This is where the healing begins

Recently, my life has been turned upside down, inside out and then shattered into a million pieces. So in the spirit of the healing power of art, I am going to try to post something everyday.

Today in my art journal I wrote about how I felt caught in a wave, how I keep picking myself up and how I get knocked back down. So on my page, I stamped the cracks to represent being shattered completely. The blue swirls represents the waves and the butterfly is where I want to be. I want to be able to soar above it all. I used a Unity & Melody Ross She Did It Anyway stamp "every thing is going to work out just right". I don't know how, but I have to keep believing that.

Materiels used: Staedtler Water Color Crayons, EK Success butterfly punch, Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Ultimate Grunge, Ranger Adirondack Pigment Ink Pad in Lettuce

A little BOO!

It's that time of year, my favorite! The leaves are changing, the air is getting cooler and everything has an air of festivity!

When I make cards, I find it so much easier to design a car from someone specific. It gives me a change to think about my friend or loved one and I can focus on their likes to make a card from the heart.

This Halloween, I came up with some cute cards for the kids in my life. They range from simple for a baby to a more detailed card for a teenager. Here they are:
My daughter has always made a Build A Bear to send to her baby cousins when they are born.
I love this card I made for the gift:

I used found papers, this adorable Stampendous stamp and watercolor pencils to color it in. The background is Crafters Workshop stencil with Pan Pastel, Tim Holtz distressed inks were used on the edges. I literally made this card in 10 minutes.

Minerva

Materials used: found papers, Basic Gray paper, Stampendous stamp, Technique Tuesday stamps, Close to My Heart stamps, Tim Holtz Distressed Inks, Tattered Angels and other found materials

Yarn, yarn, hook

I love yarn. It's so soft and comforting to hold. It comes in many beautiful colors and textures.

My mom and late grandma taught me how to crochet. I think it is this connection to them that makes it such a comfort to me. In the winter, there is nothing better than having a blanket you are making on your lap. You are creating something, watching it grow and as it grows, it keeps you warm. I love to make baby blankets for family and friends. It's so much fun to pick out a soft yarn and create something for a new baby coming into the world.

Last year I started crocheting dishcloths to use. I was tired of using sponges - they always stayed so wet and gross. So I decided why not make my own dishcloths. I love using them! I use one a day and toss it in the laundry and no more stinky sponges.

This year I have decided to make more gifts rather than buy something. People love receiving something that you put your time and talent to make for them.

When life gets a little crazy for me, I always go back to the comforting rhythm of crochet.

Who Inspires Me?

In my creative journey, which has been newly re-discovered, a few artists out there have really inspired my new love of art journaling.

I have been expanding my scrapbooking from simple to more artistic pages. Then a friend convinced me that I should take the Soul Restoration online workshop by Melody Ross from Brave Girls Club. I learned so much about myself and what I want to do with my life. I also learned how to art journal. My tries at written journaling never went anywhere and became crazy rants. I didn't like that so much. But when I write and use art to express what a wrote, something magical happens. In Soul Restoration 1, Melody created a curriculum with pages of journal prompts and little sayings, phrases, words and pictures to help you express what your feelings creatively. If you are at a crossroads in your life or just want to figure out what your next step in life should be, I highly recommend her Soul Restoration classes. These classes are online and she allows you plenty of time to complete the course and the best part, there are no right or wrong answers. :)

http://bravegirlsclub.com/soul-restoration-1-and-2

Another person who inspires me is Donna Downey. I had the chance to meet her and take classes with her recently and she is such an encouraging and fun person. On her Simply Me blog (http://donnadowney.typepad.com/) she regularly posts columns called Collage Monday and Inspiration Wednesday. My friend and I have fun re-interpreting these with our own supplies. This weeks Collage Monday from Donna featured strips on the left with birdie cutouts and a large flower on the right with some memorabilia from her current trip to Belgium and Germany. This is my interpretation using materials I have. Her use of various materials and mediums will challenge you to try new things in the your creative process.

Materials used: Martha Stewart butterflys, acrylic paints, paper accents from Soul Restoration Curriculum, tapes from 7 Gypsies, fabric tape by 2 Daily, white acrylic ink, stamps Donna Downey Embrace You by Unity and Inkadoo, Tim Holtz Distress Inks.

Trying something new

So I am trying something new. I've been a stay at home mom for 14 years and it's time to start thinking of what I will do when my nest is empty. This is a first step. After losing my love for art for many years, I found it again when a neighbor persisted with me to try scrapbooking. I had portraits of my daughter from since she was born, so why not put them in a scrapbook. I finally tried and fell in love with the artistic process again.

Fast forward and I have recently rediscovered how much I like playing with paint, color and even crochet. I am in not an original, I reinterpret works and ideas from various blogs I read for inspiration. So what do I love to do? Scrapbook, art journal, collage and crochet. I play around in various journals with ideas I come up with. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. All I do know is that learning to express myself with art has been very good for me and keeps me positive while I figure out what I will do when my little bird flies from the nest.

Here I played with texture and the color blue. I don't remember what all I used. I will try to give credit as much as possible. I believe the rub-on are from Hambly, the stamps are Technique Tuesday and Hero Arts, and the tissue paper is from a purchase from Brighton Collectables. I used bubble wrap to make the polka dots.

Just play, save things you find interesting and things with texture that you can paint and stamp for an interesting element. Don't be afaid - just do it.