time flies

My goodness, I haven't written anything since Thanksgiving!  AND, I only managed time to make just a few Christmas cards.  I'm totally missing being in my art room but my time the last couple weeks has been all about the holidays.  Like many of the rest of you I'm sure.....

The tree is up

the mantel is decorated with Santas and family Christmas photos (I made the mantel scarf this year)

the Santa collection is perched here, there, and all over the house

Then, the days flew by and suddenly it is time to mail off the round robin journal again and I've done.....not much.  So the last few days after work have been all about the journal.  The dual theme of the book is humanity / mother nature.  I opted to focus on nature.....

Used black pens, watercolor & Inktense colored pencils and a white out marking pen for details.

the second spread......some watercolor smooshes transformed by a little artful doodling & lettering

Hope she enjoys the pages.....  I'm thoroughly enjoying working in the journals as they come my way. This one is headed out in the mail tomorrow and I'll be receiving a new one to play in.

Now, I really must refocus my energy on my collages; I've kinda lost my way the last couple weeks and have some serious catch up to do if I don't want to start 2014 behind before I start!

AEDM #28

Today is Thanksgiving here in the states.  My creativity is going to be in the kitchen, trying a couple new recipes to share for dinner.

I don't do food pics very well - so, instead, I want to share a few things I'm thankful for this year.

** My family:  (then)

(and now)

We're all healthy, we have jobs (no small feat these days!), we enjoy being together and playing games and yelling at the TV during football season; Dan and I are so proud of our boys!

** My siblings and friends - we've had several friends with severe health scares this year and been lucky enough to survive breast cancer and brain aneurysm and more - we're so thankful they're healthy and here to enjoy Thanksgiving with their families.

** Time, space and supplies to create to my heart's content.  Well, maybe not quite enough time......

** My cute little new-ish car that runs with no problems!

** Living in gorgeous Seattle close to my boys.

our newer skyline with the addition of the ferris wheel on the waterfront

** My blogging buddies - I'm so thankful for this group of people I've discovered. I'm so appreciative of the support and encouragement, the helpful tips and guidance, the inspiration, the shared bits of our lives.  I must have said this before some time in the couple years I've been blogging, but I'm so seriously surprised at the truly caring way these delightful people connect with each other and are SO inclusive and positive. It's really amazing, don't you think?  I had no idea I'd be so connected to people I've not met and yet know all sorts of things about and look forward to hearing from them.

** Mail art - I am SO glad I started down the path of mail art and look forward to checking my mail every day.  I love the opportunity to make my little pieces of art and send them out into the world and sure hope that they make others smile when they're received.  Viva mail art!! :)

one of my file boxes of received postcards - ain't it loverly?!?!?!!

To all of you, Happy Thanksgiving.  I wish you a day filled with loving family/friends, enough food to eat (and maybe have some leftovers), and time to relax and enjoy the day!

AEDM #27

Here I am again, trying to finish out the month with creating a little something every day......

Some more digital playing around..... this is a pic I took of Dan this summer on vacation at St Augustine, FL

Then I played with combining a photo of water and a pile of rocks.....

I love this second one - wish I could remember how I accomplished it! :)

AEDM #26

Okay, I admit it, I fell off the wagon a bit and missed a week of AEDM.  Well, stuff happens, right?

I managed a couple of quick postcards....for the MMSA white swap.....

Though it's hard to see it's got lace and tulle and paper and red stitching. I'm going to try to get back on track!

ADEM #21 journal pages

Round robin journaling - this is a first for me, working in someone else's journal and trying not to mess it up.  Leslie organized this 'robin' and I jumped at the opportunity to to join in.  There are 5 of us in this 'robin' and it's working wonderfully with journals being sent on time and pages looking so very cool.

This month I had Laurie's journal and her theme is Time. There were some cool pages already done and even though I'd saved a few time related images and papers, I didn't really have a workable idea.  On the final weekend before it was to mailed along, I found myself standing in front of my art table, moving stuff around.  Ideas sparked and formed and reformed and evolved until my pages were done.

I made a background with my stamps covered with tissue paper for some great texture. The leaves were cut from some clock printed papers and the quote is from the Fairy Godmother! :)

I went simple with this layout of some of my lettering.  And since it's a journal, I left a place for her to write a list of things she wants to spend her time on!  

Shared with AEDM.

365 in 2013 and AEDM #20

More collages, more AEDM....

#315 - In the Round   - using strips of my scraps

#316  - Louisiana   - a 3x6" collage using book pages, a piece of an envelope I received, gifted paper and a cool stamp

#317 - Stir in Blueberries  

AEDM #19

In addition to the collages I worked on over the weekend, I've been doing a little digital work in the evenings, sitting in front of the TV.  

My branch photo with several texture layers - sand, denim, etc.

Or maybe this is more to your liking..... (I made a background of various sized squares in shades of blue/gray) then added a texture.

Or here's another view....

Shared w/ AEDM on the 19th!

365 in 2013 AND AEDM

Missed a couple days of Art Every Day Month, but caught up by making collages for my 365 all weekend.....

#310 - Mariner   - blue cardstock background and all the papers are from my stash of gifted papers - thanks ladies!

#311 - Sing Tweetly   - about 5x7" bits and pieces and painted music.

#312  -  Analyze This   - blue cardstock, gifted paper (on the left) and painted paper circles

#313  - Sweet Innocence   - painted book page, magazine images

#314  - Try These Colors   - random text scraps, stamped tissue paper, paint chip & painted colors

Visit AEDM to see more wonderful creativity!

Thanks for browsing my site - it's so appreciated!

AEDM #14 and ALAW

So how many of you remember ALAW?  I've been conspicuously quiet about that project, but I haven't forgotten it.....just had it on the back burner.  Quick reminder:  ALAW is "a letter a week" creation with the goal of completing two complete alphabets over the course of a year and then come up with a way to display the letters.

My zentangle alphabet presented in a concertina format was selected for the exhibition.

Started and hosted by Fiona at Paper Ponderings, this is the third year.  This year she realized a long-held goal of creating an exhibition of some of the works created in this challenge.  She gathered 63 works by 29 artists from 6 countries (and I'm one of them -woohoo!) and the exhibition goes through November I think.  Unfortunately for me, the gallery is in ...... Australia!  But for my long distance buddies, try and go see the works in person!

My first alphabet for the year is actually my least favorite so far - the lettering was only okay and the book didn't match what was in my head - disappointing.

The brief for the challenge is that the individual letters max out at 7cm X 7cm (about 2.75") and that one of the two alphabets follow a suggested theme.  This year the theme is peace.  I have to say, that gave me the most trouble......LOTS of thought went in to how to represent that.  I finally settled on an idea and have been working on it now and then.

I plan to make a flag book - I've loved the idea of this form forever but never tried it, so now is the time.


I couldn't get my head around how to represent peace on any sort of global peace, so I brought it down to my level.  My personal peace, how I find it, how I see it.  Calm, tranquil, quiet - words that evoke peace.  Blues, greens = peaceful colors. I am incorporating my photography by using closeups that capture a peaceful feeling then adding lettering in the calm of blue and green.  Here's what I have so far:

(an Instagram pic! :))  Each of the 26 images will have a word on it that reflects some aspect of peace to me.  The black letters are my patterns....I now have to cut out each letter in the actual paper. I have all 26 photo/word 'pages' done so.....I'm on my way!  One of the hard things to figure out is what to put on the reverse side of each photo/word image - haven't decided if I should paint, color, paper, or what..

Shared with AEDM - almost half way!

365 in 2013 and AEDM

A few more collages and mail art for my creative endeavors:

#307 - Purple Koi  - light blue cardstock about 5x7, mix of papers from magazines, painted, gifted, etc.  I'm pleased with this one.....

#308 -  Whoa! - using up text scraps

#309 - Just for Grownups  - a map background, papers & text

Are you joining in for AEDM? Visit and wander through all the links to creativity for a few minutes.  It's a delight!