Decorated Teacher's Gift Box

For those of you who don't drop by my crafty blog Msartist Sew Crafty. I wanted to share a little mixed media / paper crafting decorated box that will be a teacher's gift. I have a full post, links to materials used and other photographs on my other site. I have been working on several projects giving myself variety, it helps loosen me up for when I am drawing and painting. Hope you have a wonderful weekend~ & see you on Sunday!

Journal Page Love

I wanted to share a quick post on a journal page I did incorporating a paper bag that Sammie wrapped a gift in for Mother's Day. I cut the bag where she painted her picture and then cut out the big heart she made and painted on the bag. I colored a back ground on the page before applying with matte medium. Then I glued down her elements and I glued cut out hearts and painted around them, painted the date and journaled what she had written to me over the top of the bag and at the bottom of the page journaled what we did that day. You can do this with any gift wrap or card and then you will have a memory of that day. The above photo with the three shows the differences in what it would look like if you used a photo editing program the 1st one using gritty + 60's the, 2nd one with a color correction, 3rd one with boost. You can see the different feel it gives to a picture~ Sometimes its fun to play around with digital. I would love to learn and do more digital and incorporate it into some of my art. I hope you will give this simple technique a try in your journals it is a great way to save memories. What ways do you like to preserve your memories? Do you scrapbook as well as journal? Have you tried using digital or photo programs incorporating your art?
To look backward for a while is to refresh the eye, to restore it, and to render it the more fit for its prime function of looking forward. ~Margaret Fairless Barber, The Roadmender

Patience & Understanding

This coming week is going to be filled with patience and understanding. Hubby has to go work out of town for a full week and then who knows how often as they have gotten a huge job he bid over four hours away. He will be home on the weekend. So I will do my daily routine but miss his help in the evenings and of course his company. I will need my share of patience with Sammie this week as he won't be here to help, but I am understanding this is the way it is and to accept it. I hope if I don't get to posting as often this week you will understand, but I will try my best~Journal about somethings you have had to deal with that had to do with patience and understanding~Whether it be everyday things or to do with your art. Do you find you have patience with your art and how it progresses? Do you understand when you hit road blocks they are only temporary? Do you feel with most situations that patience and understanding helps? I hope you are able to keep your day simple and enjoy Sunday for all it holds for you. Join me next week for another "Simple Sunday" posting.

You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance. ~Franklin P. Jones

Variations Of Trust

I wanted to show you the original journal page and the variation which I posted first. I am looking for the better photograph of the original but wanted to show you so you could see the differences. I need to organize my photographs, another thing on my to do list. What I love about the first one is the bird and what I love about the second one is the writing in her hair. (listen to your heart, trust and follow your dreams) I may try doing another variation of them until I find one I love for the whole painting. Which is your favorite? Why? Do you ever use a piece of artwork and build it on variations of a theme? What kind of art, photography or writing have you created with using variations? Maybe if you haven't tried it this would be a good exercise ~
To me I think artists in general make a statement - and for the rest of their lives - every album, every book - are variations on a theme.~ Mark Mothersbaugh

Dream

I am sharing with you a journal page I did based off a smaller acrylic painting in another journal. This is done with acrylic paints and colored pencils. I will take pictures of the other smaller pieces I have done soon. (either when the sun is back or I figure out what is going on with the flash on my camera.) I think it is common to struggle with your art goals and how to work it in to a realistic business plan or is it just me? I am planning on taking a class to help me sort out my goals and see what my options might be. I am still planning on opening an Etsy shop. I hope to do that soon!! Any name suggestions? Or should I just use my name? I will be selling prints of some of my photography, art and also some original work. I might have to give a prize to the one who comes up with a name I like! I would love you to give me some ideas!!
Dreams are today's answers to tomorrow's questions. ~Edgar Cayce

Simply Sunday

I have always wanted to do more traveling but with raising children and life circumstances I have missed out of some of the opportunities. I tried to become an airline stewardess when I graduated high school but I was turned down due to my height! Can you image if that was now!! I didn't know any better and walked away disappointed and in shock. If I would have had more life experience maybe I would have started a boycott to change things. A year later I was married and having kids and the journey has had its ups and downs. I am remarried now and still holding those dreams of travel as my feet are firmly planted on the ground and I am painting about it. I will hold fast to my dreams~
What stories do you have of travel whether in life or to exotic places? What exotic places would you like to go to? Or have gone? Journal about that in your journals. I hope you are able to keep your day simple and enjoy Sunday for all it holds for you. Join me next week for another "Simple Sunday" posting.
I think that travel comes from some deep urge to see the world, like the urge that brings up a worm in an Irish bog to see the moon when it is full. ~Lord Dunsany

Exotic Woman In Acrylic Paints

Here she is all complete my exotic woman. How I have always loved the inspiration from other cultures when creating art. The colors, clothing, jewelry and of course the landscapes of places they live in. Right now my pomegranate bushes are just starting to bloom. I love the color and vibrancy they have and how exotic they look. I decided to take my woman and surround her with pomegranates as exotic as she is. She is done in acrylic paint with very few touches of color pencil and then I did the photo collage in a photo program. I hope you are inspired to go create something exotic in color or from distant lands~
I'm an ocean, because I'm really deep. If you search deep enough you can find rare exotic treasures. ~Christina Aquilera