My first art demonstration video!!

I've wanted for a long time to be able to make videos like the ones I love watching on youtube.  To share techniques, teach others and eventually create online classes.  I built a set up for my camera and a space to work and did a little test video a few weeks ago.

Test Video

Its was so much fun and so ridiculously thrilling to see my work that way.  After finishing a few projects and a death in the family, I was finally able to work on my first full video.  I'm learning a lot of what to do and what not to do and hope that I can quickly reach the point where I can produce the quality videos that I'm aiming for.  I'm very pleased with what I've been able to do so far.

"Bloom"

I'm so excited to have reached this long time goal and I'm excited to see what's next!  Any feedback would be appreciated!  Enjoy!

More trading going on!

I completed some new things for trade on AFA.



The first are for another 2 Sleeve Art Doll swap.

These are for a swap I am hosting for Halloween themed moo houses.

The others are for a swap hosted by my daughter, Sarah, for Beeswax APCs.

Another Commission Completed!

Here is my latest commission.  My interpretation of St. Cecelia, the Patron Saint of Musicians.  I had so much fun with this one and I'm so happy with how she turned out.

I've also been working on building a set up to make photo and video tutorials and used this piece in a little bit of a test run with the new set up.

My Test Video

Another commission with be in the works as well as new items for Christmas.  Tutorials in the works as well so stay tuned and let me know what you'd like to see!

Halloween Art!

Having fun with some Halloween swaps at AFA!

Gothic Arches

Chunky pages (4"X 4")

More art trading!

Here are some more goodies made for trade at AFA.

More Art Trading

After a quick trip to visit Mom and Dad I'm back and working on some more art trading.  These are for a Zetti themed (one of my all time fave themes) PAT (pick-a-theme) swap at AFA.

Gearing up for an exhausting week of college orientation, way too early mornings and a road trip to see some amazing Drum Corps but hoping to fit some art in there somewhere.

Productive Week

I finished a couple more pieces and they are now available in my Etsy shop.

One of them was inspired by a challenge by Sarah Trumpp in her 50 Canvases in 2014 series.  This particular challenge was to sew on the canvas.  I have a limited bead selection so its not as elaborate as it could have been but I think it adds nicely to the canvas.

Check them out and check out Sarah's awesomeness over at Wonderstrange Arts.

Wishing you all a fabulous 4th!!

Frida Fan Art

I just finished some cards featuring the amazing Frida Kahlo.  I never understood what the fascination was with her until I started reading about her life.  I have to say...I get it now.  I loved these cards so much I seriously debated keeping them myself.  I'm really loving these faces and having so much fun refining and honing them.  I thought they lent themselves quite well to my tribute to Frida and I got to incorporate some of my favorite quotes of hers.

They are now available for sale in my Etsy shop.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I have!

Art Trading! My first and forever love!

What can I say about my love for art trading?  Its been an experience that has changed my life, added so much joy and purpose and has put the most incredibly awesome people in my path and in my life.

I had taken a break from it for the first part of the year while I worked on some other projects.  For the summer, I decided to enjoy some time off from must dos and focus on some wanna dos.

I'm participating in a variety of fun swaps and trading marathons.  I'll still be working in my journal and hopefully creating some fun things for my girls to put in their dorm rooms in the Fall.

Here are a few of the fun things I've done so far.

Two Sleeve Art Dolls

Envie Addicts June

Winged Heart Inchies

A Little Workspace Wednesday for ya!

I've taken the summer off from stressing about my art "business" and I'm back to enjoying my first love...art trading!  The creative juices are flowing and I'm creating things I love so much they make me want to cry...and not stressing at all over whether anyone else likes them!

Here are a few pics of my worktable with various projects in the works.  I'll be posting some finished stuff too just to share my joy.  There is nothing in this world that gives me more complete and total satisfaction than creating something from nothing.

Happy Wednesday, all!

Chronicles Week 18

I finally finished up week 18 of the Chronicles project from the amazing, Sarah at  Wonderstrange Arts.  I'm really loving this process.  The prompts are ones I can handle and have fun with and there is freedom to let my muse do something completely fun and unrelated like the mermaid that just had to make her appearance on these pages.  My biggest struggle is the photography prompts as I rarely leave my house and have no color ink in my printer at the moment but I'm making them work.

Enjoy!  I'd love to hear what you think and be sure to check out all the fun that goes on every day at Wonderstrange Arts!  Sarah and Ann will pretty much rock your world!

WOYWW 28May2014 Fun with my Gelli Plate!

Having just finished the canvases I was working on and looking to the next set as well as the next week of the Chronicles project, I got out my Gelli plate from Gelli Arts and some new paint colors I got and made some prints for backgrounds and such.

I love the Gelli plate and every time I play with it I get the same thrill I did with my very first print.  I feel like I have so much more to learn and I see things others have made on theirs and think..."how'd they do that?"  I used the fabulous Quasi Crystals stencil set from artistcellar that I won last month and I LOVE how they turned out.  These stencils are fabulously versatile and I've been able to use them in so many different projects with fabulous results every time.

The prints I made tonight will be added to future projects...bits and pieces here and there and even full backgrounds.  I'll add things to them to give them more detail and depth as the projects demand so look for these to turn up again.

Thanks for stopping by!