My first Inspiration Wednesday with Donna Downey Studios is complete with my word for this year, ‘Simplicity’. Hopefully by years’ end all areas of my existance will have a simplicity broom giving it a clean squeaky sweep to make for some… ‘Light And Airy Vibrations’.
Just a quick post to say my coptic bound Inspiration Journal is now complete and ready to begin week 1 of Inspiration Wednesday with Donna Downey. May add some small beading down the spine when the journal is fully complete with the year’s work.
Hope 2015 has started out well for you. Mine has and it’s going to be a very full year yet again. This year I’m doing Lifebook 2015 with Tamara LaPorte at Willowing Arts and also Inspiration Wednesday 2015 with Donna Downey.
I’ve decided to make my own coptic bound inspiration journal complete with inclusions to complete each week of Inspiration Wednesday. I have finished constructing the main body of the journal and have almost finished the covers. When the covers are completed I will post an update. Making your own journal is very rewarding and is not too complicated and the end result is well worth the effort. I used some large sheets of Arches Aquarelle 300 gsm hot pressed watercolour paper and cut them to size and used waxed thread for the stitching. I have included five styles of inclusions throughout the journal.
The kitchen garden is still producing well and part of the garden has been prepared for some carrots, silverbeet, a couple more tomatoes and eventually some spinach as the weather cools down a little.
Looking for a word for this year and am thinking perhaps ‘simplicity’ might be a good one. Styling some simplistic characteristics into all that you do and all that is would certainly make everything less complicated and hectic to say the least.
Remember, ‘Silence is sometimes the best answer.’ ~ Dalai Lama
So much has been happening this past year. I’m now settled into my new home and started the essential kitchen garden and had some fantastic crops of tomatoes, eggplant, malabar spinach, spinach, silverbeet, chillies and capsicum, beans, cucumber and various herbs. I’ve done quite a bit of art journalling this past year and also did the Dirty Footprints Studio course ’21 Secrets’. Did not get to publish a lot online, as I was without a scanner/printer for most of the year, but really enjoyed the course in a quieter way, taking in all the lessons on offer. Also enjoyed the 21 Secrets Conversations with Connie Hozvicka doing a fantastic job with the interviews. Just some of my favourites would be France Papillon, Dion Dior, Bebe Butler and Cathy Bluteau.
Went to Melbourne a few weeks ago and got to visit quite a few art supply stores, consequently my art supplies have expanded somewhat and am really enjoying try out new things. Went on a day trip to the Yarra Valley visiting some wineries and cheese making places along the way. The Mind, Body & Spirit Festival was on while I was down there, and I simply had to attend.
There are a few courses I am interested in doing this coming year, but haven’t yet decided what I’ll do exactly. I am looking forward to 2015, and have a few things I would like to achieve as the year unfolds. Towards the end of this year I lost my wonderful little dog of 13 and half years and miss him terribly. Rest in peace my little mate.
Hope the New Year unfolds with peace, love and happiness for everyone. See you in the New Year.
Completed 29.12.2014
Kitchen Garden newly planted
My Little Mate
I’d like to say hello to all of you from my CreativeHeARTSpace. Since my last post I have been busy selling my home and moving into my new home. For two months I was homeless, living in my motorhome in my daughter’s front yard until I could find a home I was happy with. Packing and unpacking again is just the pits….. I swear it is the last time I move house! On the upside, I now have a room designated as my studio, which is fantastic, and the convenience of not having to drive such long distances to work is great. The garden needs quite a bit of work to make it the way I would like, but what the heck, I need something to stretch my creativity.
Earlier this year I did another Kelly Rae Roberts course, ‘Hello Soul, Hello Mixed Media Mantras’. This was a fantastic course and is presently being offered again for anyone interested. Another course I am looking forward to and starting shortly, is from Dirty Footprints Studio called 21 Secrets Fall, an Art Journalling Workshop. In the past couple of weeks I decided it was time I bought myself an Epson printer and scanner for my artwork. So far I have been very happy with the results.
I am looking forward to some warmer weather ahead to recharge my creativity as it’s been quite cold, windy and rainy lately and very hard to keep motivated. These are two art journal pages, one which was done on one of my breaks away up the coast and the other is my hand done with zentangles. Stay safe, smile often and do what you love.
Can’t believe how long since my last post. Life goes by in the flash of an eye, so it goes as an important reminder to never take anything for granted. Stop and think about what is important in your life and never let an opportunity go by that’s calling out to your heart.
I have been creating some art work and journalling and of course life book 2013 is taking up quite a bit of my spare time. I have managed to get up and running my new vegetable garden, which is moth proofed as I am not happy sharing my veges with the relentless cabbage moth. This new garden is for my salad greens, cabbage, brocolli, kale and such things. Mandarin season in my garden is almost here as the fruit is now turning a beautiful orange colour…… my two grandaughters love to pick their own and strawberry season has slowed down due to the colder autumn weather.
Recently I took a break away from the normal routine and explored the beautiful area around Mt. & North Tambourine, Canungra and Fassifern Valley area. Such a lovely part of our SE Queensland region.
I’d like to share my latest journal page which is titled ‘Decisions’. Sometimes we have decisions in life that are not so easy at all, and no matter how much you think about all the pros and cons you still cannot decide which way you want to go with it. So this is what this journal page is all about. Good thing that all decisions do not require an immediate response and the decision that prompted this page is such a one. I figure it is better, in this case, to just let nature take it’s course and eventually the decision will gently unfold to reveal itself naturally. I prefer, for now, not to call it procrastination. It is more of a case of ‘is it right for me now’.
Do take care and remember……. ‘Have faith that you are exactly where you need to be’.
Decisions
Well into the second week of this year already and I have finished my 2nd project for last week with Tamara Laporte in ‘Life Book 2013’ entitled ‘Journey’ which I am posting here now. I have also completed my 2nd week bonus lession with Monic Zuniga entitled ‘True Intentions’. Just want to step back from my work for a bit and then see what finishing touches I may want to add. Will post this when I am sure I am happy with my finished piece.
Some of you may be interested in 4 Mixed Media classes being held with Anna Dabrowaka (Finnabiar) on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th March, 2013 in Brisbane at Cannon Hill Community Sports Club, Cnr Lang & Princess St, Cannon Hill. Classes are $125 per class (includes class kits and light refreshments). For bookings contact: mandie@thescrapcottage.com.au
Be talking to you soon. Take care!
‘Fairy Art Mother’
I’d like to wish everyone an awesome new year filled with love, peace, health, happiness and artfulness. This is going to be a very busy year for me as I have many plans to fulfill and I am already off to a flying start. This year in numerology for me is a year 4, which means it’s the time to establish a secure base for future development. A year to concentrate on hard work to put a solid base under endeavours, and to put everything in order for future potential growth.
This year I am participating in ‘Life Book 2013’. It’s a year-long mixed media art class organized by Tamara Laporte from Willowing Arts. She is joined by 21 incredible art teachers who share their mixed media techniques. I’m also doing an additional course ‘Ultimate World of Whimsy’.
I’d like to share with you my ‘Fairy Art Mother’ whom I have created and whom will give me kind and positive encouragement and advice in times when I am thinking just a little negative about my artwork. I am after all still very new to mixed media art. I must confess though that this is the second ‘Fairy Art Mother’ I created. After creating the first ‘Fairy Art Mother’ I felt for her an intense post-natal disconnection. So we parted our ways on very friendly terms. I am including in this post a canvas entitled ‘I create my day and my life with the thoughts I think’. It is a reminder for each and every day to think only in a positive way about each and every event in our life, the choice is always ours.
As the year progresses, I will post updates on where I am at with my plans and all that I wish to achieve for 2013. So what are your plans and hopes for the coming year?
‘I create my day and my life with the thoughts I think’
Well it’s almost December and I hope that the world will be at peace for Christmas and going into the new year. I wish for peace within the heart and soul of all people of the world. This canvas is just one of the ways I see earth reflecting it’s happiness.
Leading up to Christmas and the New Year is always a very busy time, so I am wishing for everyone, that each day somewhere amidst the busy-ness of life, they remember and feel the uniqueness of the person within. Be kind and gentle to yourself, you deserve to experience each and every day as another step in discovering who you really are with your own unique mix of talents, and to enjoy the whole experience as a wonderful personal journey whether your day is going great or not so great. Be kind to each other.
Earth Laughs In Flowers
Today I been consciously allowing for my inner child to find that place where I can reflect and allow my direction to just be felt within. Sometimes I feel that with life it’s all go, go, go and your mind is so full of, well just everything. I often neglect to get in touch with “what it is I want, feel and need right now and looking forward”. This is something I need to work on more. Lately, meditation has taken a back seat to the hectic flow of life. It always helps me immensely to clear my mind and just be and allow my gut instincts, intuition, inspiration and whatever else it is I need to know to come through.
Being new to mixed media, I still have not yet found my style so to speak. I’ve been trying all different things to see what works for me and what doesn’t. So I am pressed not to get impatient and judgemental with myself to find my direction and improve my techniques with it all. So many ideas are all swimming around in my head but I am confident, given some nurturing, time and patience I will be more at peace with what I am creating. For now I just love messing about with mixed media.
One Woman, Three Acres.
Reading Between the Lies
The world's most viewed site on global warming and climate change
Rising in Art, Life, Love, etc
The works and artistic visions of Ken Knieling.
Where the Sidewalk meets the Sea
Creative HeART Space 