Inspiration Monday

I know I am a little late today posting this but I wanted to show what I have been working on lately. I hope that you will be inspired by it this week.

This was the start to my first Mandela. I didn't know what I was going to do but I knew that Ihad to start somewhere.

I started adding some lines to the inside and thickening the main design lines to make them pop.

This is how it turned out after about an hour of drawing and adding more lines and thickening other ones. I hope you like this one. I am in the process of working on another one tonight.

 

Views from My Journal

Playing with backgrounds adding texture with various items.

A Crazy Week

It has been a crazy week so far. One child sick then started feeling better and then the other child started feeling bad. I haven't been feeling so hot either. We totally skipped fall in Georgia and went straight to winter . It has been super cold and I haven't felt like doing much of anything for long periods of time until today. So most of my creative endeavors have been things that I could complete while sitting on the couch. I thought I would share the instagram pictures here with you.

I have been trying to come up with a few new ideas for new houses. I like to sketch them up before I start to cut paper or pull out any paint.

Inspiration Monday

I love urban areas. They are full of inspiration everywhere you look. From walls to sewer grates. I really love drawing these repeating patterns and they are a great way to add texture to your drawings and paintings.

This pattern would look great as stencils or stamps for background designs on papers as well as fabric.

I would love to have this pattern as a stamp. It would look great on a journal cover or a tote bag.

This design could be incopporated onto various items.

When you are in an urban area always remember to look up because some of the greatest art is at the top of buildings. I hope that you are inspired by these images as much as I am.

Influenster Shoutout

I love receiving free stuff and I really want to share how I do it. Influenster is one of the sites that I use and I really think that is is a great site and a great way to learn about new products.
Here is a Quote from their site:

"The Influenster Makeover brings all new changes to this trendsetting community. Reviews, Influenster Scores, Public Profiles, LifeStage & Expert Badges, and Invite-Only Membership to name just a few changes.

Influenster Score:

Your score is the biggest measure of your standing within Influenster and will determine your qualification in programs. Scores go up by connecting your social channels and showing your social influence. 

LifeStage & Expert Badges:

We're introducing two new types of badges - LifeStage & Expert. LifeStage represent where you are in your life, while Expert Badges are all about what you know, and are scored to show off your expertise in various areas. Leave reviews and complete other tasks to raise your scores and get higher chances of qualifying in programs. Influensters can earn up to five Expert Badges to start. 

Reviews:

We know you’ve loved reviewing VoxBox products, but what about the millions of other products you use and love? In October, you'll be able to add any product to our review pages and leave reviews on everything!

Invite Only:

Our trendsetting community just became more exclusive. New members are now required to request an invite to join. Prior members will retain their memberships and can invite up to five few friends. The more influential your referrals, the higher your Influenster Score will rise."

You can find out about new products as they launch.it is a great place to sign up for.

Inspiration From Nature

Update from the road

 

Ohio

Indiana

Picking up the camper in Indiana .

We saw too many to count, they girls were counting for a while but gave up after the count went so high.

 

This restaurant was is Indiana and will will update the post with the name of the town soon. It is a long name and I can't remember how to spell it . The food was wonderful and the prices were very good. They really give you your money's worth.

We are driving through Kentucky today on the way back home. It has been a fun trip so far.

 

Posting From the Road

 

Tennessee and Kentucky

Cincinnati

Sponsor Shout Out for October

The Fat Quarter Shop is at it again with the fifth annual Designer Mystery Block of the MonthTM featuring their favorite designers. This year, they will showcase a vintage sampler quilt with traditional blocks full of color and style! They have kits avaliable and this is what you will receive:

• 12 different sampler blocks featuring the Vintage Modern collection by Bonnie & Camille for Moda Fabrics.
• Each block finishes at 12" and will be an easy to intermediate pieced block (no templates, applique or paper piecing),
• Block of the month suitable for all quilters.

Vintage Ephemra Mixed Media Collage Giveaway

The items pictured are examples of what will be given away.These are located in my shop for sale. 

The kit includes the following; 

• 6 vintage travel book pages
• 4 maps from vintage travel books
• 8 vintage 1982 travel coupons

I am also adding a set of 5 hand-painted papers as a bonus for the person that wins this giveaway. 

There is only one winner for this giveaway. Ages 18 and up only.

This giveaway is open to US addresses only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday Follies

My week in review. I have now done a week in review for a few weeks and I really have had a busy week this week and I want to share it with you. I have played around with a few new techniques and learned a few things also.

This is a large scale painting in progress. I had completed a painting on this canvas and it has hung on the wall above the piano in my living room,but I was never happy with it and said that one day it would be reworked. I like how it is looking so far but I have no idea where I am going with it. My vision for this piece has changed now that I have really worked on it again.

I made this owl for my youngest daughter . It really felt good sewing again. I haven't sewn much other than make the house pieces.

I made some painted fabric backgrounds also. I think that these will be the basis for some Christmas ornaments.

I played around with bleach gel in a fine tip bottle and made a few shirts with doodles on them. I really like the way that they turned out but you really need a well ventilated area for this project or the fumes will be really bad.

Isn't out a call on instagram for some snail mail partners. I also love to swap stuff. You can email me at my swap email if you are interested.

I played with a Crafters Workshop template that I purchased at Hobby Lobby and a few varied colors of stamp pads and a stencil brush. I love how it turned out.

I have a new giveaway starting at midnight tonight so come back and check it out.

October Journal Update

I decided to try my new Blogsy App for my IPad. I want to make sure that this is posting correctly before I take it on a road trip next week.

I

Low Entry Giveaway Linky Party

Starting Today I will be hosting a Low Entry Giveaway Link Party every Tuesday here on my blog.

The Rules: 

•  Please only link up your giveaway here and not your projects. 
• Any link that does not include a giveaway will be deleted. 
• Please be follow me via GFC 
• Please add my button to your sidebar so that everyone will know where you found this linky (not mandatory but appreciated)

Winning Wednesday - Low Entry Giveaways

1. Guylian Chocolates Variety Packs - US (10/25)	2. 20x30 Poster Collage -US (10/25)	3. Helper Gift Set - US (10/20)	4. Cherry Blossoms {The Blog} - Little Caesars gift card 10/20
5. Pacific-Rim On Blu-Ray /CAN/US 10/25	6. Decoreview - Wall Decal gift certificate 10/24	7. Organic Massage Oils Travel Set 10/31	8. Hands Free Baby Sling US/CAN 10/18
9. My Handy Journal US/CAN 10/18	10. Cool Wrap Foldable Lunchbox 10/24	11. Aluminium Music Speaker Giveaway 10/29	12. Win a Nickelodeon Kid's DVD 10/20
13. Christmas Decor Giveaway 10/23	14. Pet Stain Carpet Cleaner 10/28	15. Dora DVD Giveaway 10/20	16. SpongBob DVD Giveaway 10/20
17. Pumpkin Carving Kit 10/16	18. Pacific Rim Blu-Ray Giveaway 10/20	19. Squishy Snack Pak giveaway 10/17	20. Free 6-pack of Zevia, 5 winners 10/19
21. Backpack giveaway end 10/16	22. Shrek the Musical DVD Giveaway 10/17	23. RMCS - Carpentree Framed Art 11/30	24. $120 Date Night Essentials | US Only, ends 10/19
25. Garnet Bar Necklace by London Manori (value: $72) - 10/31 WW	26. RMCS - Feather Bib Necklace by Gleeful Peacock 11/30	27. Feather Bib Necklace by Gleeful Peacock 11/30	28. $25 Hobby Lobby & $25 Mardel GC 11/30
29. Lavender Bath Salts Weekly Giveaway	30. Win A 16 Ounce Eco-Soya Candle From Bonfire Candles CAN ends 11/17	31. Hard Candy Case (US/CAN) Ends 11/04	32. HALO SleepSack (US/CAN) Ends 10/28
33. $200 Amazon Gift Card 11/10	34. $1,000 giftcard to The Land of Nod	35. What Knots Headband/Bracelet Set 11/4	36. Pumpkin Masters Prize Pack 10/30
37. P&G gift basket - 10/29 US	38. $50 YogaOutlet.com giftcard 10/31	39. Little Passports subscription 10/27	40. Energizer Family Safety Kit 10/30
41. $30 to southern fabric	42. 2 Pieces of Ethical Jewelry From Indiverve, US/CAN ends 11/4	43. All Diaper Cakes $50 GIFT CARD ends 11/03	44. Queen St Artisan Tea Towel
45. Never Say Die Beauty	46. Case of Way Better Tortilla Snacks 11/18	47. Oil Warmer Package Giveaway 11/30 US	48. Sincerely Stacie - Motivated Moms Planner 11/8
49. $50 shopping spree from esselle !!!	50. Microsoft Surface 2 Holiday Giveaway	51. Rabana Crisps Prize Pack 11/21	52. Barbara's Organic Snackimals Cereal
53. Win a Free iPad Mini and $25 gift certificates! 12/01/2013	54. Eepples MilkCharms	55. $50 credit for your choice of pillow cover(s)! 11/19	56. Jura Impressa F7 Gourmet Coffee Machine - 11/19
57. Set of 3 Ergonomic UGLee Pens (stocking stuffers)	58. VTech InnoTab 3S Learning Tablet - 11/21 US	59. ZonePerfect Greek Yogurt Nutrition Bars (12/1)	60. Mighty Handle 12/1
61. Great Stocking Stuffers ergonomic UGLee Pens	62. Free Set of Beautifully Designed Holiday Cards	63. Origami Book Can Usa Dec 2	64. Reusable Snack/Sandwich Bags, US/CAN, 12/6
65. Light Shine Brass Cuff 11/30	66. Travel Brew Mug & Tea Sampler (US|12/15)	67. 6 Jars of WowButter Spread (US&Canada | 12/18)	68. LED Teeth Whitening Kit ($69.95 value) 12/20
69. PURE All Natural Skincare 11/22 ww	70. ACE Appetite Control and Saba Evening $105 US 11/29	71. Alice Remembers 11/26 US/CAN	72. Sundry Scents 11/25 US/CAN
73. The First Christmas Night Book CAN/US 11/26	74. 1 girl nation CD CAN/US 12/5	75. Zoologic Game Canada Only 11/26	76. The First Christmas Night Ends Nov 26 US/Can Only
77. 1 girl nation CD CAN/US 12/5	78. #NSgivesThanks Instagram Contest | WIN BEDDING | Ends 11/30	79. $50 Lululemon Gift Certificate - 12/1 - WW	80. Learn Like A Mom-Autographed Children's Book-US11/30
81. Kindle fire, gift card and books 11/30	82. 50 FREE Holiday Cards from Cardstore! 12/6	83. SnackBox Vegan Gluten Free Snack gift pack 11/30 CAN	84. $75 Gift Card from CandyGalaxy.com
85. $50 Tiny Prints Gift Card Giveaway US 12/1	86. My Little Pony Princess Twilight Sparkle (Retail $50)	87. Veggitales Merry Larry DVD, US, 11/30- SUPER LOW ENTRIES!	88. ACNEFREE FACIAL WIPES, 2 Pack, 2 Winners, US, 12/02- SUPER LOW ENTRIES!
89. WORLD VISION HANDCRAFTED SERVING SPOONS WORTH $65! US, 12/12	90. The Wolverine - CAN/US - 12/3	91. Comic Print Sweater - 12/13 WW	92. Eiffel Tower Tote Bag - 12/12 WW
93. Cork iPad Mini Case - 12/11 WW	94. Leather iPhone Wallet Case - 12/10 WW	95. Pink Leather Wrap Bracelet (value $55) - 12/9 WW	96. Giveaway week! $30 to Southern Fabrics
97. $50 JCPenney gift card - 12/6 US	98. Autographed kids Christmas book DEAR SANTASAURUS 12/13	99. 2 Handmade Crochet	100. Pouring Pot Tabletop Fountain 12/16
101. $75 achoo Kleenex Gift Pack 16/12 US/CAN	102. Purina Wonderfur Winter Treats 3 WINNERS CAN 16/12	103. Mother's Therapy Organics Lotion and More $30 Value 12/21	104. A Gift for Sophie US/CAN
105. Snoopy iPad Book App, WW, 01/06	106. $50 Gift Card of Your Choice (12/31)	107. Win 30 day supply of Keratin Hair Volumizer 12/22 US	108. Mrs Bearfield's Class - 3 Items - 12/26
109. Egyptian magic face cream used by celebs 12/27	110. SNAILS safe polish 1/4	111. Weavers Wobble- $15 Starbucks Gift Card, US, 1/1

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)

October Journal Giveaway

I made 2 journals with the same theme from my October Daily Journal.

Stella & Dot Sponsor Post

Did you know that October is Breast Cancer awareness month? Join Stella & Dot in the fight against breast cancer. Shop any piece from theirBreast Cancer Boutique and all net proceeds will be donated to the Noreen Fraser Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to women's cancer research and awareness. Don't miss this chance to shop for a cause!

Etsy Shop Update

I have added a few new items to my Etsy Shop today with more coming tomorrow. Let me know what you think of the new items.

A Productive Week

I have been absent here but I have been very active in my studio. I want to share a few of the new items with you.

I had this canvas laying around with just a few layers on it, and I was not really pleased with how it turned out. So I reworked it and went in a whole new direction.

Custom Favor Bags How To

Supply List:

• Computer with Label Making Software (I used MS Publisher)
• Printer
• Paper
• Glue
• Crepe Paper Streamers in color of your choice
• Gift Bag (sized for your item)
• Scissors

A Great Trip

The Sky Wheel in Myrtle Beach SC.

The view from my balcony.

From P.F. Changs (So True)

No Trip would be complete without a visit to Anthropologie .

Sharing Tuesday

I am in the process of packing for a few days at the beach. I will be going with the ladies from my church and I wanted to take a new journal with me. I really wanted to learn Coptic Binding so I have been searching the web for an easy and detailed tutorial. Well YouTube has helped out again with this. I found a great video and so I wanted to share it here with you so that you can learn this beautiful binding technique. I will be back on Monday with an update on how the journal turned out. I hope you all have a wonderful week. My instagram feed will be updated all week so click on the button in the sidebar to follow me on Instagram and keep up with all the updates from the road.
 

Sponsor Shout Out for September

The Fat Quarter Shop is at it again with the fifth annual Designer Mystery Block of the MonthTM featuring their favorite designers. This year, they will showcase a vintage sampler quilt with traditional blocks full of color and style! They have kits avaliable and this is what you will receive:

• 12 different sampler blocks featuring the Vintage Modern collection by Bonnie & Camille for Moda Fabrics.
• Each block finishes at 12" and will be an easy to intermediate pieced block (no templates, applique or paper piecing),
• Block of the month suitable for all quilters.

Working On My New Studio Space

I am so excited about my new studio space. I have really been working on this new space lately. I decided to paint a small frame gallery wall over the area above my drafting table.

I have some large drawers in the center of the area that is under my cutting table. So I used one of them for all of my paints and painting supplies.

Here is a in progress shot to show my cutting table.The top is a little lover than normal counter height and it makes a great place to paint large pieces to to paint on large fabric pieces.

I will share more later this week but if you would like to see the daily progress you can follow my instagram feed over in the sidebar.

Friday Follies 3

This week has been a very busy week for us here. We have been working on cleaning out the garage to create a dedicated space for me to teach classes, create and package orders for my Etsy Shop as well as my Shopenvy Shop. I am very excited about this opportunity to be able to open the space to people to come and have the opportunity to play with art supplies and enjoy the time out.

Fall Inspiration

Today I want to share with you my Inspiration for my Fall color palette. These are colors that I normally don’t work with but after looking around at the trees and flowers that surround my home.It really made me want to take another look at colors.

$2 Kids Tshirts

You can find kids’ T-shirts everywhere. But why go generic when you can be completely unique? Show your kids how special they are with their very own personalized T-shirts – you can even let them join in on the fun! 

Turn your T-shirt order into craft time! Let your little ones choose a favorite from over 100 designs and add a silly saying, or even a favorite photo. Our design studio is easy to use and offers a variety of customization options. 

Your kids with love wearing their new creations, not only because they designed it, but also because they’re super comfy. This high-quality, 100% pre-shrunk cotton material can also handle the toughest of tykes. See for yourself with this special $2 kids’ T-shirt offer. Plus Shipping: Shipping Starting Price: $4.14

30 Days of List Day 1-3

I planned to share these pages with you as I go along this month, but I am now on day 3 and have not shown them here yet. I have been sharing them on Instagram and on Flickr. So here goes.