Page

I took about 10 minutes to work on this.  I realized the importance of practice by doing this page.  Many times I wanted to go really fast, but I realized that it takes time to make the strokes and each one is almost like a drawing in and of itself.  I have heard many people say that lettering each letter and each stroke is something you have to think of like art, rather than penmanship.  To take your time and focus.  Some of my curls were WAY out of control, but this was fun to do and very quick practice for the short period of time I had to do it in.  

The author's example

?????

My practice...WTF is that on the bottom? HAHAHA!

It doesn't take much time or much money to find ways to be creative.  I suppose you could even find tons of stuff on the interwebs to make it free or nearly free even.  I look forward to practicing more and getting to the exercises that will use the brush tip markers.  They are SO pretty and SO colorful!  Crayola is the best.  I  <3 them.  

Crayola makes some great inexpensive art supplies!

Lookit the colors!!

So whatcha think?  I have a ways to go...but it's fun none the less.

Peace, Love and Paintbrushes,

Simple Front Door Update

It's springtime in the mountains! One minute it is in the 50's, the next it is snowing.  I took advantage of some of that higher temperatue moments of last weekend and refreshed my front door. Last summer we painted our house (ourselves) and I had the front door paint picked out.  I purchased it in the fall, but only to have it sit on the counter so long that it became too cold to paint.  Finally, it was nice enough that I was able to get 'er done.

Before Front- Please ignore the severe drought lawn.  

Before Back

WIP Paint Job

After- Front, grass looks a tad better.

After- Back (minus the trim paint)

 

I made this house number thingy

I made the house number thingy by the door out of two pieces I picked up 50% off at Hob Lob and screwed them together.  Then screwed them directly on to the house. I cut the numbers using my vinyl cutting machine. I like the idea of switching out the greenery for flowers in the summer or leaves in the fall.  Last Christmas I put in some pine and spruce tree boughs from the slash/burn pile here in the subdivision.

I finally got around to painting the front door last weekend.  I am loving the dramatic difference that just a bit of paint and some elbow grease has on this place!

Before

After- Paint, flowers and a new doormat

                        

Before

After

                          

Before- Door number thingy

After- Flowers and a 'wreath'

We still have some touch up under the door- or we may not do it....  We plan on adding some rusty corrugated steel panels this summer to help with future winter snow loads.  Something has to be done to help with winters that make our house look like this:

What is your favorite way to add curb appeal each spring?
Peace, Love and Paintbrushes,