Look what's coming this fall ...

My Craft Channel

How exciting is that?  It's the first of it's kind and will have over 20 shows each week featuring sewing, painting, beading, mixed media, photography and more.  Christy Tomlinson will also be on it ... yeehaw!  I love watching her work and am in complete envy and the dirty space, dirty stamps and dirty hands.  The mark of a true artist.  haha.  All I have to say is "Move over, you tube.  There's a new channel in town!"

AE Pagemaps Revisit for June: Party Like a Rockstar

When taking photos of my intrepretation of the calendar sketch, I found that the photo of the completed layout was very blurry so I didn't use it.  I thought that I had done a post using the teaser shots only but it seems to be non-existent.  I am certain of it, actually because I know that I post dated the publish date.  Ah well.  Clearly I messed it up and nothing was shared ... or I am just blind and cant find the post.  Either way and thanks to Lorena, I have the completed layout (as well as my teasers from before) for June's Pagemaps Calendar sketch so I thought I would share.  While it is a simple layout, I am rather pleased with the look of the background.  I think it's kinda cool!  :)   {to see July's reveal, check out Life's Delight here or on Auntie Em's blog}

In other creative news ... I had a productive day at Auntie Em's last night.  A few kinks in the day had me getting there later than I wanted but I managed to get two double page art journals (almost) made.  I liked the concept that I had in my head for my circle art journal (volume 2) front page and decided to apply it to Jenn's journal as well.  It was fun to 'assembly line' the art work and actually gave me an idea of another way to do the circle journals.  Today I am continuing to work on downsizing, purging, organizing and cleaning my studio (yes, studio ... between beading, sewing, scrapping and art stuff, it's not just a scrapbooking room anymore so i've decided to become a tad posh and use 'studio' dahlings....  now - if I could just get a great big picture window put in with a glorious body of water and mountains in the background, it would be true bliss.)  Right now, it is a bonafide disaster zone and complete embarrassment that I will actually share with you in a future post. *gulp*  Stay tuned for some "before's" and "after's" before summer's end.

Hope you are enjoying what looks to be an incredibly beautiful day.

AE PageMaps Reveal: Life's Delight

A quick layout using the July PageMap Calendar sketch and featuring my sweetest and adorable niece, Kristyn.  She starts JK next year so I will now get to see her 5 days a week.  I can't wait.  Oh how I *heart* my fruit salad!

want to see what my DT co-hort Lorena did with her sketch?  Check it out here!

Good things come to those who wait ....



Tim Thomas
Boston Bruins Goalie
Stanley Cup Champions
2011

and thats exactly what happened last night as the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1970 ... or the first time in my Hubs lifetime.

It is a very emotional time in my house right now.  He is crazy excited and thrilled beyond belief - actually to the point of disbelief.  Anyone who knows him knows he is a hardcore Bruins fan through and through (hey .... we have a dog whose registered name is Neely VonBruin for crying out loud!) and what this means to him.  It's like his own personal victory.

Me ... I am a Bruins fan by marriage.  A person who has come to enjoy and appreciate the game but rarely watches because my Hubs is just too intense for me.  Last night though ... it was an absolute pleasure to watch with him.  It was intense for both of us and today I proudly wear my Bruins jersey ... much to the dismay of many colleagues and students. 

So with this post I leave the creative behind and celebrate on behalf of my Hubs with a congratulations to both teams for a great series and a great big WOOOHOOOOO to the Bruins for taking the cup.  (and yes, I recognize that it would have been great to have had Lord Stanley at home in Canada but ... technically ... 17 of their top players are Canadian [including two from Vancouver) so it's not completely American.  Thats my disclaimer)  You played a strong game as a strong team ... and no one believed you could do it.

 



Circle Art Journal - v. 1.0

Over the past few months, some ladies and I have been participating in an Art Journal Exchange.  For this semi-type A personality (and I say 'semi' because I really do believe that I call in the middle of both categories in so many ways), it was a great opporunity to try my hand at different things and stretch beyond my creative norm.  One thing I learned is that I seem to be okay at doing backgrounds but, for the front runner type stuff, I am seriously lacking.  Fortunately however, I will have the opportunity to expand further as we prepare to bring Circle Art Journal v. 2.0. --- both with the front page type stuff and some very cool Pan Pastels.  (now I just have to watch Donna's video so I can fully understand how to use them and that they arent just something that you would smear across your page with a sponge.  novel idea if I do say so myself!!)

Because I didn't take photos each time I completed an entry, I am not able to share the ones that I did for others - with the exception of two that were taken off Facebook and Rosa's blog.  (thanks ladies!) - so I will share with you all the wonderful entries into my journal created by some very talented women.  (eta:  after uploading photos, I realized that I am missing Katie's second creation.  the pages must've been stuck together.  sadly, i am way down here and it is way up there and i am just too darn lazy at this moment to put my camera together and go take that second shot, upload, edit then post so I will save that one for a later day.)  It was a night of great laughs as we revealed eachothers journals to one another.  Thanks again for hosting, Katie.  I look forward to sharing after the next round.

Jenn

Katie

Rachel

Rosa

Stéphanie 1

Sharon



Stéphanie 2

 

Mellisa for Rosa -- my very first art journal entry.



 

Rediscover: ME!

There is so much about me that people don't know or realize.  Some would be surprised while others might suspect. 

This past weekend was very profound.  Very eye opening.  Very real.  Very unexpected .. and from a person least suspected.  A person to whom I am grateful to and whom I don't think realized that depth of the impact our talk together had on me.  Thank you.  So, for now, I am discovering and rediscover me. 

Just Do!

The Donna Downey Experience

This weekend was my weekend with the Scrapbox and Donna Downey and *WOW* what a weekend.  I learned more things, became less inhibited with my art and the creating process - something that I have been trying to do - and began a journey of healing and repairing.  And the laughter ... omigod the laughter.  So much of it from everywhere.  Between Donna and her students and solely amongst her students as well.  If Ottawa (or somewhere you are or are near) is hosting a Donna Downey event, you simply must take it.

For me, and beyond the creativity, it was a weekend without compare.  I've begun a different kind of creative journey and I owe it all to Donna for helping me open my eyes, and begin to repair. 

This is the second time I've done a Donna Downey weekend ... and it won't be the last.  

Happy Monday.