Queen Jewels!

I have been slowly tinkering with a new painting for awhile now. Despite all my best efforts (ok, maybe they were a little half-fast!)- I have still been going slow on any new pieces of any sort. Last night my inspiration struck again and *poof* a new piece was born.

It began as a simple creative jump-start attempt you all may remember from a previous post:



The purple canvas. At the time I had no idea what I even wanted to do with it. After leaving it be for a while I realized it was too purple and needed something. This was born:



Still nothing was coming to me. Then - I would love to add "in a dream" - but this just isn't true - movies just get your hopes up for things, huh? :) - an idea finally came to me. Inspiration struck and I was on my way with nothing going to stop me.



"Queen" 8x10 stretched canvas. Mixed media: papers, gel medium, confetti, stamps, ink, acrylics, button, thread, fabric flower, glitter & masking tape.

I LOVE the results. This is hands down one of my fav pieces so far. It has so much detail that the photos do not do it justice (in fact they don't really impress me - I should try to take them again.) This is one for my permanent collection. One I will never let go. Replicate - maybe! Take cues from - definitely!

My very own piece of art with all of my furbabies in one! :)

So my overall suggestion to all you fledgling artists, tinkerers or just creative folks who are in a rut - pull out all your supplies and just start somewhere - it will come to you - even if it takes a few weeks! You never know - it may be your great masterpiece! :)

Mail Love!

Ever since I was a little girl I have always LOVED receiving mail. It didn't really matter what kind of mail (yes, I am probably one of the only people who loves to get bills in the mail!) It used to sadden me when i got no mail, so my Mom used to mail my birthday cards to me so I would have somethign to open. This was the most exciting thing to me. :0)

Now that I am older, my love of all things mail related has not changed. I have joined a variety of mailing websites and groups just so my mailbox is never empty. My husband doesn't even bother to look in the mailbox anymore due to my obsession! :0) Soem of the frequent sites I haunt for my mail fix are: www.swap-bot.com and www.postcrossing.com. Both are completely free and brimming with mail loveliness! Check em out!

Recently, I sent out for refills on my blog note pads, postcards and mailing labels from www.vistaprint.com.







It is always so very exciting when new product comes in - all shiny and clean! Their edges always so perfectly crisp and aligned!

I'm sure I am not the only one out there with a mail fetish. I say join all the sites you can and get your daily fix in your mail box! If only they still delivered the mail on the weekends! *SIGH* :0)

Swapping Fun!

So I am currently participating in a blog exchange swap on swap-bot. Part of the swap suggestions were to post about the on goings in my swap-bot world and to mention my current fav swap. So here goes:


I would have to say the Picture Perfect Pets swap is hands down my fav at the moment. I mean a swap completely designed so I can brag about my furbabies? How much better can you get!! I am a PROUD furbaby mommy and love any moment I can get to talk about and share stories about them. There was even a little questionnaire I filled out for all of them. My recent swap-bot goings have mostly been questionnaires so it is perfectly up my alley!


Check out my Picture Perfect Pets answers:

My pet goes by the name of... Jewels
The little furball was born on... 9 years ago. She is a rescue. This is the estimate I got when I rescued her.
And I got her from... The street. She was running wild. She had tags on and my sister traced them to find out her owner had passed and her new owner took one look at her and said he'd never seen her before. Grrr... He was not a nice man.
When I saw my pet for the first time I thought... She is tiny and adorable. I just loved her. She was snuggled on the couch with my Mom.
You can wake her in the middle of the night for... anything. She loves cuddles and food.
And the best way to treat my pet is with... food and walks. She is a walking belly! :)
If my pet was circus pet, her bestselling trick would be... She shakes a paw (both), rolls over and dances so you choose!
The worst thing my pet has ever done was... She is not very well socialized. I have worked hard to train it out of her, but she still charges and nips at other dogs.
and on top of that she even ate my... She has never eaten anything she wasn't supposed to. I can even leave my dinner beside her and she won't touch it because I haven't given her permission.
The cutest thing however, was that one time my pet.. After everytime she chews on a chewy, she rolls and snuffles at the couch and spins and makes a fool of herself. it is so cute! I think she is wiping off her face on my couch! :)
Things my pet really, really dislikes are... men, strangers, new dogs, loud noises, quick movements and cats. She truly is a sensitive soul.
When hearing an ambulance or any sirens at all, my pet acts... Depends on where she is. In the car or house: doesn't care. Walking on the street: frightened due to the noises.
I tried to dress my pet with a little jacket, and... She wears a jacket most of the year. She has a winter coat, long johns, tshirt for warmer days, rain coat for rain, booties for snow, and even a little fancy shawl for dressing up! :) She will sit there and wait for you to dress her.
The most recognizable feature of my pet is... Her eyes. They are huge and bug out. That's why her knickname is Buggie! :)
and I absolutely LOVE my pet because... She is the sweetest little thing you will ever meet. She looks at you with those big brown eyes and you fall in love. She is the master at the cute puppy dog eyes thing! :)

My pet goes by the name of... Venture
The little furball was born on... May 2001.
And I got him from... His mom. She gave birth to him at the end of my bed.
When I saw my pet for the first time I thought... He was so tiny and sweet. He was born with 4 siblings. So tiny and mewing.
You can wake him in the middle of the night for... anything.
And the best way to treat my pet is with... food and cuddles. He loves to play also.
If my pet was circus pet, his bestselling trick would be... Sneaking into places he isn't supposed to be before you can stop him. Hence the name Venture! :)
The worst thing my pet has ever done was... Scratched the furniture or the carpeted stairs to pieces.
And on top of that he even ate my... He will eat anything dairy you leave anywhere. He is quite sneaky and usually can do it before you realize he is there.
The cutest thing however, was that one time my pet.. He was the first of the kittens to make it on the bed and over the dog gate into the rest of the house.
Things my pet really, really dislikes are... water & getting his nails cut
When hearing an ambulance or any sirens at all, my pet acts... Doesn't care.
I tried to dress my pet with a little jacket, and... Yeah, ok! :) He so would not let me put a coat on him!
The most recognizable feature of my pet is... His purr! He is always purring and happy.
and I absolutely LOVE my pet because... He is so very sweet and cuddily, he makes me laugh and loves me unconditionally.

My pet goes by the name of... Kazie The little furball was born on... About 5 years ago. He is a rescue also. This is the estimate I got from the vet.
And I got him from... A co-worker. He followed her home and she couldn't keep him, so I took him.
When I saw my pet for the first time I thought... He was a girl. He was scared and in a crate.
You can wake him in the middle of the night for... anything. He loves cuddles and food.
And the best way to treat my pet is with... food, cuddles & liver treats.
If my pet was circus pet, his bestselling trick would be... When he jumps in your lap he does this suction thing where he makes it hard to push him off. And he doesn't use his nails!
The worst thing my pet has ever done was... Every morning he wakes us up to tell us he is hungry. He is quite persistent and frustrating!
and on top of that she even ate my... He will eat any food you leave out and you don't watch.
The cutest thing however, was that one time my pet.. He is a face smusher. He crawls up your chest and smushes your forehead or nose with his nose. :)
Things my pet really, really dislikes are... Being squirted with a water bottle because he did something wrong.
When hearing an ambulance or any sirens at all, my pet acts... Doesn't do anything. He doesn't care.
I tried to dress my pet with a little jacket, and... I never tried but he doesn't stand still for anything like that.
The most recognizable feature of my pet is... He is pure black with a white little belly.
and I absolutely LOVE my pet because... He is super cuddily. It makes it hard to not love him. Even when he has been a pain in the butt! :)

My pet goes by the name of... Wickett The little furball was born on... 11-12 years ago, I think? He is a rescue (seeing a pattern? :)
And I got him from... An old room mate needed to find somewhere for him to live after her daughter was allergic to him. She called and I took him.
When I saw my pet for the first time I thought... He is very handsome. He is a maine coon and is just a ball of fluff.
You can wake him in the middle of the night for... anything. He loves cuddles and food.
And the best way to treat my pet is with... Cuddles and food. He just adores to sleep on your lap and purr.
If my pet was circus pet, her bestselling trick would be... Sleeping in extremely odd and unique positions. He fits himself in anywhere.
The worst thing my pet has ever done was... He gets territorial when I bring a new pet home and he pees on the carpets and anything soft on the floor.
and on top of that he even ate my... He is older and doesn't jump well so he usually doesn't eat anything out of the ordinary.
The cutest thing however, was that one time my pet.. As soon as he comes within contact with you he starts to purr.
Things my pet really, really dislikes are... new things (such as pets) & dogs.
When hearing an ambulance or any sirens at all, my pet acts... Nothing. He doesn't care.
I tried to dress my pet with a little jacket, and... He will just sit there and let you do what you want.
The most recognizable feature of my pet is... His purr. It is truly loud and so nice to hear!
and I absolutely LOVE my pet because... He is a gentle giant who loves everyone and loves a good lap to sleep in.

My pet goes by the name of... Rose The little furball was born on...No idea. She is a rescue and my vet couldn't even estimate what her age could have been. I have had her for 3 years now though.
And I got her from... The hallway outside my apartment 2 days before New Years. She was scared and curled into a corner, so I took her home.
When I saw my pet for the first time I thought... She was scared and beautiful.
You can wake her in the middle of the night for... not much. Maybe a cuddle.
And the best way to treat my pet is with... food and a nice place to sleep where she doesn't get beat up by the boys.
If my pet was circus pet, her bestselling trick would be... She stands in the kitchen waiting for you to drop anything and then scoops it up quick. Like a little kitty vaccuum! :)
The worst thing my pet has ever done was... She absolutely hates the other cats. She hisses, growls and swats at them if they are close to her.
and on top of that she even ate my... She eats everything she can manage. You have to be quite careful when she is around.
The cutest thing however, was that one time my pet.. She is the tiniest kitty we have and almost has this permanent kitten look to her. So cute! She also sleeps on my chest at night.
Things my pet really, really dislikes are... Other cats and water bottles.
When hearing an ambulance or any sirens at all, my pet acts... the same. Doesn't phase her.
I tried to dress my pet with a little jacket, and... Yeah, ok! I would only try this if I had a death wish! I don't even cut her nails or bathe her! :)
The most recognizable feature of my pet is... She is pretty much all grey except her white feeties and white 'Hitler' like moustache!
and I absolutely LOVE my pet because... She really is a pretty little girl with a big heart and loves to be cuddled.

You can catch more of my furbabies on my flickr site: HERE or on my YouTube.

Slacking off But Still Doing...

Recently I have been slacking off on the doing of art and more just looking at art. I don't know what is up with me. Maybe it is the season change. Anyways, to try to get myself back into the swing of things I have been beginning projects left, right and centre. Here are a few:

Acrylic background on stretched canvas.

Acrylics on subscription flyers from magazines.

Paper mache with cardboard, newspapers and masking tape.

I have also taken to pulling out all the old editions of Craft, Paper, Scissors for inspiration and new tricks.

I have been diligently sketching new ideas out in my sketch book as often as possible as well as drawing a few little inchies to get the creative juices flowing! Soon I will return to full creativity! :) Watch out me! :)

Update...

I haven't really had the energy, drive and time to update my blog lately. So here is some art fun to tide you over! :) I hope to be back into it soon.

Zentangle-ing!

For those who know me, know my art or have just searched through the bowels of my Flickr site - they will already know of my great love of all things Zentangle. The mindless and very calming path of the controlled doodle (or in some cases not so controlled.) I love the final results and the various uses and techniques to use.

I started off little. I had a book of blank water colour postcards I got given to me for Xmas along with some dollar store gel pens. I put the pens to paper and came up with some great patterns and designs. I never stopped. I carried it with me everywhwere I went. The great things about zentanges is you can draw them basically on anything with anything you like and still get the design out. Here are some of my examples:

These are all ATCs (2.5"x3.5") done either on water colour paper or card stock with pens. Notice the variety of patterns and textures and colour. It is really up to you.

Now some people think zentangles should be done in a manner using certain tools and supplies. I do not follow this same thought process. I have even done some zentangles in full colour with sharpies and they ended up turning out more like doodles. But what are zentangles really other than a doodle?

I have also taken my love of zentangles to a smaller format and came out with some inchies (1"x1"):

Give it a try! They really are quite easy and fun! Especially after a hard day! Also visit: www.zentangle.com for more info on this unique art form.

Phone Book Series

As previously promised I would like to share my phone book series mixed media paintings with you all.

Now how this all began - I was bored and flipping through a older copy of Cloth, Paper, Scissors one night and stumbled upon an article regarding figure drawings. (I'm sorry I can't find the magazine and tell you more - but I have moved since then and I am still patrially packed!) UPDATE: It was Katie Kendrick in the Winter 2006 (issue 9) of Craft, Paper, Scissors!

So I decided it was the perfect time to try this out. Now, I have never been one to draw or paint figures as I didn't feel I had the ability to. I also didn't really paint anything at that time. Most of the art I was creating at the time was collaged ATCs and a few sharpie or gel pen doodles.

The start of my attempt: I decided the perfect paper was an old phone book I had kicking around, so I sat at my coffee table with my whole phone book, black acrylic paint, 1 paint brush and my pastels.

These are some of the results:

8 x 10. Mixed Media on phone book pages. Acrylics and pastels. Not sealed.

Now these are just a very few of the total amount I ended up making that night. I made about 30 in total. The process: I painted on the black outline - tossed it onto the floor to dry - and then continued onto the next one. Always painting it directly onto the phone book paper while still in the book and ripping it out to toss on the floor. After they were dry, I pulled out the pastels and coloured them all in.

Now some of them I LOVE, some of them I like, and some of them I'm not too thrilled about. It could be by line work, my colour choices, anything. Overall, they make a pretty impressive collection all together.

I have a few postcard prints of a few of them that I freely send away (message me for a free postcard), but I don't think I would ever part with the originals of this series. In fact as soon as I buy frames and paint my walls - I am finally going to hang them all. They have been living in a file folder in the file cabinet for the last few years. Poor neglected art! :)