Three Things to love... About Mixed Media Products

1. Acrylic Glazing liquid by Golden... I'm sure there are other products that are comparable to this one, but I gotta say that this stuff is THE BEST... I use this for everything, but my favorite use is to blend colors... It cuts down the drying time of acrylic paints and makes the paint glide over the canvas... well, I have been using birch plywood more and more these past couple months, which really absorbs the paint, so the Glazing Liquid helps to prevent that when you're trying to mix colors... LOVE IT!!!

2. Watercolor Colored Pencils... I use Prismacolor and Derwent and they're both wonderful... I use these more as a base for my shading... I put down a layer and then blend with water. I then go over it with different glazes of acrylic paint until I get the color that I want. I love it because if I don't have the exact color I want I know that all I have to do is add some more layers of color glazes until I get it just right (that's if I don't completely muddy up my colors first... haven't done it, yet, but there's a first time for everything)...

3. Gel Matte Medium by Golden... I have a lot of glue around my studio, but this is my favorite for mixed media pieces... and the part I absolutely love about it is that your application doesn't have to be remotely perfectly... just glob on a chunk of it, place whatever paper or 3D object on top, and messily smoosh with a brush... it's not perfect, but when it dries it sure looks like it is...

Reunion and Polly has a sister...

I was a bad girl... I called in sick all weekend... Bad nurse!!

On Saturday I had a good excuse... One of my very best friends and fellow scrapbooker, Tricea, who now lives in Atlanta (Booo!!!), came to visit and we spent all day shoppin' and gabbin'... all the good stuff I miss about her... Love her to death!!!... we even ended the day with margaritas and Mexican food with my Joseph at Chevy's on the River...

When I was driving home after dropping her off at her folks, I realized I hadn't taken any pictures... Duh!!! I was so mad at myself... I will hopefully visit her for the Taste of Atlanta in August, so we'll have an entire weekend to document our friendship :) I can't wait!!!

Then, I called in sick again on Sunday.... The excuse wasn't as good as Saturday's, but Polly has a new sister!! She's my first commission and she's so incredibly lovely. Her name in Becca, and her new home is with a friend of mine from work...

I have to say that I was a little stressed when she asked me to make a piece for her... my art has always been for me, and I love it, but now I was faced with the task of making something that someone else had to fall in love with... I was freakin' out!!! But, I just told myself, "She wouldn't have asked you if she didn't already love your art, so get over it!"... I eventually got over it, and all day Sunday my creative juice cup runnith over, and here she is... All I have left to do is beeswax her and then she's off to her new home...

I was on such a high from Sunday that Monday and Tuesday I started on a snowman!!!... His name is Edward, and he is keeping me from finishing my Italy scrapbook... I'm so stinkin' bad...

Mixed Media with Tim Holtz...

I had a class with Tim Holtz on Monday... it was so much fun!!! He is such a sweetheart and so down to earth and helpful... I had so much fun!!... and of course I acted like a complete groupie (I'm such a dork)... he signed my apron and took a picture with me... It was the last class of the weekend, and I was happy to see Tim as perky as ever...
I was surprised at how many techniques were involved in this one 12x12 canvas... I can't wait until he comes back next year... and this time I'm camping outside to shop, so I can sign up for more than one class... I have to admit though that it was the one I really really wanted to take... LOVE HIM!!!

The class was a mixed media Christmas collage and we used everything but the kitchen sink to put together this holiday piece... I loved the way it turned out... My plan is to put together a few of these for christmas gifts this year... a little something for family and friends from my humble little studio...
..they are sure to be filled with lots of love from yours truly...

Time to get back to the scrappin' roots...

It's been awhile since I scrapbooked... mixed media has kinda taken control, at lease for the last couple months, and now it's time to get back to my roots... Both of my Europe trips were in early 2007, so I thought it was wise to start scrappin' before I completely forgot what happened during those glorious couple months...

It's hard to switch your mind from mixed media to scrapbooking... mixed media is so complex... layer upon layer of mediums to where there's barely any dead space... it's full of love :) ... Scrapbooking, on the other hand, is pretty simple at heart and I found myself battling over the need to put more stuff on the page and just leaving it alone... And then I visited Ali E's page... one of her motto's is "It's ok"... I took a deep breath and said it aloud... "It's ok if the page is not completely covered, so stop stressin!"... besides, years down the road the most important part of these books is the stories behind the pictures.... so, I kept it simple... My Italy book consists of a few pictures mixed with some beautiful patterned paper and journaling, and I love it... Here are some sample pages (still have to write in some of my journaling, so mind the blank parts)... more to come later next week...

I have yet to do any sort of digital scrapbooking. I took a couple classes at Green Tangerines, but never got down to actually finishing a layout... probably because my computer had ZERO memory and wouldn't even let me open a new Photoshop document... I know, it's pretty bad... Anyway, I have since obtained a external harddrive and I'm ready to start doin' some digi stuff... I hear Jessica Sprague has wonderful digi classes, so my plan is to start there and gradually work my way to completing my Spain/Portugal all in Digi... I can't wait...

Oh... I forgot the saddest thing... I have to replace my craft sheet on my table... I don't know why this always makes me sad... I like to come into my studio and look of my craft sheet all covered with paint, stamping ink and stickers... all the "war wounds" left over from projects past... It's always so hard to replace it... well, guess I'll have to get started on covering the newone... Keep on creating...

Polly... Italy... Crap!!!

So I finally finished my polly from Suzi Blu's class... the class is over and I'm so sad... that was BY FAR the best class I've ever taken... I'll miss the weekly Suzi Love videos... so many techniques... so much love... Her mixed media network is still up and running, and we have tons of creative godesses to play with!!!... So much fun...

Anyway, here's my finished Polly... my favorite part of mixed media is how versitile it is... you can use whatever you have lying around!!!... in this painting alone I used woodburning, colored pencils, acrylic paint (three different brands), stencils, stamps, tissue paper, scrapbook paper, paper flowers, gold leaf, and beeswax... Tons of fun beautiful layers!!!... I can't even explain how much fun I had working on this piece... anyway, enough of my babbling... here she is!!!

I finally started working on my Italy scrapbook from 2007 (ummm... yea... a little late)... and thanks to the espresso I bought from that trip (mixed with a little sugar-free Swiss Miss hot chocolate... OMG so friggin' good!!) I have gotten the first three pages done before work over the last couple days... still have to work on the journaling... I may have to take Jessica Sprague's new FREE CLASS to get the ideas flowin'... I'll post my finished pages in a few days...

On another note... I am FUTURE TRIPPIN'!!! (a new term I picked up from my Karen)... with the economy the way it is and my CNA contract due to be renegotiated in 2011 (I know, I know... and little early to be flippin' out), I'm just a little worried (ok, ok... A LOT worried) about the future of my job and wages... anyway, just thought I would share my thoughts... enjoy your weekend...

Oh, by the way, my 30 mile ride turned into 12 miles... so, yea, I'm pretty pathetic, but Natalie assured me that she's going to start kickin' my ass, so we're doing a whopping 15 miles next time... I'm still hoping for some motivation to stick with it...

I love you my Honeybush!!!... Muah!!

MIA

I've been MIA lately... same ol' story... workin', workin', workin'... I finished the Suzi Blu class. (click on my Mixed media badge on the left to see my work... I'll post the finished product in a week or so)...

I have become the most impatient, cynical person... I'm so sick of myself!!! I'm determined to get back to my happy self... and here's my plan...

1. Exercise more... I need to get back on my bike (I'm going for a little 30mile ride on Monday
with a fellow biker friend of mine)... And I need some kind of relaxation/meditation (I'm gonna try some "Hot Yoga" with another friend of mine... may God be with me)

2. Don't let the clusterf*ck of my job get to me... It's a difficult process but I'm trying...

3. Don't stress about money... with my focus being on getting my house I've been trying to pay off bills, and save every available penny (and with my shopping addiction, it's not so easy) to pay off credit cards... I'm an instant gratification kinda girl, and it's so frustrating... I just want everything now...

4. PAINT, PAINT, PAINT... not only is this my major way of relaxing, but it also gives me a
lot of satisfaction and pride to create beautiful pieces.... not to mention that when I finally
get off my butt to get prints made, I can make some extra money on Etsy.com... I'll keep
you posted...

What do you think of my plan?... Think I'll follow through with it?... :)

Class with Suzi Blu

Hello lovies... Sorry I have been MIA lately... it's been awhile... Joseph had surgery, and I'm happy to announce he's doing wonderful, despite being bedridden forced to watch horrible daytime TV (he loves it)...

I'm taking a online class by the lovely Suzi Blu, who by the way has found her calling... she is an art teach, and she is doing such a wonderful job... her videos are wonderful and inspiring and I'm having a blast... LOVE HER!!!

The class is all about making "pretty pretty girls" (as Suzi calls them)... it's so much fun!! It's eight weeks of videos, homework assignments, entries in our Healing Art Journal, and tons of inspiration... There are about 350 people taking the class, and each person adds their own love and talent to the class... we get to see other people's work, ask tons of questions, and just enjoy each other... It's incredible...

Lesson One was all about drawing faces... the rules to drawing eyes, old vs. young faces, and adding your own little touch to each piece... here are a few of my sketches...

Lesson Two was on Shading to accentuate the natural contours of the face... Suzi Blu created her pieces on wood and does a little wood burning to add a little somethin' somethin' to her initial sketch... here's my first attempt at painting a "pretty pretty girl" on wood... First I sketched out my girl on a piece of birch plywood and then burned the outline...

Then I did a little shading with watercolor and regular pencils...

I blended a colorless pencil and added some white to the nose and cheek area... a little pink and red to the lips, and another layer of colored pencils for added shading...



Colored her hair, another layer of shading and blended with water and acrylic paint... it's not exactly perfect (one of her eyes is a little bigger than the other, and she looks like she has bags under her eyes... not to mention that her hair doesn't have much dimension), but it's my first one so I'll cut myself some slack... I'm so critical of myself... I need to stop... anyway, here she is... you like?

Things I need to promise myself...

play every day...
do my dishes...
spend less money...
take more creative classes, even if it's only an online tutorial...
commit to Peach Honey products...
study for my RNC...
pay off my credit cards...
lose 3 pounds...
be patient...
finish Joseph and my scrapbook...
love...
sort through my closet and get rid of half my clothes...
start crocheting again...
cook more...
dance...
floss...
take a sewing class...
workout...
start (and finish) my scrapbooks for my Europe trips...
take beautiful pictures...
wash my car...

Mixed Media Page

Go visit my Suzi Blu Mixed Media Page... xoxox

I'm on my way...

Well, it's been a very busy week... lots of stuff to report... let's start at the beginning...

I took a Story Canvas class a couple weeks ago from Chris Cozen at my local stamp store, and OH MY GOD!!!, I can't even explain to you how wonderful it was... She is so talented and her presence alone helped to inspire truly beautiful work from everyone in the class... It's so wonderful to be surrounded by talented people... it helps to spark ideas that may otherwise lay dormant...

I brought a pic of Joseph and I (our favorite picture of the two of us) from our weekend in San Francisco last July... We had only been dating for a month, but I knew then and there I was madly in love... Here's my finished collage... it's my first mixed media piece and I'm so so so happy with it... I love that you can tell a story, real or not, and transform that story into something beautiful...

I have to admit that I was being a total groupie,

hanging off of her every word, but damnit it was worth it... here's a pic of the two of us (after she signed my book, of course)... Another good outcome of the class was that I got to talk to Chris about how she got started creating her own line of rubber stamps... Let's just say that my sketches are on their way to "her lady" and I'm that much closer to launching Peach Honey products... AHHHHHH!!! Yea, just a little excited...

I FINALLY HAVE A WORK TABLE!!! After my custom table dreams fell threw I called my Dad to see if there was any way he could help me make something... He informed me that he had a drafting table that he wasn't using... A FREE TABLE?!? Long story short, I went to Home Depot, got a new table top, and he happily attached it... It's so perfect... it's 3x5 feet with an adjustable height, and I even got a clip on lamp to attach to the side... I couldn't help but play all Monday afternoon and evening.... Here's a couple mixed media pieces I did... you like?

And here's a pic of my new table... yes, it's already covered in projects and I love it!!! I wouldn't have it any other way...

NEW FAV BOOK!!! Collage Discovery Workshop: Beyond the Unexpected by Claudine Hellmuth... It took me a week to finish her first book, Collage Discovery Workshop, and this new one was no exception... lovely new techniques to inspire even the newest of artists, and examples of her lovely work... After finishing the book, I took out all my mini canvas boards, and tried them out... here's what I did... whatcha think? (They will be going up on my Etsy site soon, I promise)...

Busy busy busy Jess...

I promise I'm not neglecting my blog page... I have worked the last 11 days and I need time to gather my thoughts...

Peach Honey Products is on the way... it might take a while, but it's on the way...

I'm frantically trying to get my studio together, so my Etsy page and future business will be everything I want and more... thanks to everyone for their support and lovely comments... It's amazing what a little love will do...

more to come... promise!!!

Holy Productive Weekend, Batman!!!!

Oh my freakin goodness!!! I got so much done this weekend... I spent all of Friday sitting on the floor of my office organizing my multitude of crap (after a hefty helping of Starbucks... gotta love that caffeine buzz)... Every thing is where it should be and now I just have some minor organizing of pictures and patterned paper to do and then I'm FINISHED!!! It feels so good, I can't even explain it... I can't stop walking in the room and admiring my work...

Here are some of the final pics...

If you can't remember what my "creative space" used to look like... take a look... it was ridiculous...

Oh, I forgot to mention, I opened an ETSY site!!!... I'm gonna post my first two pieces in a couple days, so stay tuned... (TELL YOUR FRIENDS I DO COMMISSIONS!!), and I hope to post some stamps I've been designing... I'm so excited!!!

Let the craziness begin...

My life has become one big whirl of STUFF!!!...Color Theory class with my Mati... I have only done one lesson, and since I haven't finished the first assignment, yet, I haven't scheduled the second lesson (I'm such a bad student)... I'm also doing an online Business class through Learning Exchange... I really really really want to launch Peach Honey Products, so this is the first step to it's success...

I'm still organizing my multitude of crap!!! This project has been going on for awhile, but I'm really serious about finishing it soon (stop rolling your eyes, Joseph)... I'm doing a commission for Joseph's parent's... my first one, and I'm oh so nervous... I hope they love it...

I'm still doing classes here and there from local art stores... I've done a couple from David Lobenberg, which I loved and I plan to sign up for more in the future... I signed up for a class with Chris Cozen, author of Altered Surfaces, and a local stamp art store... I'm so excited to work on my mixed media pieces...

And yes, I'm still working full-time as a nurse, and thank God because it's the only way I can finance all my artistic passions... Damn inspiration!!!... it gets me into so much trouble...

Happy 25th to Me!!!

I have wonderful friends... My 25th birthday was Sunday the 13th (it was also my mom's birthday... but a lady never reveals her age, although, I can tell you she in NO WAY looks her age... hope some of those good genes pass down to me)... My wonderful work buddies arranged a wonderful Pink Princess themed potluck complete with banners and pick princess plates... It was so cute, and I was extremely happy!!! Not only that, but they all chipped in to get a very generous gift card to my fav scrapbook store Green Tangerines... I already have a list of things I want to buy...
A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PITCHED IN!!! LOVE YOU!! And to my Sho who stopped by, on her day off, with her hubby, Gary, to bring me flowers... love love love you!!! Another big special thank you to miss Angela, who organized the whole thing... thanks for every sweetheart... it meant so much...

I then got a special welcome from my love, Joseph, who placed beautiful flowers all over the apartment... how could a girl not swoon... I love him so much!!!! I spent the rest of the night in his nook (after my hour massage... like I said, I'm a lucky girl)... it was wonderful...

Abstract Acrylic Class

I took another one of David Lobenberg's acrylic classes... and this one was all about abstracts... I love abstracts mainly because it gives me the right to PLAY!!!... Throw down some paint... and more... and more... and the best part is that if you don't like it you can wait until it dries and paint right over it... no waiting hours for the paint to dry...

We did a couple pieces, one of which I'm completely in love with (and the other I don't like at all, and because of the beauty of acrylics I will paint right over it and start again... and all I'm left with is the wonderful bumps left over from the paining underneath... yummy!!!)... I did a journal entry of a silhouette modeled after this advertisement for house paint I found in a magazine... here is the ad...

...and here is the journal entry using oil pastels... I wanted to keep it simple because I knew I would eventually turn it into a bigger piece... and I did...

For the bigger piece I put down a background of a tinted Yellow Ochre, and highlighted with a little gold metallic paint (love the metallic... it gives a little something in the right light)... David had a lot of circle's in his piece, and I loved it, so I took the plunger he brought to class, and per his instructions, dipped it in paint and started stamping...

One of the other reasons I love the class atmosphere is the plethora of products other students bring (especially to an abstract class)... Everyone feels like a kid in a candy story picking through an endless supply of play things... I borrowed another students Color Wash by Ranger and spritzed here and there...

After the entire background dried (only 15 minutes or so... love that!!) I used blue painters tape to mask off the area outside my silhouette painted the silhouette that lovely khaki green color, stamped the circle in the wet paint, and highlighted with some more gold and pearl paints... after that layer dried, peel off and reveal!!! Here's the semi-finished product... I still have some "texturing" to do (it's a little to flat to me)... I love the depth that peaks and valleys give to a piece... more to come... I promise to post the finished piece...

Peach Honey Product dreams

Miss Suzi Blu has inspired me once again... She has started a new venture with painting kits and online classes and I couldn't be happier for her... Her success has pushed me to seek out some dreams of my own... I have started the beginnings of what I hope to become Peach Honey Products... I think I'll start with stamps and expand from there... I emailed Tim Holtz to see how he got started with his AMAZING line and he gave me a few ideas and told me to follow my dreams... love him!!!
More to come... have a wonderful weekend...

PS... It's my birthday on Sunday!!! Oh, and more importantly, its also my mom's birthday on Sunday!!... Happy Birthday Momma!!!

Art Journal Inspiration

I know I have mentioned art journaling before, but I received a new book from Amazon.com today and Sharon Soneff, author of Art Journals & Creative Healing: Restoring the Spirit through Self-Expression, made everything so clear... she described this process so perfectly and I wanted to share it with all of you...

"This is not the time for making masterpieces. All creative expression is safe and beautiful in the space of a healing journal, in which imperfection is desirable. Imperfections add character and tend to be more hones in their impulsivity. Quick work is telling work. Dare to be urgent in your execution, so that you can be revealing and compelling in the process.

Your journaling need not be coherent or complete; it need only be honest. These pieces are not created for an audience, your journal is a haven for partial thoughts, and even single words that resound with you.

For this to be effective you must make yourself vulnerable. Remove all judgement-making when expression and articulating on paper. Ungard your heart. "

New Feature...

Just to let you know I have added a little item to the left side of my page... if you click on the slideshow it will send you to my web-based album of my journal entries... (or you can click here) just a little somethin' somethin' for all you folks... I will update frequently so check back often... enjoy!!!

Three Things to Love... about Thrift Stores

My first installment of something I hope to continue throughout my blogging years... (something I completely stole from Ali Edwards... love her...)
Three Things to Love...

...About Thrift Stores
I stopped by the thrift store by my parents house in Cameron Park this weekend, and reaffirmed my belief that thrift stores are the perfect place to buy things you need... These are my lovely finds... for cheap...

1. Mason jars and glass bottles... to store paint brushes, pens, and all those other things you have no place for... each glass jar or bottle was only 30 cents...

2. Old books... I use them for not only decoration, but also use in my mixed media/collage pieces... This five book set is a collection of old books including The Aeneid... Each book was only $2...

3. Old clothing patterns... to also use in my mixed media/collage pieces... when layered with beeswax and other mediums they produce this wonderful transparent look that lets me reveal little tidbits of items hiding below... love it!!!... each pattern envelope was 30 cents...

Go check out some of your local thrift stores... you are sure to find little treasures for mere pennies... Happy Hunting!!

Color Theory: Lesson 1

Lesson #1: Tint & Shade charts for every color of acrylic paint you have...

(Please note that I'm giving you a snippet of the notes I got from my Mati, and notes I jotted down during the day)

This first assignment is meant to aid in learning about color and painting in general. I was informed that the whole class is based on warms and cools so let's begin... Cool colors recede while warm colors come forward (warm colors are the ones you see first when looking at a piece of art)... the exception is lemon yellow because although it is considered a cool color it's brightness tends to dominate the page...

Tint = Color + White
Shade = Color + Black
Tinted Shade = Tint + Shade (Black)

This first assignment involves making value charts for each of the paint colors you have (see mine below as an example)... Making these different scales of gray will range from 1 to 9, where 1 will be black and 9 will be white... Then you will continue by making Otswald's hue diagram that consists of the color plus five tints make by mixing varying amount of while, five shades made by mixing in varying amounts of black, and five tinted shades of each color make by mixing varying amounts of gray...

The colors you should at least have is... (I use both Liquitex and Golden heavy body acrylics, but please note that you MUST make a value chart for each paint even if you have the same color in two different brands)

Cadmium Red Medium or pyrole red

Alizirin Crimson

Cadmium Yellow medium or Hansa Yellow Medium

Lemon Yellow

Ultramarine Blue

Prussian Blue

Here's an example of my value chart for Cad Red Medium and Alizirin Crimson... Make sure to label your color with the brand and color number shown on the tube of paint... The first column indicates your tints (color+white... the first circle should only have a very tiny amount of white), the second column your shades (tint+black... the first having a very small amount of black), the third your tinted shades (color+black... the last circle having only a small amount of color), and the very top bar should be the plain paint color with neither black, nor white added...

Yes, I know, it takes a little time, but my Mati assured me that it will help immensely throughout your entire painting career... enjoy and have fun...

Oh Happy Day!!!

I walked into work today, we were 3 people overstaffed, so I went home... oh happy day!!!... I spent all morning cleaning my office, and because the stupid carpet cleaner missed my apartment for the second day in a row, it felt good to come home and finish the job, and guess what?... I reclaimed my kitchen table!!! Thank God!!! and I spent all afternoon sitting on my office floor organizing (still not done, but getting closer), and now one of the last things to do is take another lovely trip to IKEA and get more bins to hold all my crap... and yes, that crap pile has grown since I went to the art store yesterday after being inspired by my Mati's studio...

Oh... I forgot... I had my first color theory lesson with my Mati yesterday (I always call her "my Mati"... and she always calls me "my Jess"... it just works... love her)... As soon as I walked through the door her husband gave me the grand tour of their property... OH SO BEAUTIFUL!!! lots of land for their garden, and did I mention they have a creek in their back yard? The owners before them converted their patio, that wrapped around the house, into another "sub-room" by enclosing it... it's has perfect natural light and is the perfect studio for Mati... I was so jealous. After Mati gave me an intro into Color Theory we sat down to paint, and Mati's husband started playing the guitar and singing in the next room... it was the perfect inspirational environment... no wonder Mati's work is so beautiful and full of life... It was such a wonderful day...

OMG!!! I forgot the most exciting part of my day... Mati had this sculpture she made sitting next to her work table that I could stop staring at... I mentioned how much I loved it and she said she was thinking about getting rid of it... WHAT?!? I couldn't, in good conscience, let anyone else have it... so I took him home, his name is Steve, and I love him... (Joseph thinks he's creepy)... for now he's sitting on the corner of my IKEA cube system, but I think I'll put him on the corner of my craft table when it's finished... I love him!!! He is sure to inspire some interesting work...

My Process... Practice makes perfect

Ok, so after my few days of overtime mayhem, I felt like I needed a release and when I got home last night I had a sudden urge to play... so I painted... Like I have said before my art journal is a place I allow myself to make ugly bad art (well I guess not-so-perfect-art is more like it)... My process has become a way to have fun, but also document tips and tricks I learn along the way... Here we go...

I usually start with a need to try something out... for this journal entry I wanted to try upgrading a rubber stamp by painting it with acrylic paint... a very simple idea, something I could expand on in never ending ways... This is the stamp I chose... I loved the simple and whimsical lines...

Next I mixed some paints until I got a background color I liked... I let it dry and then I mixed a darker color to glaze on the edges of the page... I will usually thin a glaze color with a little water to make it more transparent, but since I'm doing this on a journal page, and I didn't want the pages to wrinkle, I just wrapped a baby wipe around my finger and dipped it in a the glaze color and ran it along the edges of the page... (I later went back and did the same with the "pearlescent" color... a little bling)... And because I can't stand to have empty spots on my page I did a little laying down of color with my oil pastels... it looks messy, but I love it...

I don't buy a ton of different acrylic paint colors (The Golden brand is a little pricey but glides like butter), and since I tend to mix my own custom colors I like to keep a journal of the colors I've mixed and what I used to get them... This is the page I did for this journal entry...

On the opposite page I write little notes on tips and tricks I've discovered... for example, I discovered that my #2 Round brush worked well for precision coverage, but not detailing around the edges of the stamp... my small angled brush was better for the outlining and echoed that same delicate whimsical looked I loved from the beginning.. also, I found it was easier to blend when I applied my acrylic glaze directly to the area I was working on...

I encourage all of you to PLAY!!!... by the way... I have my color theory class with my Mati tomorrow, so stay tuned for another little lesson...

I WANT A HOUSE!!!

I am so determined to get the hell out of my apt... My upstairs neighbors have decided to allow another family to squeeze into their two bedroom apt (that makes a total of two husbands, two wives and three kids... oh, and one on the way... and from the look of the wife, she's due any moment... can't wait for another screaming baby)... they also allow their kids to stomp around the apartment at 8 o'clock in the morning... When did parents completely lose control of their kids?

So once again I worked OT last night until 430am, got to sleep around 530am and was at work by 2pm the same day... I can't stress how much I want a house... unfortunately it is at the expense of my health, sanity and patience... My apt lease ends in March, and damn it, I don't think I can stand living here any longer than that.. 9 months and counting...

Overtime Junkie

I'M SO FREAKIN TIRED!!! It's amazing what 14hours of work will do to you... I got home from work at about 6am this morning (mind you I started work at 230pm yesterday)... Finally went to sleep at 7am, and then Joseph showed up at my place to love on me before he went to work... ahhhhh!!!! a perfect end to a long day... cuddling with my love...

I'm still cleaning/organizing the office... it's coming along, but still needs a lot of work... more pictures to come... I hope everyone is having a wonderful Thursday... I'm going to take another nap... talk to you next time....

Weekends, Classes and Inspriration

Joseph and I had an amazing weekend just hangin' (still didn't go golfing, but hopefully soon)... went to his folks to check in, and then to mine for an impromptu pool party in their new backyard (which we have official named "The Resort")... it's unbelievably gorgeous and so relaxing, especially when mom is cookin' on the grill... Maureen brought the two girls over, and we just kicked back and enjoyed the nice weather... This is a pic of my mom with Kelli, who is almost 3 months, and me with Lexi who is 19 months.

I love seeing Joseph with babies... a little foreshadowing of things to come... It's amazing how when love is truly REAL, how good and RIGHT it feels... I love this man...

He is the most genuinely loving man I have ever met... he appreciates me for who I am, no matter what I do, or what kind of mood I'm in, the I feel safest when I'm in his arms...

On another note, I talked to my Mati again, and we set a date of next Monday for our first Color Theory Class... hopefully, I can spread the wealth and post a little outline of what I learn for all my fellow bloggers (along with my homework assignments)... I'm so freakin' excited!! (and a little nervous... it's always a little unsettling when other people are judging your work... thank God Mati is a complete sweetheart... I'm sure she'll be kind, even if my paintings are horrible)...


I'm an avid Amazon.com shopper... I have been buying tons of art books (mixed media, photography, scrapbooking, etc.) and I love the techniques and inspirational projects they offer... they just make you want to play (they also make you want to spend way too much $$ at Michael's, but we won't go there)... I received Mixed Emulsions in the mail yesterday morning and have spent every sitting moment digging through it... I highly recommend it!!! It gives great techniques on how to alter photographs using everything under the sun from stucco to oil paint, and even condensed milk... craziness!! GO BUY IT and get inspired!!

For my Jofus!!!

A little something for my honey, who LOVES the curly hair... I LOVE YOU SO STINKIN' MUCH!!!

My Mati and Creative Spaces

Well, I couldn't sleep last night after talking to my wonderful and beautiful friend Mati... she is a SPECTACULAR artist (go see her stuff at http://www.eyeofthestorm1.com/), and has invited me to her home to teach me color theory... I have absolutely NO idea what this entails, however, any pointers she can give me is very appreciated... stay tuned for what I learn...

Also... I am in the midst of cleaning/organizing my office/creative space (well, Joseph will tell you I've been doing that for months now, and it doesn't seem to be looking any better... unfortunately he is absolutely correct)... The messiness is RIDICULOUS and does nothing for my so-called "Creative Juices"... I've been forced to create on my kitchen table, kitchen counter tops, and my bed (which has become my favorite 'cause I can watch reruns of Seinfeld while I work)... Thanks to my manager's husband, who has graciously agreed to build me my very own work table (and to my love, Joseph, who lovingly put together my IKEA cube system) in a few short weeks I will be equipped with the worlds best creative space... I CAN'T WAIT!!! I'm a very lucky girl...

This is what my kitchen table has become... AHHHHH!!!

And this is my disaster of an office... I know I know... it's horrible... (sorry about the dark pictures... there's almost NO light... I hate that!!!)