Friday, December 7, 2012

Peace

All is Calm, All is Bright
Diane has given us the word "Peace" as our challenge
theme at Inspiration Avenue this week.

I liked using blue for this because it feels calm and serene,
which describes "peace" to me. I also liked putting in the
curving organic lines, which also seem to describe Peace.
Its opposite ~ war, anger, strife ~ would be a hot red or orange
with jagged black lines, oh my. 

I used Jessica Sporn's "Fun Borders" stencil for the sky :)
I will be using this stencil for one of my Stencil Test Drive blog posts,
 but I couldn't resist giving it a little spin ahead of time!
 
December 6 was the first "Test Drive" 
used the Hebrew Calligraphy stencil. Check out the links!
It's a great way to see how other artists have accomplished
their finished pieces, since they've shown the progressions
step by step.

Stay tuned for the Medieval Leaves test drive on December 20.
will take us for a ride!



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Back to the Peace theme for a moment. . .
Here are a couple of ACEOs I created:




Have a creative weekend if you can!
And pop over to Inspiration Avenue to see the 
entries in the Peace challenge!

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Monday, December 3, 2012

A Video, Mandarin Orange Monday, and More Tags...

Little Bird Paintings by Zorana

I was inspired by this video:


When I'm moaning and complaining that my muse has deserted me,
I love to watch videos by artists who seem to create practically effortlessly.

It inspires me to think maybe I can reach that level of creativity.
And reminds me that sometimes you just have to dive in
whether you feel the creativity right then or not.


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 Plus, Mandarin Orange Monday!


Visit Mandarin Orange Monday HERE.

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Lastly, here are a few more holiday tags I put together.
Santa this time. Available in my Etsy shop.
Take 20% off with a coupon code: holidaylove



  
Happy creating!
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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Angels Among Us


It's not beginning to look a lot like Christmas,
but it is somehow feeling like it anyway.

Normally the holiday music and decorations appearing in the
stores before Halloween annoy me and turn me into Scrooge.
Somehow this year I am not bothered by it and (dare I say it?)
I'm even liking it a teeny little bit. Very teeny, mind you.
But still.


I decided to put together some collaged Angel tags for my Etsy shop.
So fun to add all the layers of texture! Tissue paper rocks!
I've started stamping on tissue paper and now I realize I
need to add to my collection of stamps.


The challenge at Inspiration Avenue this week is 
Angels
so the decision to make the angel tags was an easy one.
Beth of Mossberry Cottage is our host this week, and I love this theme.
I used some vintage sheet music from The Graphics Fairy,
stamps and tissue paper (I know, I said that), and some angel collage sheets
from my other Etsy shop, plus acrylic paint.

(Shameless plug ~ go HERE to see the collage sheets)
(and HERE)

 
I put diluted Gesso over the tags to give them a soft haziness.
I think next I'd like to make some with sharper colors.
Use the coupon code holidaylove over at
Heart of the Magpie for 20% off anything in the shop.

Pop over to Inspiration Avenue
and play along! You've got some angels, don't you?
If not, go ahead and make some!!
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Saturday, November 24, 2012

Stencil Test Drive!

Exciting News!
STENCIL GIRL has just released a line of awesome stencils
designed by Jessica Sporn!

As if this isn't exciting enough, Jessica asked me along with
some other artists to take the stencils on a "Test Drive"!
I'm over the moon (see him in the test drive logo?)
and can't wait to get started!

We will each show you how we used her stencils, and you're

invited to play along. My first post using the Starry Night stencil

 will be on January 10. And I'll have another one using

the Fun Borders stencil on February 27.

Starry Night

Fun Borders

Meanwhile, the Test Drive will start on December 6
with Carolyn Dube and Michelle Rydell
and continue once or twice a month through June 2013.
Visit Jessica's blog to see more details!


I hope everyone here in the US had a wonderful, gratitude-filled
Thanksgiving!

And speaking of Thanksgiving, which brings to mind shopping
and Black Friday and all that (and don't forget Cyber Monday),
here is a blog hop of shops that are having sales this weekend:
Happy shopping!


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Thursday, November 15, 2012

The last one!

For Priti Lisa . . .
. . . who likes E.E. Cummings. I like him too
when I can understand him.
 This quote I can understand.

Here you may be able to see both pages without scrolling:
Lisa's journal, when opened out, is long and narrow! 


The round robin has flown full circle! I have received my own journal back
with 7 stunning, heartfelt, magnificent pieces of art inside!
Blog post coming to show you the treasures it holds.

I have been so "out of the bloggy loop" lately
(busy making preparations for Thanksgiving guests {this past Thursday,
for those who are not in the US}). All went well, and I'm thankful it is over lol!
I have so much to catch up on now, and I thought connecting up with
would be a good way to start.
Please visit over there for wonderful delights for your eyes!
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Sunday, November 11, 2012

Mandarin Orange Monday

Mandarin Orange Monday
I've been wanting to link up to Mandarin Orange Monday
because I just love orange :) and Lori, the host, is one
of our newest members at Inspiration Avenue. 
We're so happy to have her aboard!

The reason I picked this painting is that I've just sold it! Whoot!

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Thursday, November 1, 2012

Mandalas

Beth of Mossberry Cottage is our challenge host at Inspiration Avenue this week.

She chose Mandalas as the theme, and it just happens I've been taking a
class on mandalas at Guada's Circle, so the timing is perfect...

( Click the button in my sidebar to visit Guada's Circle )>>>

I don't generally paint mandalas, but this turned out to be fun,
and I learned so much from Guada. 
I'm looking forward to doing another one.

I think I may not be finished with it, it seems to need a bit more...

In progress:
Finished. For now :)


And speaking of mandalas . . .
Look what I received from my friend 
Kat, of Wright Story!

Kat is a writer, painter of mandalas, my Round Robin sister,
and former Inspiration Avenue member.
I just love this pendant with one of Kat's mandalas under glass!
Thank you Kat!


So sorry the above pictures are not the best.
I'm waiting for the gray days to give way to some sunshine,
but it's just not happening! My photos are suffering...


Pop over to Inspiration Avenue.
There's still time to enter the challenge!


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Wednesday, October 31, 2012

No Trick-or-Treating?


Sandy 
has shown up like a wicked witch and 
cancelled Halloween
for all the kiddoes around these parts.
I can hear her now going mwa-haa-haa-haa
as she heads off toward Canada.


But what she doesn't know is the festivities will take place
on Saturday. . .  kind of like Christmas coming 
to Whoville no matter the Grinch's evil plans.

I haven't bought a speck of candy, 
so I've got time to head out and stock up.
I never buy it early because I will just eat up
way more than my share lol.


I am so sorry for all the people who have been devasted by
the storm. I hope you, dear reader, are not one of them.
I'm sending good healing thoughts and wishes out to everyone,
but I know what's needed is something a bit more useful in
the physical sense. I hope all that and more is available.

A lot more to deal with than a postponed holiday:




Good Day, and a Happy Halloween!
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Monday, October 8, 2012

Invent the Future

Inspiration Avenue

and a new challenge this fall from Artists in Blogland:


Headline Prompt: Inventing the Future

Color Prompt: Warm colors (reds, oranges, pinks, yellows)

Quote Prompt:
“The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.”
~ Abraham Lincoln

I combined the headline and the quote to come up with a phrase I liked.
“One day at a time invents the future.”
It's so true. Especially when you look back and think of all 
those “one days” that brought you to where you are now. 
A slight change on one of those days could have altered everything.

Go check out Fall Fearless and Fly.
There are lots of entries already for this 2-week challenge.


I don't often enter two challenges with one painting.
And I never enter Inspiration Avenue's weekly challenge
on the first day. I'm just not organized or quick enough. 
Especially when it is my own theme.
For some reason, I usually find my own challenges hardest.

But. This week I chose
  O R A N G E  
as the theme, an easy one for me since I use orange a lot.
It might be my favorite color. If I had one :)
I'm hoping it's an easy one for everyone.
So go check out Inspiration Avenue too!
There's plenty of time to enter the Orange challenge over there.


A new challenge I just discovered directly due to the Orange theme:

Mandarin Orange Monday


Wishing you a super creative week!

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Sunday, October 7, 2012


  O R A N G E  

Not the noun, the adjective.


Pop on over to Inspiration Avenue to play along!