It has been a while since I last posted. But that's okay... many things have come about and I find myself of late, been not really interested in getting online. And that's okay too. It means I'm working on my house and my projects and working and other such real life stuff.
Still, an update on my 12 Projects in 12 months is definitely warranted! I have switched around the order somewhat as some projects have moved forward and others have fallen back.
January - Sleeping Baby Scrapbook
Not much needs to be said on this one because I've posted about it before.
February - ATC Display Book
Same as above, although I definitely need to update it since I have received more ATCs.
March - Baby Bingo Scrapbook
A HUGE success. I did it in one day at a scrapping workshop and it turned out wonderfully with each page themed according to the color of the background paper. My sister-in-law loved it and was glad to receive an album she didn't have to do herself.
April - Apolo Ohno Fanbook
What was originally going to be a page in an art journal, turned into a dare and a full fledged fanbook. One of the most brilliant pieces of artwork I have ever done. I am so impressed.
May - Err...
To be honest, I moved house in April and so much of the latter half of the month and much of May were taken up with getting things moved and situated. So no new projects were completed. However, I did start my 2011 calender and I have been powersorting through old stuff to be tossed, scrapbooked, or journaled. This has included the baby book stuff, old mementos, cards, letters, and old journals. I have also been working on swap journals, which I am beginning to hate. I have a set that was nothing like I expected that is turning into more of a chore than fun. I am almost done with the first of two and this will be the last time I have to work on them. Another week and they will be done. Which is fine because in 24 hours it will be June. And then I can claim Swap Journals for May.
June - Baby Book/Journaling Update
I keep saying I'm going to update my daughters baby book. June is her birthday month and thus I should get it done. I will also be able to add her 3rd birthday to her baby book too. I have also decided to do a 8.5 x 11 scrapbook for her. It will not be a traditional scrapbook, but it will have mementos and some journaling in it. I expect that once I get to sit down and do it, it'll take me about 48 hours. In addition, I have started going through old journals from High School and College. Within those journals are mementos and scraps of paper that I am going to glue into the pages of the last one I wrote in which is only half full. Excited about this! I also have two pagan journals that need to be updated, but that is secondary to the older journals. Then I also hope to finish the 2011 calender, but not essential, got plenty of time for that.
Basically, what it all comes down to is that I don't want to let this year go by without getting things that have been on my mind done.
And I am utilizing much of my down time at work for lots of project work.
Having power sorted most of the upcoming journals and books, it means I can grab a project and work on it. More updates as things get done.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Olympic ReCap
I can't seem to get off the Olympic whirlwind and I can't way to share my eventual Olympic art project, but in the mean time, I really wanted to share this article. The original can be found here.
Winners and losers: Canadians steal the show
Winners and losers: Canadians steal the show
By Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports 5 hours, 27 minutes ago
It’s been eventful trying to deliver the news, with varying degrees of success: I investigated whether the sport of curling was doomed due to the world’s supply of granite. I asked a man from the Netherlands why he skated in a skeleton outfit. I tried to find Swedish women to talk about Tiger Woods. I met athletes who deserve at least a sliver of the attention Tiger’s mistresses receive.
I wrote a column about a father who lost his son, a daughter who lost her mother and a sport that lost its way, playing a part in an athlete losing his life. I covered a lot of hockey.
I saw Shaun White fly, Apolo Ohno pass and Bode Miller deliver. I watched Kim Yu-Na skate. I watched as her mother couldn’t (nerves). I saw Joannie Rochette prove to be one tough skater. I saw Wayne Gretzky carry a torch in the rain and drive down the street in the back of a Silverado. I climbed up the mountains in Whistler and watched a Canadian hockey game in an out-of-control basement bar down by the harbor.
I didn’t come close to seeing everything. Or even most of everything. But I did see a lot, and as the torch goes dark, here are my winners and losers (a relative term) from the memorable Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
WINNER: The Canadian people
These Olympics began poorly. There was a lack of snow. There were events that had to be rescheduled. There was the tragic death of luger Nodar Kumaritashvili. There were embarrassing Opening Ceremony gaffes and the dumb decision to hide the Olympic cauldron behind high chain-link fencing. And Canada’s bold medal goals stumbled out of the gate.
But a funny thing happened. The people kept cheering. The athletes kept trying. And the Olympics, which too often are about a cold bureaucracy, about rules and arguments and pumped-up nationalism, somehow returned to the people. So what if the plans were going bad? There was no need to give up. Let’s grab a drink and watch some halfpipe.
A week into the games, with everyone still wringing their hands, a Canadian skeleton racer named Jon Montgomery came out of nowhere to win a gold medal. It was the epitome of unexpected excellence. Afterward, he walked through the streets of the mountain village of Whistler, still holding his helmet, with a television camera rolling. Unprompted, a passing woman handed him a pitcher of beer. Without breaking stride, he grabbed it, chugged it and the entire mood seemed to change.
It was a purely Canadian moment. It was perfect.
The people kept flooding the downtown streets and the mountain squares. Without tickets, they gathered to watch on giant televisions. They celebrated victories. They shared tears of disappointment and mourning. They rallied behind their hockey team and their bobsledders and their snowboarders and anyone wearing the red and white. Night after night they found something to go wild about. They just wanted to be a part of it, a part of something bigger than themselves, a part of the unique heights where spirits can soar when enjoyed in a group.
It wasn’t just here or up in the picturesque mountains. The video images came of bars going crazy in Toronto and Timmins, in Calgary and Charlottetown. Suddenly this country that had never embraced the enthusiasm of the Games the way some others have was showing the world how it’s done. Impromptu singings of the national anthem rang through the streets late at night, at karaoke bars, at curling matches.
You can’t wash away the tragedy of the luge track, but outside of that, you can’t stage a better Olympics. The city is beautiful. The venues are modern. The transportation is efficient. But this wasn’t about logistics. In the end it’s the people that power the movement. The Canadian people pushed these games back from the brink of disaster and right off into history.
LOSER: Vancouver Organizing Committee
It was obvious they had built a sliding track in Whistler that was too fast and too challenging. Luge athletes were complaining from the start of practice. Then Nodar Kumaritashvili died when he was ejected from the track and into a steel pole. They slowed the luge track, yet then watched bobsledders struggle to make it down later in the Games.
Later, documents, emails and other smoking guns became public that showed concern about the track from officials, including those within the International Luge Federation. Luging is a dangerous sport, but there is no need to make it this difficult. The death of Kumaritashvili should be used to improve safety going forward. It was a terrible and unfortunately lasting moment from these Games.
WINNERS: The athletes
Not one doping disqualification at the Games. Enough said.
WINNER: Bode Miller
His partying in Turin left him without gold, silver or bronze (although he may have won blonde). But the New Hampshire native returned at age 32 as a father sporting a more mature attitude. He wound up stealing the spotlight in the Alpine sports, winning a bronze in downhill, a silver in super-G and a surprise gold in the super-combined. It was potential finally reached.
LOSER: Cheryl Bernard
She was poised to be one of the breakout stars of the Games, one of the most unlikely “it” girls to ever emerge from the Olympics. Since when does a 43-year-old insurance broker from Alberta who curls turn so many heads? Bernard was a sensation. Then the Canadian Curling Cougar had two shots to bring home gold for Canada. She promptly blew both of them. It was a huge disappointment in a sport passionately followed here.
WINNER: U.S. Alpine team
Despite dealing with poor weather, delayed events and plenty of infighting drama, once the USA skiers hit the slopes the troubles went away. As a team they set a United States record for medals in one Olympics with eight, including two golds. The next closest competitors were Norway and Austria, each with four.
LOSER: Sportsmanship
The snit between Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso was immature, ridiculous and unnecessarily distracting. Both are great athletes who had memorable Olympics. Instead, the news cycle spun with tales of jealousy, Twitter snipes and obvious hard feelings over who was getting more attention. None of it ever should have boiled to the surface.
WINNER: Johnny Weir
No one is better at demanding attention than the men’s figure skater. Throughout the Games he found ways to garner headlines – declaring he was getting death threats from anti-fur activists, moving in with Tanith Belbin, even holding a press conference so he could attack ignorant comments from Canadian television personalities.
But he was more than just hype. Weir skated exceptionally well and backed up his wild outfits with intelligence and humor. He proved he has crossover appeal to almost all Americans.
LOSER: Fashion
The Norwegian men curled in checkered pants. The American snowboarders had baggy jeans – where is General Larry Platt when you need him? In men’s figure skating there was a skeleton costume, a sailor and a farmer. Johnny Weir sported “male cleavage.” The hot items on the street were silly red mittens with a white maple leaf on the palm. Somehow they tricked Wayne Gretzky into wearing them. You couldn’t buy them anywhere.
We’ll be trying to explain the fashion at these Games for years to come.
WINNER: Chad Hedrick
The long-track speedskater from Houston found himself in pointless battles with Shani Davis in Turin, only to come to Vancouver, like Bode Miller, with an improved attitude. He wound up winning two medals and acting with class and spirit. He wasn’t just here for himself; he provided needed leadership on a young silver-medal-winning pursuit team.
LOSER: Shani Davis
This is a close one, however. He did win gold in the 1,000 meters and silver in the 1,500, and he accounted himself at times with far better manners – although he could be a bear at points. He’s a moody guy and that’s fine. But his refusal to skate in the team pursuit likely cost the U.S. a gold medal. Since the event came after all the individual competitions, he can’t say it was going to distract or hurt him there. He remains an enigma – a talented enigma.
WINNER: Charlie White
Not only did he and partner Meryl Davis win a silver in the ice-dancing competition, the rumor is he’s now dating Tanith Belbin. Not a bad month.
WINNER: Joannie Rochette
In a testament to the strength of human will and determination, the Canadian figure skater shook off the unexpected death of her mother and not only competed but won bronze. Her short-program performance, after which she broke down in tears, left Pacific Coliseum with few dry eyes. She immediately became an international symbol of emotional courage.
“I would have liked to inspire people for another reason, but that’s the way it is,” Rochette said.
WINNER: Petra Majdic
The Slovenian cross-country skier entered the Games as a favorite to win two medals. Then she crashed in a training run, falling off the course, down an embankment and into a small creek, where she landed hard on some rocks. She broke four ribs and suffered a punctured lung. Only she didn’t quit. She not only competed, she won a bronze medal.
LOSER: Gerard Kemkers
They take long-track speedskating seriously in Holland, and Kemkers is one of the most prominent – and highly paid – coaches there. His latest prodigy was Sven Kramer, who was well on his way to winning the nation’s 100th gold medal with a strong performance in the grueling 10,000-meter race. Then Kemkers inexplicably told him to switch lanes at the wrong time and caused a disqualification. It was an unheard-of gaffe.
“It’s a coach’s responsibility,” Kemkers acknowledged. “This is a disaster.”
WINNER: Kim Yu-Na
The South Korean figure-skating sensation was absolutely brilliant in capturing gold by a huge margin. Her world-record combined score of 228.56 merely offered a numerical confirmation to what everyone saw – an effortless, glorious performance by a rare talent.
WINNERS: Mirai Nagasu and Rachael Flatt
The two American teens didn’t medal, but both accounted well for themselves at the Olympics. Nagasu offered a lively free-skate performance that thrilled the crowd and earned her a spot in the skating gala. Flatt skated well and was a picture of class off the ice, even getting accepted to Stanford while in Vancouver.
LOSER: Alexander Ovechkin
The Russian hockey star arrived at the Games in a brooding mood. Gone was the loveable, quotable, accessible star of the Washington Capitals. In was the new Russian Bear, Ovechkin taking on the cold, all-business mood of his nation’s team. It was actually pretty cool.
Then his absolutely loaded team delivered a heartless performance against Canada in the quarterfinals, losing 7-3. Russia had predicted it would win 40 medals at these Games, and one of them was expected to be hockey gold. They wound up with just 15 and hockey was an embarrassment. The latter falls on Ovechkin.
WINNER: Bill Demong
So how good was this guy’s month going? First he was named the Team USA flag bearer for the Opening Ceremony, an unusual honor for someone who participates in the low-profile Nordic combined. Then Demong proved the choice genius by going out and becoming the first American to win gold in the event.
This was good. Even better came at a party after the victory, when he grabbed a microphone, got down on one knee, pulled out a ring and proposed to his girlfriend, Katie Koczynski. She said yes.
LOSER: Lindsey Jacobellis
After her hot dog maneuver cost her a gold medal at the women’s snowboard cross in Turin, the Olympic PR machine sold a new-look Jacobellis. She was more professional and a better snowboarder and destined for gold. Instead she performed poorly and didn’t handle the fallout very well. Another disappointing Games for a woman who certainly can do better.
WINNERS: Shaun White and Torah Bright
These are the world’s two best halfpipe athletes, the American man and the Australian woman pushing the fledging competition to new levels. Bright recovered from a poor performance early to deliver the run of her life, landing the “switch backside 720,” which features a blind landing that her opponents can’t manage. White hit the “McTwist 1260,” another groundbreaking maneuver that no one else was able to match. The two didn’t just rule the halfpipe, they advanced it.
WINNER: Jeret “Speedy” Peterson
In Turin he was thrown out of the Games for punching out a friend. He’s spent his life dealing with personal demons, alcohol issues and sexual abuse. He almost committed suicide. But he got himself straightened out and came to Vancouver, where in aerial skiing he landed his nemesis leap, the Hurricane. He hadn’t hit it in three years. When he did, he won silver, the culmination of a difficult journey.
WINNER: Curling
Six thousand fans packed the suburban curling venue here for three sessions a day. Ticket brokers worked the sidewalks with marked-up prices. Beer flowed liberally inside. Fans rang cowbells and sang songs. Both the men and the women were hailed for their sex appeal. It was wild.
Or how about this? What other sport could offer this sentence: The Danish women’s skip, who is a part-time topless model, broke into tears because the Canadian crowd was too rowdy.
This isn’t your father’s curling anymore. The sport received wall-to-wall television coverage in Canada, the United States and China, the latter a rising power. Long mocked as shuffleboard on ice, curling suddenly was cool. It’s the unlikely breakout sport of the Olympics.
LOSER: Evgeni Plushenko
The Russian figure skater landed a quad in his competition, something Evan Lysacek, the American who edged him out for gold, didn’t. This didn’t sit well with Plushenko. He both complained and belittled Lysacek. “You can’t be considered a true men’s champion without a quad,” Plushenko said, claiming the sport “regressed” with Lysacek’s victory. Disappointment is one thing, but at some point you have to show at least a moment of class. Plushenko failed to do it.
LOSER: Jacques Rogge
Plushenko’s comments showed zero respect for his opponents. At the Beijing Olympics, Rogge, the IOC president, ripped Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt for just such a thing when Bolt threw up his hands in celebration before crossing the finish line. “That’s not the way we perceive being a champion,” Rogge attacked.
When asked for comment about Plushenko’s antics, Rogge defended the skater to the Los Angeles Times. “I think he was very disappointed, obviously, and sometimes in disappointment, you express things you wouldn’t express at another time.”
There is one difference in these cases. Plushenko hails from a wealthy, powerful country. Bolt doesn’t. Rogge would never attack a Russian (or American or Chinese) athlete the way he did with Bolt. With the stuffy, elitist IOC, it’s always the same game. Power protects power, and when a suit like Jacques Rogge needs to act tough, you know who is going to get called out.
WINNER: Hockey
Sidney Crosby and Canada defeated the United States 3-2 in an epic, overtime final that showcased the heart-pounding sport at its very best. The roller-coaster finale is one reason hockey itself is the big winner. The tournament was played at an exceptionally high level, and the skill on display was unlike almost anything seen before.
The Canadian fans packed neutral games and offered a colorful backdrop. Both the Canadian and American teams captured their country’s imagination and delivered record television audiences – not to mention a dramatic and memorable gold-medal battle. The NHL isn’t suddenly going to leapfrog the NFL in the States, but it should get a boost from this tournament. If Ryan Miller and the Buffalo Sabres are coming to town, now you know it’s worth checking out.
It’s a way of making the Olympics last into the spring.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Olympic Fever
I need to write about this, but it has to be somewhere where my family can’t read it. Long story there which I won’t get into, it’s not important. But things do need to be said, so here it goes… memories.
I’ve got Olympic Fever … BAD. Wednesday night was the first night I could sit and watch some of my favorite events and just SQUEE! Medal sweeping all around … Shaun White (Gold) and Scotty Lago (Bronze) in men’s half-pipe snowboarding, Shani Davis (Gold) and Chad Hedrick (Bronze) in long track speed skating, and Julia Mancuso (Silver) and Lindsey Vonn (Gold) in Freestyle skiing. And tonight, I heard Evan Lysacek took Gold over his Russian rival in Men’s figure skating, although I didn’t get to see it because of work, however before I left, the other half of me… the honorary Australian half cheered and cried when Torah Bright took Gold in Women’s half-pipe snowboarding. The SECOND Gold for an Australian in any Winter Olympic game. The first one by Stephen Bradbury in short track speedskating in Salt Lake City by accident!
This weekend brings more Apolo Ohno and J.R. Celski in short track speedskating and the first of the Ice Dancing and others. The past week, I’ve fallen in love with Biathalon, a sport I never knew existed but is so exciting.
Doubles Luge confuses me… “Here, lay down on this sled and I’ll lay on top of you and we’ll head down this icy pipe at 90 MPH and see what happens.”
I’ve cheered for Americans, Australians, Japanese, Canadians, and Norwegians. The medals have not gone to any ONE country but so many different strengths around the world.
My first Olympic memory comes from Calgary … when I watched Katarina Witt and Debi Thomas figure skate and win medals. I was babysitting, the kids were sleeping, I was dancing around the room imagining myself on that ice and winning that medal. Man, I was so young.
But my real memories were from Lillehammer, the first Winter Olympic games I was glued too… not only because of the fact that Norway is the country of my Heritage, but because there were so many exciting things that happened. I remember the name of every Athlete I followed that year… Free-Style Skiing’s Jean-Luc Brassard (Can), Ski Jumping’s Espen Bredesen (Nor), and Speedskating’s Dan Jansen (USA) and Johann Olav Koss (Nor).
It was the year that Dan Jansen took Gold in long track speed skating and broke a world record. I knew this was his last race ever, if he didn’t win it, he would never win it. I waited all day to watch that race in prime time and then when I got home from school, my dad spoiled it for me and told me he won earlier in the day. But it didn’t take away from the fact that when I watched it, I cried buckets.
There is a Visa commercial on now, about how he skated in Calgary and lost, mere days after his sister, Jane passed away… then in Lillehammer took Gold and skated a victory lap with his baby daughter, Jane. I remember it like it was yesterday. I get weepy every time I see that commercial.
That too was the year I fell in love with Speedskating… I always loved figure skating but there is something so perfect, so graceful, so precise about Speedskating that is will forever be my favorite winter sport of all time.
I leave you now with a short video of Stephen Bradbury’s historic win in Salt Lake City. Apolo Ohno took silver. It’s awesome and hilarious at the same time!
I’ve got Olympic Fever … BAD. Wednesday night was the first night I could sit and watch some of my favorite events and just SQUEE! Medal sweeping all around … Shaun White (Gold) and Scotty Lago (Bronze) in men’s half-pipe snowboarding, Shani Davis (Gold) and Chad Hedrick (Bronze) in long track speed skating, and Julia Mancuso (Silver) and Lindsey Vonn (Gold) in Freestyle skiing. And tonight, I heard Evan Lysacek took Gold over his Russian rival in Men’s figure skating, although I didn’t get to see it because of work, however before I left, the other half of me… the honorary Australian half cheered and cried when Torah Bright took Gold in Women’s half-pipe snowboarding. The SECOND Gold for an Australian in any Winter Olympic game. The first one by Stephen Bradbury in short track speedskating in Salt Lake City by accident!
This weekend brings more Apolo Ohno and J.R. Celski in short track speedskating and the first of the Ice Dancing and others. The past week, I’ve fallen in love with Biathalon, a sport I never knew existed but is so exciting.
Doubles Luge confuses me… “Here, lay down on this sled and I’ll lay on top of you and we’ll head down this icy pipe at 90 MPH and see what happens.”
I’ve cheered for Americans, Australians, Japanese, Canadians, and Norwegians. The medals have not gone to any ONE country but so many different strengths around the world.
My first Olympic memory comes from Calgary … when I watched Katarina Witt and Debi Thomas figure skate and win medals. I was babysitting, the kids were sleeping, I was dancing around the room imagining myself on that ice and winning that medal. Man, I was so young.
But my real memories were from Lillehammer, the first Winter Olympic games I was glued too… not only because of the fact that Norway is the country of my Heritage, but because there were so many exciting things that happened. I remember the name of every Athlete I followed that year… Free-Style Skiing’s Jean-Luc Brassard (Can), Ski Jumping’s Espen Bredesen (Nor), and Speedskating’s Dan Jansen (USA) and Johann Olav Koss (Nor).
It was the year that Dan Jansen took Gold in long track speed skating and broke a world record. I knew this was his last race ever, if he didn’t win it, he would never win it. I waited all day to watch that race in prime time and then when I got home from school, my dad spoiled it for me and told me he won earlier in the day. But it didn’t take away from the fact that when I watched it, I cried buckets.
There is a Visa commercial on now, about how he skated in Calgary and lost, mere days after his sister, Jane passed away… then in Lillehammer took Gold and skated a victory lap with his baby daughter, Jane. I remember it like it was yesterday. I get weepy every time I see that commercial.
That too was the year I fell in love with Speedskating… I always loved figure skating but there is something so perfect, so graceful, so precise about Speedskating that is will forever be my favorite winter sport of all time.
I leave you now with a short video of Stephen Bradbury’s historic win in Salt Lake City. Apolo Ohno took silver. It’s awesome and hilarious at the same time!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
2010 Projects - Jan and Feb
So I mentioned in a previous post that I was doing one project per month and we are coming through to mid February and I am pleased to say that I have done one for both January and February.
Please note... my photography sucks.
January - Sleeping Baby Scrapbook
This came as a scrapbook in a box kit. It took about three days total to finish. The first ten pages were part of the kit and then I had extra photos needed to complete the book, so I also had an 8x8 baby girl paper pack which allowed me to complete all the pages for the number of photos I had. I added some paper flowers to each page and all the small journaling and date tags were done using textured paper cut to size. The theme is an age progression of my daughter sleeping.
February - ATC Display Book
This was hashed together because I had some 8x8 cardstock I didn't know what to do with. I started with 2 sheets each of about 16 different colors. On one side of one sheet, I covered with Mod Podge, then I stuck onto the adhesive three craft (popsicle/icypole type) sticks, covered those with Mod Podge and stuck the second sheet of paper over it, creating a sturdy book page.
I had some scrapbook paper scraps, so I used those along one edge which is the same edge I punched holes into (reinforced with hole stickers), then each page, front and back was painted in random designs with acrylic paint. Then the ATC's were mounted (within appropriate sized plastic ziplock bags) onto the pages and labeled.
Then the entire book was bound together with book rings.
The cover is letter stickers on double sized sticky paper with microbeads around the letters to give effect.
March is my daughter's baby book. I've decided to wait until March to do it so I can clear out a couple of journal swaps, rather than starting early which is what I did with the ATC book!
Until next time!
Please note... my photography sucks.
January - Sleeping Baby Scrapbook
This came as a scrapbook in a box kit. It took about three days total to finish. The first ten pages were part of the kit and then I had extra photos needed to complete the book, so I also had an 8x8 baby girl paper pack which allowed me to complete all the pages for the number of photos I had. I added some paper flowers to each page and all the small journaling and date tags were done using textured paper cut to size. The theme is an age progression of my daughter sleeping.
February - ATC Display Book
This was hashed together because I had some 8x8 cardstock I didn't know what to do with. I started with 2 sheets each of about 16 different colors. On one side of one sheet, I covered with Mod Podge, then I stuck onto the adhesive three craft (popsicle/icypole type) sticks, covered those with Mod Podge and stuck the second sheet of paper over it, creating a sturdy book page.
I had some scrapbook paper scraps, so I used those along one edge which is the same edge I punched holes into (reinforced with hole stickers), then each page, front and back was painted in random designs with acrylic paint. Then the ATC's were mounted (within appropriate sized plastic ziplock bags) onto the pages and labeled.
Then the entire book was bound together with book rings.
The cover is letter stickers on double sized sticky paper with microbeads around the letters to give effect.
March is my daughter's baby book. I've decided to wait until March to do it so I can clear out a couple of journal swaps, rather than starting early which is what I did with the ATC book!
Until next time!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Mixed Media
I've been working on my February project which is a ATC display book, handmade. It's looking very awesome. I have some more pages to paint and put into the book and mount the cards onto the pages, which I will be doing tomorrow night and then this project will be done.
In addition, I have been art journaling like crazy. Not so much writing, but a lot of art. My baby journal that I take to work and doodle in is almost full. I have been doing a lot of great prompts and challenges with a friend of mine, mostly drawing, writing, and doodling. And then there is my art journal which I received through swapbot, already decorated and filled with prompts which are forcing me to try things I've not done before. Here are some of the materials I've added to my collection in the last month or so ...
Gesso
This is a surface primer for canvas. It works great for paper (ie. journal pages) making them a little sturdier and hold up to watercolors and acrylic paints. I love working with this stuff.
Watercolors
I'm talking about the tube kind, not the Crayola pallettes. I have always had acrylic paints because I like the color intensity and the thickness. But every since starting the use of gesso, having these watercolors is so much. I love how you can do light color washes or up the amount to have really intense color. You can also let them dry out in the palette, add a little water later, and they work good as new. Awesome
Watercolor Crayons
These are similar to watercolor pencils but are of course crayons. More intense color and I find use them in conjunction with the pencils for different sorts of watercolor art.
Gelly Roll Pens
They are the original Gel pen. They are awesome! I have only the basic ones... black fine line; black and pink metallic; and pink, blue, and purple stardust. I can't wait to add more. They write over practically anything... acrylic paint, watercolor, gesso, different scrapbook papers, etc. There are some really neat puffy and gold and silver color halo pens.
I've just committed myself to do three different journal swaps so I'm sure I'll be putting many of my new materials and the techniques I've learned into these journals!!
Sayonara until next time!
In addition, I have been art journaling like crazy. Not so much writing, but a lot of art. My baby journal that I take to work and doodle in is almost full. I have been doing a lot of great prompts and challenges with a friend of mine, mostly drawing, writing, and doodling. And then there is my art journal which I received through swapbot, already decorated and filled with prompts which are forcing me to try things I've not done before. Here are some of the materials I've added to my collection in the last month or so ...
Gesso
This is a surface primer for canvas. It works great for paper (ie. journal pages) making them a little sturdier and hold up to watercolors and acrylic paints. I love working with this stuff.
Watercolors
I'm talking about the tube kind, not the Crayola pallettes. I have always had acrylic paints because I like the color intensity and the thickness. But every since starting the use of gesso, having these watercolors is so much. I love how you can do light color washes or up the amount to have really intense color. You can also let them dry out in the palette, add a little water later, and they work good as new. Awesome
Watercolor Crayons
These are similar to watercolor pencils but are of course crayons. More intense color and I find use them in conjunction with the pencils for different sorts of watercolor art.
Gelly Roll Pens
They are the original Gel pen. They are awesome! I have only the basic ones... black fine line; black and pink metallic; and pink, blue, and purple stardust. I can't wait to add more. They write over practically anything... acrylic paint, watercolor, gesso, different scrapbook papers, etc. There are some really neat puffy and gold and silver color halo pens.
I've just committed myself to do three different journal swaps so I'm sure I'll be putting many of my new materials and the techniques I've learned into these journals!!
Sayonara until next time!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The Why's of Creativity
I came to the conclusion this week that I am going crazy without having a personal space to do artwork and that waiting until we buy our house this summer is too far way. I recently re-organized my art cabinet which allowed me to just pull a bin depending on what I wanted to do and set up on the dining table, but it isn't quite the same as just being able to sit down and immediately be creative and not have to worry about cleaning up afterwards, so the table could be used for it's primary reason ... eating at. I have an antique desk in our bedroom (similar to a roll top, but the top doesn't roll up, it folds down to become the writing surface and there are little cubby holes inside for storing stationary and other desk items) that was just being used as a catch all for random stuff I didn't know what to do with. I've tried to use the desk as a dedicated laptop desk and a place to do scrapbooking, but it just never worked. The computer would get moved and there wasn't enough space for my scrapbooking supplies as well as all the other stuff that I had on the desk. Well, I finally decided that it needed to be cleaned out and become a dedicated art space.
First, I took out the cubby holes as they were removable. Then there is a shelf left. On the shelf is now my gesso, watercolors, acrylics, oil pastels, soft pastels, paint brushes, jars, markers, and calligraphy pens. On the top of the desk is a small shelf which holds all my journals. Next to it, there is space for my scrapbooking bag, of which I refill with different materials for every project I'm working on. Right now, it's got all the stuff I need to do my ATC display book. Under the art shelf is more materials for my display book and my box of collaging papers.
I love it! Everything I need is within reach. It works much better now as a place for me to escape to so I can craft or work on my art journals. And the worse I have to clean up is my paint brushes and cups. I just have to close up the writing surface and it's all put away. :)
All this of course, brings to mind the need for crafting supplies. I know a half a dozen people who have rooms dedicated to scrapbooking or crafting. They also have the materials and the money to buy lots of stuff to fill them up. I neither have the space or the money, yet all my projects seem to turn out really nice!
I think this is because I know that I do not have the space or the money and thus I'm thrifty and buy only what I need for each project.
For example, I had nothing for my wedding album and thus had to buy all new materials ... paper pack, brads, stickers, 8x8 book, chipboard with a few small pieces of my own thrown in.
Then I recently did the sleeping baby scrapbook, from a all in one kit along with a baby girl paper pack, both of which were gifts. I needed some brown ink and some special colored brads and a couple sheets of matching cardstock so I could do the journaling, but that's all the extra stuff I needed.
Now I'm working on my ATC display book, again most of the materials I had. I just needed to go out and get some popsicle sticks to reinforce the cardstock so the pages turn like a book.
I don't feel constrained by having limited supplies and it makes it all the more exciting to go shopping and buy what I need for a current project. And I also think the more stuff I have, the less I'll use it. So it's best to keep it simple! Even much of what I have now is dedicated for a future project. And space for me isn't about acquiring more stuff ... it's about spreading out and working!
Anyways, that's just how I see it personally based on my money and space. I know others do it differently with the resources they have.
Ciao for now!
First, I took out the cubby holes as they were removable. Then there is a shelf left. On the shelf is now my gesso, watercolors, acrylics, oil pastels, soft pastels, paint brushes, jars, markers, and calligraphy pens. On the top of the desk is a small shelf which holds all my journals. Next to it, there is space for my scrapbooking bag, of which I refill with different materials for every project I'm working on. Right now, it's got all the stuff I need to do my ATC display book. Under the art shelf is more materials for my display book and my box of collaging papers.
I love it! Everything I need is within reach. It works much better now as a place for me to escape to so I can craft or work on my art journals. And the worse I have to clean up is my paint brushes and cups. I just have to close up the writing surface and it's all put away. :)
All this of course, brings to mind the need for crafting supplies. I know a half a dozen people who have rooms dedicated to scrapbooking or crafting. They also have the materials and the money to buy lots of stuff to fill them up. I neither have the space or the money, yet all my projects seem to turn out really nice!
I think this is because I know that I do not have the space or the money and thus I'm thrifty and buy only what I need for each project.
For example, I had nothing for my wedding album and thus had to buy all new materials ... paper pack, brads, stickers, 8x8 book, chipboard with a few small pieces of my own thrown in.
Then I recently did the sleeping baby scrapbook, from a all in one kit along with a baby girl paper pack, both of which were gifts. I needed some brown ink and some special colored brads and a couple sheets of matching cardstock so I could do the journaling, but that's all the extra stuff I needed.
Now I'm working on my ATC display book, again most of the materials I had. I just needed to go out and get some popsicle sticks to reinforce the cardstock so the pages turn like a book.
I don't feel constrained by having limited supplies and it makes it all the more exciting to go shopping and buy what I need for a current project. And I also think the more stuff I have, the less I'll use it. So it's best to keep it simple! Even much of what I have now is dedicated for a future project. And space for me isn't about acquiring more stuff ... it's about spreading out and working!
Anyways, that's just how I see it personally based on my money and space. I know others do it differently with the resources they have.
Ciao for now!
Friday, January 15, 2010
Creativity 2010
Happy 2010 ... a couple of weeks late, buuut .... better late than never right?
So this year, I've decided to stop procrastinating on some of the major projects I've been umming and ahhhing about and just do them. So it's going to be one per month for the next 12 months. I still have many small things I do, but major projects need to get done and I have a plan to do them. Right now, I don't think I have enough projects for 12 months, but that's okay. It means the ones I have now will get done and there will still be time to add more as the year goes.
January - Sleeping Baby Scrapbook
Oddly enough, I have just finished this one last night. My mom bought me two things ... an 8x8 scrapbook kit, all the pieces included and pre-cut with instructions on how to construct each page and a baby girl paper pack with stickers, paper, and die cuts. So I had some photos printed, all of my daughter sleeping from newborn to now and made up this adorable sleeping baby scrapbook. I added some of my own embellishments as well as my own journaling tags, but over all I'm pleased with the results.
February - ATC Display book
Tonight I repacked my art bag with the tools I'll need for this. A few months ago, I bought an 8x8 cardstock pack to make bingo cards with for a baby shower ... I decided to use some of these pages to create an ATC display book and bind it myself with book binder rings. Now I thought the cardstock was sturdier than I realize it is, so I'm going to have to strengthen each page somehow. I may be saving a LOT of cereal boxes and other large cardboard things for a while. I'm going to collage each page with stuff I've been getting from swapbot, then insert the ATC's which are already in individual bags and label. I may experiment with gesso too.
March - Baby Book
I don't know why I consider this to be a major project! It'll probably take me an afternoon to do. It just needs to be updated! Finish out the baby stuff and put in the toddler stuff and get a few photos printed!
April - Bingo Card SCrapbook
So see February for mentioning of the bingo cards. I'm planning to use these bingo cards and make an 8x8 scrapbook from them for my sister-in-law. The bingo cards, mounted in the center of each card will be the photo mount spot and I'll decorate around them! Then I plan to put them into an 8x8 purchased book. I was considering doing the personal binding again like the ATC book, but again I don't want to go through the sturdiness thing again and make the project harder than it needs to be.
May - Baby 1st Year Scrapbook
I need to finish it. It's already started. I have all the paper and stuff. Maybe get another kit pack for a baby girl. I'll need to get some more photos printed, but that's the easy part. :)
June - Children's board book Scrapbook
My daughter has this taggie book which has fallen apart and been chewed on, so I confiscated all the pieces and it's going to become a scrapbook. Of what, I don't know. Maybe some of her professional photos, if I can find the extras from the last two times we had them done!
July - Recipe Book
Just after I moved into the apartment I'm in now, my mother and I went to a household auction and we walked away with a huge box of recipe books for only 6 dollars. Amongst those recipe books were hundreds of loose recipes clipped and torn from magazines by the original owner (oddly enough, I also have some of her cooking equipment too). I have gone through many of those recipes, keeping the ones I like. I plan to put them into a binder, glueing them onto cardstock. There will be no rhyme or reason to it, and it's not a scrapbook, but just a collection of recipes. I bought the binder and the cardstock a year and a half ago, and never got around to completing it. So it's on the list as a major project.
August/September - Memento Scrapbook
I have a couple of shoeboxes full of stuff I've collected over the last ten or more years. Memories. Many silly things but they are things that mean something just the same, more notes and scraps than photos. I want to put them into 12x12 scrapbooks. Again, not organized or anything and lots of journaling. I've given this two months because I believe it'll be a long project and probably take more than one scrapbook.
October thru December ... nothing yet. Of course, I may be moving house this summer and if that's the case, one or two of these projects might get put on hold and then done later, but we'll see.
I have two art journals that I am working on, but I decided not to make them a 'major project'. It's something I like to do in my down time, at home, at work, anywhere. One of them I got from swapbot, all with prompts and everything. I did three pages tonight and it was fun. I also have my mini art journal which I take to work and scribble in if I'm bored. It's over half full. So rather than being finishable projects, they are more like works in progress.
There are a couple of writing projects, two of which are nearly finished and one is on hold while I wait for the return of some edits.
Then that wraps up my creativity outlook for 2010. It's nice to see one done and one prepped already! I think it's a good start to a creative year!
Ciao till next time!
So this year, I've decided to stop procrastinating on some of the major projects I've been umming and ahhhing about and just do them. So it's going to be one per month for the next 12 months. I still have many small things I do, but major projects need to get done and I have a plan to do them. Right now, I don't think I have enough projects for 12 months, but that's okay. It means the ones I have now will get done and there will still be time to add more as the year goes.
January - Sleeping Baby Scrapbook
Oddly enough, I have just finished this one last night. My mom bought me two things ... an 8x8 scrapbook kit, all the pieces included and pre-cut with instructions on how to construct each page and a baby girl paper pack with stickers, paper, and die cuts. So I had some photos printed, all of my daughter sleeping from newborn to now and made up this adorable sleeping baby scrapbook. I added some of my own embellishments as well as my own journaling tags, but over all I'm pleased with the results.
February - ATC Display book
Tonight I repacked my art bag with the tools I'll need for this. A few months ago, I bought an 8x8 cardstock pack to make bingo cards with for a baby shower ... I decided to use some of these pages to create an ATC display book and bind it myself with book binder rings. Now I thought the cardstock was sturdier than I realize it is, so I'm going to have to strengthen each page somehow. I may be saving a LOT of cereal boxes and other large cardboard things for a while. I'm going to collage each page with stuff I've been getting from swapbot, then insert the ATC's which are already in individual bags and label. I may experiment with gesso too.
March - Baby Book
I don't know why I consider this to be a major project! It'll probably take me an afternoon to do. It just needs to be updated! Finish out the baby stuff and put in the toddler stuff and get a few photos printed!
April - Bingo Card SCrapbook
So see February for mentioning of the bingo cards. I'm planning to use these bingo cards and make an 8x8 scrapbook from them for my sister-in-law. The bingo cards, mounted in the center of each card will be the photo mount spot and I'll decorate around them! Then I plan to put them into an 8x8 purchased book. I was considering doing the personal binding again like the ATC book, but again I don't want to go through the sturdiness thing again and make the project harder than it needs to be.
May - Baby 1st Year Scrapbook
I need to finish it. It's already started. I have all the paper and stuff. Maybe get another kit pack for a baby girl. I'll need to get some more photos printed, but that's the easy part. :)
June - Children's board book Scrapbook
My daughter has this taggie book which has fallen apart and been chewed on, so I confiscated all the pieces and it's going to become a scrapbook. Of what, I don't know. Maybe some of her professional photos, if I can find the extras from the last two times we had them done!
July - Recipe Book
Just after I moved into the apartment I'm in now, my mother and I went to a household auction and we walked away with a huge box of recipe books for only 6 dollars. Amongst those recipe books were hundreds of loose recipes clipped and torn from magazines by the original owner (oddly enough, I also have some of her cooking equipment too). I have gone through many of those recipes, keeping the ones I like. I plan to put them into a binder, glueing them onto cardstock. There will be no rhyme or reason to it, and it's not a scrapbook, but just a collection of recipes. I bought the binder and the cardstock a year and a half ago, and never got around to completing it. So it's on the list as a major project.
August/September - Memento Scrapbook
I have a couple of shoeboxes full of stuff I've collected over the last ten or more years. Memories. Many silly things but they are things that mean something just the same, more notes and scraps than photos. I want to put them into 12x12 scrapbooks. Again, not organized or anything and lots of journaling. I've given this two months because I believe it'll be a long project and probably take more than one scrapbook.
October thru December ... nothing yet. Of course, I may be moving house this summer and if that's the case, one or two of these projects might get put on hold and then done later, but we'll see.
I have two art journals that I am working on, but I decided not to make them a 'major project'. It's something I like to do in my down time, at home, at work, anywhere. One of them I got from swapbot, all with prompts and everything. I did three pages tonight and it was fun. I also have my mini art journal which I take to work and scribble in if I'm bored. It's over half full. So rather than being finishable projects, they are more like works in progress.
There are a couple of writing projects, two of which are nearly finished and one is on hold while I wait for the return of some edits.
Then that wraps up my creativity outlook for 2010. It's nice to see one done and one prepped already! I think it's a good start to a creative year!
Ciao till next time!
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