pamgarrison

the payoff of persistence

Ah, that's better, isn't it?  I started over with the table by deciding to go the old book cover route for round two.

I found a bunch of different paints that I had in the garage, and mixed them together in a cleaned out strawberry container. I wanted to match the cover of the book somewhat. I knew since it was aged, in that perfect dirty paper way, that I'd be using a bit of stain wiped on the table after I painted it to take the color I painted on and age it a bit, so, I was mixing to get a color slightly lighter than the book cover. 

A little of this color, a little of that color, cream, grey blue, green, raw umber, light blue. It all came together to make a pretty color, that I think works great with the book cover. I tore the book cover off and left the rough edge from the torn fabric binding. I did have to cut the book on the other three edges to make it the right size. To cut it, I used an old paper cutter I have from my Dad's business in the 60's. I glued the book cover down using good ol' Elmer's white glue.

I love where the book and table meet:

Now I've got another little table to add to my collection of little tables. I bought them all at one time or other for display purposes, various sales etc. You can see why I bought it even though I was far from home, it goes so well with the other two that are painted someting other than white.

 

if at first you don't succeed...

The Mother's Day roses from daughter's boyfriend are going strong, and since I prefer to have a pretty picture greet you when you pop by, I'll start the post with those, because what comes next is not pretty...hahaha

I bought this table many years ago in Omaha while there teaching at Silver Bella. It was charming and cheap, and  in need of love. A lot of love apparently, because I have set it aside for years.

Recently, while in the garage, I put my son to work sanding it. It was old and peeling (thus the irresistable price tag). How to make the top even and useable became the question.

And then I remembered the amazingly clever creations of Swarm. I believe they use old oil paintings or paintings on canvas to create works of art with old furniture. Amazing stuff. Which led me to thinking about what I might have that would work. I thought a paint by number piece might do just the trick. So I found one in the garage, and cut it to size of the table top. I thought I'd paint the table and that the painting I had would stand out too much, so I painted the side of the painting with the same paint (.50 little jar picked up at the reject pile at Home Depot), that's what's happening here:

So far so good. Oh, before painting, I did cut the painting down to size. Because paint by numbers are often done on chipboard, it was easy to cut to size with scissors. After it was painted (I could have waited to paint it until after it was glued to table too), I glued it onto the table top. then I painted the table. And that's when that sinking feeling crept in, "um, don't think this is going to go where I'd hoped it would, but maybe...." so I pushed on. And then I was sure, it just wasn't what I thought it would be, it looked like I painted flowers (and not very pretty ones at that) on top of a table, or like I decoupaged it. It lost all the fun of knowing it was a paint by number piece first. See?:

So then I grabbed some nail polish remover, and next a sander, and started trying to take the paint off the paint by number...uh oh...

But hey, I haven't given up yet! As the saying goes, if at first you don't succeed, try try again. I'm going to keep working on it, and look, I may try this direction next...I think I like the way this old book cover looks sitting on it right now:

I'll be back soon to report in and hopefully show something I love. Won't be hard to improve upon it's current look, that's for sure!

for the love of color

You know what a fan of color I am by now, I imagine. What's funny is I'm also a huge fan of lack of color, or monochromatic color schemes. As much as I love how colors mix together, I also love neutrals. I assume many would be surprised to learn that my house is very neutral. The walls, the surfaces, the furniture and accessories, all shades of linen and cream, wood and silvers. I prefer a muted backdrop for living. 

 Anyway, as I contine working hard on my new, top-secret obsession (like, up till 2:30 every morning working hard- I know, it has to stop- but I told you, it's an obsession!), I needed to make a quick run to Michael's craft store yesterday. I couldn't resist buying these pink balls, due to the color, shape, size, and that they were paper!, all delicious attributes. (The fan is from BHLDN last year.) I opened them up and set them on the game table in our family room and they just make me so happy inside. They're from  the Martha Stewart line if you want some. I'm going to cluster them hanging above my desk in my art room I think, but not until the great paper caper of 2012 wraps up production in our family room.

 Look how pretty they are with the instagram of my new art supplies bought at Dick Blick not long ago:

And also with a rose from the garden:

Here's another glimpse of a our home showing you what I mean about the less than color filled play going on. Even the painting of mine is pretty different colorwise than my usual.

I'd say the main color above is grey. Ahhh, grey, still loving grey so much. Especially tones of brownish grey like you can see in the papers I bought last night:

{Now I notice that even my shoes are grey/brown, ha!}

And this chalkboard paint(upper left corner), also from the Martha Stewart line, it's a lovely brown/grey:

And that's where my true love of color started kicking in again: her paints, so many pretty paint colors. I didn't limit myself to her line though, any brand of inexpensive acrylics would do, the only requirement was that the color had to make my heart beat a little faster at first glance. So, of course, I ended up with a few pinks and oranges too:

I had planned to come home and slap some color on the pages of my journals, but time got away from me while I was busy taking photos of pretty colored supplies. My pages often have pinks:

{That awesome Hello washi tape is by Como Cricket.}

Also while at Michael's (and speaking of journaling), I bought these for those that will come journal with me when I teach this summer at Studio Crescendoh...more on that soon. they are tiny colored pencils, I just couldn't resist!

Let's take one last look at those beautiful pink antique roses from the garden. I wish I knew the name, we moved them from the last house, and the tag did not follow. I'm sure they are David Austins. I love them so much and think they are just about the closest thing to peonies that I can grow in our climate.

Anyway, off to baseball I go, hope your Saturday is filled with the coloror lack thereof that suits you!

 

 

a new obsession in the works

I've been teasing my instagram friends with photos of supplies I've been gathering.

I'm gathering, gathering, gathering, and the inspiration and supply pile is growing exponentially, as are the ideas in my head. I love falling in love with a project. I'm still hunting down supplies from my art room, the garage, and every other nook and cranny in the house. The original tool that I was searching for in the beginning still hasn't surfaced, but at this point, I think it's getting a bit out of control in here and I need to dig in without it. I get weirdly obsessed like that, wanting every single thing I need (and obviously, lots I don't) to choose from. 

I took these photos while trying to organize a little:

As you can see, my new secret obsession involves a lot of paper, all types. Clearly, the fact that I have all this paper already shows a life long love of paper, I'm excited to be giving some of it a chance to show off.  I plan to share everything with you, just as soon as I can, but thought it only fair I tease you guys a little too, or at least entertain you with some eye candy while I am in the midst of my current love affair.

I love having this photo of my Dad as a youngster along as company. I find it so pleasing to be surrounded by pretty things, even though I won't be using them, they inspire me, so I scooped them up for the duration and into the pile they'll stay.

The colors and combos are showing up in my journal pages as well:

More soon, I'm as anxious as anyone to be able to share. Hope you are immersed in a project you love right now too! xo

a lot of painting going on lately

Every since I spent the weekend painting with Jennifer Mercede, I just don't want to stop.

And I haven't, pretty much off and on, with many painting supplies left out in the family room amonst all the other living that goes on in there.

Painting on wood panels...

        Everything within range gets paint on it...like journal pages...

On this page I was writing about how I feel like I have so many many ideas but spin round and round and have a hard time gaining any traction with my ideas.

My friend and fellow journaler Hope , recently asked me some journaling questions for her column over at the lovely Ripple Effect. You can see more of my journaling pages and answers to her questions here. And boy, the quote by Maya Angelou on today's Ripple Effect post is pretty much sums up where my thoughts are. The need for change, yep, so I don't feel stuck like the thoughts on the journal page above. Working on it!

 

And even though I've left the supplies out and use them frequently, occasionally I try to pick up at least a little, which included cleaning off my paint palette. The dried paint peeled up easily and struck me as so pretty, that I couldn't resist sewing it down on another journal page. Which then turned into a creative to do list instagram:

 

 Off to tackle something on the list, hope you have a great day!

the new (& even better) Souvenir Magazine

Heather has re-vamped her lovely Souvenir and has gone from a nostalgic gazette to a full blown beauty. You can hear Heather describe the changes here, and follow the Facebook page for it here.

 

{Instagram taken after gathering up some supplies and getting ready to head out the door for photo shoot}

I'm very happy to continue contributing to the beauty she is creating. This issue I had the most fun when playing photographers assitant/flower arranger/prop stylist alongside Amy while Heather captured the magic right before our eyes.

           {more photoshoot supplies instagrammed before loading into the car, Souvenir bound!}
  {one last instagram taken of flowers I'd been arranging before rushing out the door to get my son}

You can sign up to be notified each time a new issue is available right here . The newly formated Souvenir launches Tuesday, March 20th, hope you'll be savoring the beauty too!

new paintings, new prints

I've been having such fun painting, painting, painting, thouroughly inspired by my playing alongside Jennifer Mercede weekend before last. Above is one of my favorite new ones. Here are some more in the works:

 

                     Here's one that I showed last post, it's a little farther along now, still not done though:

I will be listing some original paintings on etsy when I have a few more done, but for now, I am super excited to have finally made up some prints of the paintings for my etsy shop! Thanks to the teachings of Sarah, my computer tutor extraordinaire, I've got some ready to list. I'm so thrilled with the quality of the prints. They'll be up in my etsy shop soon too, and I'll be printing more of each, and adding to them as paintings are completed.

 

It's it obnoxious to be in love with one's own product? Because I am; I'm really proud of them and so pleased with the quality. Here are some closer peeks:

     But for tonight, I've still got paint on my brush and a few more marks I'm wanting to make.... I'll get         back to the computer to list them after the ideas stop coming so quickly that I'm afraid I'll forget them!

Back soon......

painting with jennifer mercede

             

{an instagram taken while looking over one of my paintings in progress this morning}

This weekend I was lucky enough to take a painting and doodling workshop at Studio Crescendo taught by Jennifer Mercede.  I have always loved her art, and have posted about it here before, but was thrilled to be able to watch her create in person and hear more about her process. The class certainly did not disappoint. I woke up this morning inspired and dying to paint some more. Haven't been able to yet, but soon, I must get back to it soon. During the class I instagrammed a few photos like this one below of Jennifer and me at the very end. We are holding my purchase, a Jennifer Mercede original. Lucky, lucky me.

               
Here's what it looks like hanging in the living room:

 

              

                                      This instagram was taken when the paints first came out :

               

          and later this one of one of mine (a giant 30x30 canvas) in the early stages:

                 

which, after various exercises (including one where we had to cover over 90% of it) now looks like this:

                  

It's still not finished, but when I look at it I see a barn on the bottom center that I just don't think I'll be touching, that way I can call it "she bought the farm" ;) . Like I said before, I'm itching to get back to painting on it.

This is as far as I got on the 2nd board, a 12x12" piece:

                 

The doodling part of the lesson came quite naturally as you can imagine if you've seen my journals or other paintings.

Then there was this piece below :(the closest I got to finished? Not sure.) It's on a birch board sized 20x20.

                 

            Here are some of the "sweet spots" to me:

                        

             

               
                 

On the 2nd day I brought in some other pieces that I had started previously or that were blank so I could take the opportunity while the paint was out if inspiration struck.  I worked on all of them at least a little bit. Working on lots of things at one time is what is most comfortable to me, if I had to work on one and only one at a time, I would feel very constrained. I like the freedom I feel with lots to choose from. I also usually have a journal present when painting to slap the extra paint down on some pages. You know I'm crazy like that. It doesn't bother me at all until it comes time to clean up.

                    

                   

                    

                         

                    

                  

The best part really was getting to know Jennifer though, and getting to see her think while she worked. Here is another instagram of her painting Jenny's dogs, using a photo as inspiration:

                    
Want to see the final portrait? Go to Jenny's post here and see it from start to finish. So cool.

I could go on, but really, I'd be saying the same thing over, so instead, I'll finish by saying a great big thank you to Jennifer for coming down to teach, and Jenny for asking her! I think her teaching gigs have just begun...if you like to paint or doodle, I highly recommend you enroll yourself in Jennifer Mercede's Paint and Doodle School!

 

bit by bit

                       

Do you like my new blog design? I love it!  It's all thanks to a visit from my computer tutor. Yep, I have a computer tutor and it's really been fun. Sweet Sarah is my tutor, and she is so calm and patient and never laughs at me, only with me (haha). We started with some general computer organization and photoshop help, progressed to learning how to make rubber stamps out of some of my hand drawn alphabets, and ended up working on my blog design. After watching her figure out how to code the links above so that they change colors when you roll over them, I know that that much learning is not for me. Not now anyway, next session it's back to photoshop and other how-tos I need to learn to make some new products.

                   

I've inserted some recent journal pages for interest. "Bit by Bit" says the post title and the writing on the top journal page. It's a reminder for when feeling overwhelmed about how much I have to learn or do etc. that it is possible in bits. Just like the blog spiffing up, logo design, more products etc. Eventually the bits add up. Sarah's help is making a big difference, I  feel excited about what we've covered so far, and what we will accomplish the next time.

Sarah's working on courses, both live and online, and has some in person or Skype consulting slots available. But please leave room for me ;), like I said, I've got a lot more to go!

instagram ♡

Yep, I've fallen into the pretty world of Instagraming.  I've heard it described as a photo version of the twitter concept; sharing what you are currently up to, but Instagram is in photo format. This is how I use it, snapping photos on my phone throughout my day and posting what I'm up to, but I know that some people use it just for the pretty photo filters alone. I like the different view you get into someone's life, feels more personal than blogs. It's also been a fun way for me to look at my own life a little differently, and I love anything that makes me do that. The photo above was taken this morning. And here's another I posted a little bit ago, documenting my current obsession with piecing together a new quilt for my family:

While at Amy's house the other day I snapped this one of her pretty closet insides:

But the favorite moments I've captured so far are of our life going on, like my kids playing together:

and my son on his first ever buying trip to See's Candy:

I know I have much to learn, tricks and tips, but I don't care to right now, I'm enjoying it as it. (Fighting that all or nothing thinking again.)

I'm sure there is lots of info on the Instagram blog, if you are inclined to learn that way.

One friend told me about followgram, which is where you can see my instagrams if you yourself are not on instagram. Another told me about Printstagram for printing your photos, another PostalPix app for the same. And still another told me about Statigram where you can see your photos larger on your computer, and see stats on what filters you use and how often, and I'm sure a million other things too.

Mary Ann made a super cute Instagram badge that she said we are all welcome to  use on our sidebars if we wish. I'm going to, as soon as I figure that all out again.

It's great for taking views of your lap too, like I did this weekend:

Let me sum it up this way:   Instagram? Yep!

miscellaneous catching up

           

The sky was so so beautiful all day the other day that I couldn't stop trying to capture it on my phone. Of course it was impossible, but I'm still happy to look at the photos I did catch. Above is unedited shot, and here's an instagr.m filter on another below. (more on instagr.m in another post soon)

Gorgeous. We don't often get more than open blue sky in Southern California, so skies like these tend to stop us in our tracks. Feels good to be sure to enjoy the beauty that is on display. Helps one keep perspective after all the introspective thinking I'd been sharing...the world is much bigger than my bad thinking habits I've been mentioning, that's for sure, and that's good to remember!

I've also been working on a logo for myself. I'm so excited to finally have a logo to use! I'm sure over time it will change, or adapt to the various projects or what I might need it for, but I've got a jumping off point now. I just can't tell you how happy I am that over the past year I've finally learned enough on PhotoShop to actually be able to start making some of the things in my head. I used the logo to order some mailing labels too...of course, I'll show you those as soon as I get them.

Previously, I showed you a sneak peek of a logo that I had done for someone else, and one of those sites has gone live. It's Lesley Riley's  Red Thread Retreat which is the start of something big for Lelsey, or the continuation of, I should say, with her ArtistSuceess coaching business already something big. I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but Lesley was one of the first teachers I ever had at ArtFest so many many years ago. She was such an interesting woman with a solft yet strong manner, and when I found out she had 6 children and was following her passions in art and teaching anyway, well, I was certainly encouraged to press on myself, even though my children were little (way back then).

I wanted to thank Romantic Homes Magazine featurning one of my samplers. Here's the page inside:

Hope you had a happy ♥ day, can't believe the day came and went without a post, I love Valentine's Day.

I'm off to help Amy with some things, I owe her big time as she spent a whole day with me unpacking my Dad's kitchen. Tough tasks are so much better shared with friends, and less overwhelming too. I'll try to get a couple photos of her beautiful home to share...

 

all or nothing thinking

I was gathering fabric together today to send to sweet Rebecca who is collecting it and making clothing for the people of Haiti. {They are in need of more fabric, so if you'd like to contribute, go here}

While going through my fabric stash, I realized another less than helpful way of thinking that I have a habit of employing: all or nothing thinking. For example, as I sorted, I was looking at each piece and thinking, "will I use this? will I miss this?" etc. and with some fabrics I had a hard time deciding. That's when I realized, it doesn't have to be all or nothing. I can keep a small piece for myself in case I might use, and donate the rest. Once I let go of the all or nothing concept, I was able to move a lot faster, no longer weighted down by making what felt like such a big commitment. The contribution pile grew larger as well. 

I recognize that I use this type of thinking in other parts of my life as well; housekeeping, assignments, packaging orders etc. I'm going to work on thinking bit by bit vs. all or nothing. I'm betting I'll feel a lot less "stuck" when doing so. Of course, the bits can eventually turn into cleaning the whole house, completing an entire assignment, or shipping all the orders, but I'm betting it won't feel as overwhelming to begin the process. A simple shift in perspective. I'm sure it will help.

where i've been lately part 2

Last post I was prepping for teaching at French General, which included a trip to Joann's for some supplies. I couldn't resist all the goodies above, including the pincushion, even though none of it was needed for class.

It's an illness, this intense love of fabric and all sorts of craft supplies. I just see so many things that I want to create with when I look at them.

Here I am in the middle of two of my favoite girls, Charlotte and Kaari before the whirlwind began. French General is truly an amazing environment to be in, if you haven't gone for a shopping trip or class, I highly recommend it, it never disappoints.

And here I am with friends Judi and Gina. Judi treated Gina to class for her birthday, how sweet is that? Gina posted some of her super cute hearts from class on her blog too. Go see!
And after this picture, I was swooped up in the class fun and as usual, completely forgot to take another photo. If anyone in class has any online to share, post a link in the comments so we can see it through your eyes. The students were sweet and kind and fun and I always appreciate spending time with others that love to make, so thanks for coming out to play!

Charlotte came to stay with me afterwards, as she was also in town for CHA, where her new fabric line for Blend Fabrics was on display. Look at the lovely hostess gift she left for me. LOVE it! I have my very own stash of her fabric. Can't wait to dig in and create with it!

Want to see some close ups?

I thought so...

Each time I think I've decided on a favorite, then I see another. Too many to play favorites! If you want some too, I think you'll have to ask your local fabric store at this point. I'm sure someone online will eventually have them too. When you see a fabric line when it is first out, it's hard to be patient and wait until the orders are all filled! But these teasers should let you know what to be on the lookout for.

{Ed: you can go here to find out where to buy}

And lately, while all the other prep has been going on, I've been helping my Dad get ready to move again. This time for a long time I hope, in a really nice over 55 community. Moving is exhausing, at every age! Knowing we had the move around the corner, I was out looking for a few things he needs and headed to HomeGoods for a look see. I found two cute lamps for him:

And while I was checking out, look what else I saw:

It's right up front in the area where you check out. So if any of you are looking for the giftwrap I did with Paypaya Art, check your local HomeGoods or TJMax!

Ok, back to the moving for me!

where i've been lately part 1

I do not know where the time goes! I think it goes by faster when one is not naturally given to orginization, especially of the mind. One of the top things on the "this year I'm going to work on..." list!

I thought I'd share some of the creative bits I've been up to with you in photos.

{I mean, who wants to hear about laundry, cleaning, carting kids, algebra homework etc, right? After all, this is my craft blog, that's what you pop by to hear about. Just know that that's always going on and I'm usually feeling behind in all of that too,.}

 

Top on the list now is preparing for teaching this weekend at French General's  The Art of Craft event with my pal Charlotte.

Prep includes gathering class materials and lots for the "share pile:

and lots for the sell pile too:

I've been slowly but surely working on a few hand made originals to bring as well:

I enjoy getting lost in the little details:

Not sure if I'll have more than these two at my slow pace:

I've also been designing and preparing new sampler patterns to bring:

They'll be in my etsy shop soon.

These new samplers are in my etsy shop now:

A pink you are loved as well as the standard lavender. (Someone needs to iron that sampler, she is not ready for her closeup!)

...and this brand new one:

It also comes in a second color scheme too, for the bold and color loving stitchers out there:

Speaking of samplers, I designed one as a thank you to the lovely Meg for her big Pam-print giveaway:

 

Isn't it cute? Get yourself on her craft weekend waitlist if you want one of your very own.

If not, don't worry, I'm going to be recycling that border on another sampler for sure, I love it so. 

Other designing I've been up to this month (which meant lots more photoshop learning) was a couple of logo designs for hire. Here are some sneak peaks until they go live on their intended place of business.

One was heavy on the calligraphy:

and one was heavy on the illustration:

I love them both.

And then I got sick of feeling "too busy" and went AWOL by meeting Amy for lunch out.  Silliness in a new version photo booth ensued. Photo booths were on my mind after seeing this darling video. (scroll down on the post) LOVE that it was filming when they didn't know it, love that there is no sound, or only the sound of the video machine, love this cute mama and her amazing ability to creatively capture and document their story while living it too; no easy feat.

Anyway, Amy and I must be getting old, because if there was a video to see afterward, we had no idea, we both jumped out of there covering our ears because the music in there was painfully loud, hahaha!

              

Speaking of painful, this blog post has taken a painfully long time and you must be painfully tired of reading it. If you've made it this far, you win an honorary award for putting up with all my blabbing... go get yourself a treat!

Part 2 of my recent creative shenanigans next post...

the start of something good

I'm really excited for 2012. I feel like most everyone is. The phrases I keep hearing in my head are: "this is the year", and "this is going to be a great year".   Excellent, bring it on!

The above piece is something I started ages and ages ago. It was inspired by this piece by Nina Bagley that she was creating at the beginning of a new year many years ago. I love how hers states "this is going to be the year"...so similar to the thoughts that have been running through my head of late. This is the year I'm going to grow my art practice, my art business, my art skills in things like painting, illustration, and especially photoshop and other technical ways of creating. My resisting the technical skills has limited my growth. They are stopping me from creating like I long to.

I realized that I'm at the point that Anais Nin talked about in that famous quote:

The day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.

I've already started to dive in, so I know I'll keep going. It's fun. A kind of fun I haven't felt for a long time, the "I'm excited to wake up and get back to that project" fun. All it took was surrender, who knew?

Above is a recent journal page. Gave myself a talking to, it's time to follow through, not to delay. I've done plenty of that. I even signed up for this class, which I only did after I was sure I was 100% committed, it's wasted money if I'm not going to show up for myself!  I have this ebook, and found it to be excellent, so I can't imagine that the 9 weeks of class won't be the same. Kelly Rae is a cutie and she sure has shown up for her dreams and her dreams are coming true in a big way! Go Kelly Rae go! I love it when any independent artist has success, in whatever form that is, whatever dream, because it signifies to me that each and every one of our dreams can come true. I believe that with all my heart. Everyone has a unique dream, and every dream is possible. I hope you have some big dreams for the new year too, I'm looking forward to seeing them all actualize, yours, mine and ours.

I like the message of the same stiched beads in the first photo, with a little text editing via sampler borders...BE the start of something good. Yep, it's up to us to begin. Here's to fresh starts!!!

i ♥ meg duerksen

Seriously. I really do love Meg, and her blog peeps (welcome Meg's peeps!). I love Meg's honesty that comes through loud and clear on her blog, along with her witty writing, and her style, and her photographs, and her love for creativity, and those red and white striped bowls in her kitchen! In a nutshell, I think she's cool. She's authentic and real and funny; my favorite qualities in a person.

We'd very briefly met before, and then she reached out and said just the right words to push me over the edge to really commiting to getting the prints made.

And for that I am grateful. I love the prints and appreciate everyone that encouraged me to make them. I'm thrilled that a whole new world is opening up for me as far as my art is concerned. I have always loved to doodle and color and make patterns etc. and it seems like it's all coming together and I'm having to stretch and grow at the same time, with the photoshop learning I'm having to do (more on that another day) in order to make the prints. I'm glad she was the whisper in my ear that caused me to push through my resistance to all the work I knew I didn't know how to do. I can't wait to create more, the ideas are flowing, just need to find the time.

Anyway, back to Meg and my reason for introducing you to her today. Recently she offered to host a  giveaway of one of my prints on her blog.  {Just look at her photos (all of these on this post) which are a million times better than mine (ok, she is a photographer after all). }  She took great photos (and generously shared them with me), posted about the prints, invited her readers and what a response she got...over 800 comments in 1 day!!! Yowza!!!  And many etsy print sales for me too. So, what can I say other than THANKS MEG!!!! I owe you one, and I hope you know that you

by many. xo

 

 

gift tags for you

            

I hope you are having the happiest of holidays! If you aren't done with all your wrapping and labeling, I've made some free downloadable tags for you to use if you'd like. I printed the one above and below on art paper, but any cardstock would do nicely. In the very top photo, you can see the art paper print on top of a print on regular thin printer paper. The pdf is below, with an added black and white version in case the kiddies (of all ages) want to color them to match your paper.  Merry Merry! xo

 

Download Pam garrison gift tags

Download Pam garrison gift tags 2011 colored in

Here's a link to last year's tags for you: gift tags 2010

new postcards on etsy

I've got a new postcard set over at etsy. I'm still working on getting the posters perfected to sell (and getting so close), but in the meantime, here are smaller renditions of my hand drawn and doodley-decorated statements, sized for snail mail sending. In each set you get 6 Hugs and Kisses cards and 6 Thank You cards. Here's a closer look at them:

The back was kept pretty plain so you have room to jot a quick note:

I hope you like them as much as I do, they are printed on a lovely recycled, matte paper that is soft to the touch. I've been working on some just for Valentine's Day too, something fun to pop in the mail for loved ones. So many ideas...just need a little more time...but you know how that goes I'm sure!!! xo

getting ready for new items

                  
           
I wanted to show you the new postcards I have for etsy orders. It's about time I have a new postcard design; it's been too long, as repeat customers know! I've been learning so much these last few months and still have so far to go, but I'm almost ready with the posters, and had to have something that complimented them I felt. Here's the backside:

Thank you for all the requests, just wanted to let you know, I'm almost there....you'll be the first to know ;).

in the works

              
Thanks so much for all the love, support and understanding. I savor each and every comment, and gain perspective from them too. I thought it only fair to show you some happy photos of the transition as well as the painful ones from the last post. Above, we were just heading out from home. I said it was the "Prius as clown car" moving method. They look happy here, but started complaining a bit a few hours in of leg cramps haha.

Here is a happy shot of my babies (no matter how old they get, I can call them that, no?)  in her dorm room, pre lunch and ensuing departure.          (She bought her bedding online from Target )

Here I am with my girl as well. Just wanted to show you that the day wasn't all heartache and tears. We are very excited for her, and she is so happy. She worked very hard her whole life to get this opportunity, and we couldn't be more proud and excited (and a wee bit jealous, truth be told) for her and her college experience. {See the poster in the top left corner? It's the one I was working on here. - more on that in a minute} All reports from college are happy happy. She even sent me a first day of school photo as this was the first time in her life I wasn't there to document the moment. (sniffle) We are all adjusting to the change around here. So lucky to live in this age of technology, Skyping makes it easier.

Before she left, I made a plan to recommit to my art making, and to making a business of it, and to getting organized as a focus and direction to grow in when we got home from the move. I had to postpone the immediate jump into it because a couple more pressing extended family issues came up that took all my attention, but now that those have settled, I am excited to really focus on some dreams I've had for years. And the first one came as a result of requests. That's where the snippet of the poster in the above shot comes in. I made the poster and someone pinned it, and from the blog and pinterest, I've gotten so many requests for prints. I am grateful for the interest, and am diligently working on making that happen. I am super excited about it, and have so much enthusiasm that ideas keep popping into my head for many different designs. I have been spending many hours lost in the creating. Want some peeks?

This one makes me think of Kelly Rae and her sweet baby True. {Love that name, love the word, love the meaning.} I've had tons of learning to do in this making prints out of these. Tons. Still learning, still researching. Still trying to find the best, smartest way to end up with the highest quality product. My friend Tammy has been quite generous with her knowledge, this forum on etsy, and I also have found Kelly Rae's info in this particular book very helpful. This post of Kelly Rae's is how I feel right now. Over the years I've learned lots of things, one of which is how much I do not know :). At times I am overwhlemed and find it daunting, but I have promised myself that now is the time to tend to those needs. For me. And hopefully for you, so that finally, I'll have something to offer for those that are interested. Everyone else figures it out and gets it done, there is no reason I can't too, I tell myself. During a phone conversation about art/business with Jenny this week, she said she was recently told by her accountant when she asked if she was the worst client as far as cluelessness, "oh no! there are way worse out there than you" hahahahahha. That cracked me up! That's a new motto for me; when feeling like I know nothing with a capital N, I will remember that I am never as bad as the worst! I'm still laughing at that concept of cheerleading even as I type it! I may suck, but someone sucks worse than me, hahahahhahahaha. Not exactly what I'm going for!

So far, I've taken a few things to a printers to see what the result woud be, both look and cost, and am still waiting on that. But all the research I've done and all the sellers on etsy alone seem to indicate that buying a printer like this one here, is the way to go. Which then means figuring out the scanning; have profesionally done at a printer? photograph? buy a large scanner (super super expensive)?, photoshop? etc. And then there's the buying of all the different papers to see which I like best. They do sell sample packs, but I wish there were somewhere I could go, in person, to feel and see the papers. I hate spending money on researching, seems wasteful.

Next up, how to package. To mat, or no mat, protective bags, mailing tubes or envelopes, sizes to offer, etc. etc. And all my heart yearns to do is go draw and color, so I sneak that in here and there. My reward for sticking to the work.
            

So that's where I've been, and where I'm going right now. Thanks for checking in. xo

journaling, august 2011

Often times, when I go to photograph recent journaling to share here on the blog, my favorite photos are those that show bits of the pages. I don't love the way I capture full pages or spreads; they lose something in translation. I know this is true, because people who page through my journals in person tell me so as well. It's a good challenge, as there are many journal artists that do photograph their pages and spreads and are able to express the soul in them. I'll keep working on it and in the meantime, I'll indulge my desire to hone in on favorites parts.

 

(above- if you click on the photo, it will become almost full screen, that seems to help)

I love these pages right now, as is, and may choose not to add to them any further. Then again, maybe I will...

More close ups. Many of these pages began as class demos.

This page below left was done by my nephew Jack. When I was teaching I spent the night at his house in between class days, and begged him to draw in my book. The left page is self explanatory, the right page is with me adding to it. He drew a very geometric shape, and when I asked him to tell me about it, he said, "I just felt like it". Perfect answer. But I didn't love it, so permitted myself to paint on top and turn his geometric design into a flower. A joint effort, and I love it for that very reason.

These three close ups belong to the spread below them.

Above it is in progress. It started it's life as a class demo of many different techniques, and later, at home, turned into this:

             
 
I snuck in a lot of journaling time this past month. Teaching forces me to allow the time, just like it does everyone else. And I am always happier for the time spent playing, even if I don't love the result. I can always find a pleasing close up to focus on after all :). It really is about the journey, the process, the discovery.

me? so lucky

(How funny is this old tintype lady? She is currently residing in a big old pocket watch case.)

As you probably know by now, Amy Hanna and I are good pals. But, even though we live only 30 minutes apart and share a love for all things creative, we rarely have a chance to get together, especially for some art. But last week we finally made some time to get together and work on some of my jewelry. She came over months and months ago and we picked through my jewelry box of treasures collected over the years; many when I've been with her at flea markets, even flea markets in Paris, but I've never followed through with the jewelry making. Months went by and we finally squeezed in a little playtime again. Look at all the treasures I ended up with after a day turned into night turned into the next day (1:30am!): 7 new necklaces and one bracelet. I am thrilled to say the least.

Here's a photo of the aftermath above, taken the day after . Below are some yummy bits I've collected over the years. Amy is a jewelry genius, everything she makes is stunning, but I believe her true gift, other than her appreciation for the items, is her unique way of seeing them and figuring out how to use unusual items and what to combine them with. Even though I had the love for the items and collected them, I was lost when it came to putting them together.

What was a challenge to me, was exciting and stimulating for Amy. Oh how I love creative brains and how differently they all work!

If you're jealous of my hours of fun creating with Amy, having her look through my jewelry box and tell me how she sees the pieces coming together, no need. You too can spend the day with her making jewelry. She's teaching at Gina's Artinfusio in Malibu, info here.  If you take the class, ask her for my made up term for having the guts to wear really big, or different pieces :). We were a little punchy by 1 in the morning!

getting ready

         

Full Tilt Boogie Sneak Peek! from MAM on Vimeo.

 Mary Ann Moss is at it again. She's developed a new class that went on sale today. Love it. Above you see her promo video. If you plan to partake and haven't gotten your Victorian cabinet card album yet, I've just listed some on etsy.

I went searching for the one I am going to use in the class, and realized I have too many books that I have "plans" for. As I'm doing a clean out, a friend said, "don't save things that you want to use someday." That's my big problem; I see potential in far too many things! Well, I acknowledge I have taken this envisioning way too far. Too much to feel organized, and I am tired tired tired of feeling disorganized. Baby steps.

samplers restocked and journal pages

           

This page looks very different than my usual style, because I was doing an excercise I learned while in Theo Ellsworth's class at Artfest one year. I wrote about it here (scroll down a bit) . I find it to be a really fun exercise. When I'd filled in all the scratch marks it looked to me like a sun, a sad girl, a happy dog and a man. I would have never drawn these characters without doing this exercise and "finding them", love that.

         

And finally, the "happy day" samplers are back in stock over at my etsy. Thanks for waiting if you had wanted one. If there's demand, I can always do another order. :)

{Ed: Thanks again for purchasing. More have been reordered! Should be in late June}

giant book of big dreams cont.

   

Here's where the cover is today...still playing around with it. I'm thinking that I"m going to cover it in doodles and then protect it by covering those with clear packing tape...but maybe not. Since it's my private book, maybe I won't put tape on it for protection. 

Here's a peek at the inside:

While I was working on it, my daughter commented, "that's cool mom"...{whaaaaattt? is she coming around to appreciating my doodles?} Then she really surprised me by asking for one for her dorm room. Nothing would make me happier! She just wants a small poster, not a book to put in dreams, so I made two, and let her choose before I personalized it. Here's the one she picked:

   
And here's the other one (I'm still working on both):

   

    
I'm really enjoying doodling on such a large scale. I'm thinking about making a few more and then having some prints made for the etsy shop. Anyone have a printing method they recommend (if it's not top secret, of course)? I don't know if it'd be reasonable cost wise, but I want to look into it.

{Ed: thank you so much for all your interest for prints! !!!  I am working on it and     they will be in my etsy shop sometime in    November. I'll be sure to post a notice on   the blog as well. }   

Prints are finally available in my etsy shop! Thank you so much for all the interest and encouragement!!!

giant book of big dreams

I started a new project today. Like so many of my projects, it was unplanned. Here's how I ended up where you see it in progress above:

I ordered some new watercolor paper to make some new journals and thought I was ordering 10 pieces of what I always do, Fabriano Artistico 140lb hot press, but mistakenly ordered Fabriano Artistico 300lb hot press.  Such a drag! I'm horrible at returning items; I'd much rather be very very careful when purchasing anything, anywhere, than have to do a return. Ugh, hate returns. Add that to the thought of  how to return the giant package of paper that I'd already opened and the shipping process of it all, and I found myself motivated to find a way turn it into a happy art accident.

           

I cut it in half (too thick for me to tear, I tried), so it was then two sheets of  11x15". I folded each in half width wise and ran a ruler along the edge for a crisp fold. They reminded me of a very large pair of journal pages, and I decided to turn it into a big book of dreams and wishes. I'm having lots of fun. Here's where it was earlier today, placed on a chair so you can get a sense of size.

            

It looks different now, (you know I can't leave well enough alone,) but's too dark to photo, I'll take some more and show you soon. I plan on writing every single wish and dream that I want to manifest in my life in there. We'll see how many pages that takes. As the long weekend approaches, I'm happy to have a new project to play on. Here's to happy accidents! Hope you enjoy the Memorial Day Weekend!

inspired birthdays

Amy Powers has a new Inspired Ideas issue available. It's the Birthday Edition. Here's a peek at my project:

 
I hope you enjoy it. Lot's of great birthday party inspiration in Amy's online magazine, all for only $3.30!

one last look at valentine's day yesterday

            

Hand stitching on top of felt hearts from Michael's craft store. Below, a super simple little garland made using sticky cut outs found there as well. (Great project to do with little ones)

A journal page showing some Valentine's made this year inspired by Thomas Campbell.

     

  And the finished pillow from yesterday's post.

I love Valentine's Day crafts!

happy heart day 2011

Pinning the adorable card made by new friend Jenny Sweeny to the seat back of a chair...

making a Valentine pillow for our bed out of fabric bought in Mexico...

and taking some of the watercolor and collage pieces made during Geninne's class and turning them into Valentine's too...

Happy to be home with my loved ones today. Happy Valentine's Day to you!! xop

inspired by anthro again

Once again, an Anthropologie display has inspired a flurry of creating over here.

 

 After Amy told me about this garland in the store, I instantly wanted to make one myself. Of course, with a different slant, but still, gotta give credit for the inspiration where it is due.

 

Here is a bad photo taken while in the store and still another below. My own take uses a more traditional Christmas holiday leaf, and switched up the color scheme, but the general concept is the same.

 

Thank you again Anthropologie display creators, I love seeing what you come up with!

 

Here are more shots of my version:

        

           


          

Nothing like hand made decorations for the holidays in my book!

{Ed: I used any felt (and combination of felt/wool  that was white/creamy white and in my fabric stash. I made one leaf for a pattern, and then cut them all out by hand. It's not a speedy project ;). Then I used a hole punch to punch the circle to string them through. The balls were just felt scraps that I sewed together in a somewhat round shape, very much imperfect, then sewed on by hand. }