look... see the moths?

My title is in celebration (?) of my ADD. Yes, I am highly distractable.

I knew what I wanted to do today but I did something else. The advantage of having a cold is it is easier to say "I don't feel like it"... I won't get away with that ALL day....

I saw a picture of a card that I just loved.... and as usual started wanting the stamp, the ink... and then I thought, why couldn't I make my own carved peacock feather? So here it is. I modified my blind contour sketch... I am NOT a great draw-er. But I am learning. I love the way this eraser stamp looks inked up with my rainbow ColorBox ink pad.

Here it is stamped....

and it morphed from the first, as i carved out other parts. Have to decide just how much to clean it up. That's a work in progress, now the trick is to stop when it is done and not overdo the carving. I expect to improve as I practice.

ummm..... wasn't I thinking of getting some SEWING done??

Linoleum print #1 of 2011

First lino print in twenty years or so. I did sort of a zentangle. I have no idea what I will do with it, maybe a card. Have to get lino ink. I tried all sorts of ink pads and nothing really worked... this was the best, and it was DISTRESS INK!! I wasn't going to try it, but since I couldn't leave it alone there you go.

If nothing else it was good practice cutting. I really like both the lino and the tool. But I guess I am going to have to get more linoleum ink. I never hate to go to the craft store. ;)

Maybe tomorrow it will show up on an art journal page.

Hopefully I will have some sewing to report, I am going to take some sewing over to Grandma's, and hope to get some done.

It's raining...

Wow we had a monstrosity of a rain storm come through here Thursday.

I stamped the "waves" with acrylic paint and a piece of that purple crown thingy that I showed in the last post. The pictures I just printed on paper and glued in. The silver drops are done with a Sharpie poster paint marker. And of course distress inks on gesso background.

And did I mention that my son and brother were DRIVING through this storm?? He came in to Sacramento on a plane; fortunately they got to land and it wasn't raining too hard because they let them out right out there on the tarmac; tiny plane. By the time they got to Placerville it was SNOWING!! Wild stuff. This is MARCH.... snow in Placerville in March is rare.

There's a space on the left page for an ark. I put my new stamps in a SAFE PLACE..... the dreaded safe place. If I don't find them soon I am going to print a picture for there. Ah the joys of being creatively ADHD.

thrifty find...

See this stuff? Junk to some. It was all in a bag at a thrift store, and $3. I had been thinking about doilies, so they are welcome. There is a star stencil with all different sizes. A scallopy crown thingy. A bunch of huge stamps designed for using on fabrics. I threw out (actually put them in a bag of unused craft stuff that I am donating to that thrift shop) those yellow things since I 1) had no idea what they were and 2) didn't know how I would use them... but the rest is in my crafty stash. I might even use that embroidery hoop, as a frame for a creation.

They had some other bags, but they were $6 to $9... so will wait, and if they are still there in a couple weeks I know they will also be marked down. If they aren't there, oh well.

that ark stamp I am seeing on a journal page after today's DOWNPOUR...

be who you need to be...

well.... I've been thinking about this a lot lately. To look to God for my identity instead of everyone else. This was inspired by someone at Milliande who did a page with the same quote.

I am kind of on a run of art journaling. Today I am off to play with grandkids. Hoping for sewing tomorrow.

the sun is shining for a minute...

Today's journal page... a tribute to spring, even though the rain forecast and low snow levels are teasing us. This is from a page of butterfly stencils I got at WalMart. I painted the whole page blue first with acrylic paint, then stenciled the butterflies. The purple one I didn't like the way it turned out the first time so filled it in, then re-stenciled with darker purple.

The stamped letters are Cheapskate again. Gotta get another alphabet.

how to...

"How to Paint ..How to Draw .. How to be Creative..these are questions many beginner artists ask themselves ..yet there is no hard and fast rule ..
here I share my process the way I taught myself how to paint.. the way I learned how to draw ..the way I play art .. I don't believe there are mistakes in art making it simply is how I express myself at the time I pick up a tube of paint..swing a pencil or carve a stamp ... no validity is necessary for me.."- Milliande

And so with sewing, or the other myriad things I do or try to do... the process is what it is about. I saw this art journal prompt at Millande Art Community for Women (I am a new member there) It's for January, and that is long past, but I was intrigued. There are examples and videos, but I wanted to just DO something so I didn't have any preconceived notions about what to do.

THEN I watched a video. My painting is drying now, then I will journal on it, then post it. So far I LOVE my zebra, I can almost feel its personality.... now wouldn't that make a great lino cut? LOL..........we will see.

On the right, before journaling.... below, after.