Journal Joy

I was inspired by a quote I posted on my FB page yesterday and took to my journal. Here it is:

"Don't go through life, grow through life." ~ Eric Butterworth

Peace ~ Love ~ Chocolate



Wine and The Struggle Within

Hello!

I've been a busy bee lately. Saturday, I participated as a guest artist at Studio 112 in Lexington, SC for an open house at the annual Lexington Wine Walk. It was the first time my art has been displayed in a public gallery!

My art

I did a couple pieces a little different than my typical girlies. I tried to expand my boundaries a little. It was a lot of fun, even though I went into it with high anxiety. But all went well. And I was completely exhausted afterwards - four hours of standing, smiling, meeting and greeting - can really tucker a girl out!

2012 Lexington Wine Walk

Here's a pic of the goings on outside. This was taken at the very beginning. After an hour or so, the street was packed and so was the studio! I got to meet a lot of neat people and other fellow artists. I hope to do it again next year!

I'm in a resting period now. Doing these shows has really made me think about the direction I want to take things. (I've done 3 in the last month!) There's a part of me that feels I'm not ready for all of this right now. And then another part that thinks, "if not now, when?" So I'm struggling with that. It's all part of the adventure, I suppose.

Is there anything you're struggling with at the moment? How do you sort it all out?

Peace ~ Love ~ Chocolate

Something New

I'm trying some new things for my Etsy Shop, like this ceramic coffee cup and canvas tote. I'm really loving playing around with both mediums and I want to continue to experiment!

With the ceramics, I'm trying to give the pieces a mixed-media look. Not totally easy, since I'm limited to using only the ceramic paint. But I'll keep playing around with texture and colors.

I want to do the same thing with the totes. A lot easier since I can use fabric, paint, embellishments, etc. And just by finishing the above tote, gave me ideas for other bags, so I have a lot that's going to keep me busy!

What new projects are you working on? If you leave a comment add a link so we can all see!

Peace, Love, and Chocolate

A Joy Thing

Remember this?

Well, here's the final result!

A fun little project with fabric, Mod Podge, stamps, and paint. My mom is taking this home with her - she stood over me while I was finishing it saying over and over, "I really like that", so I asked, "Do you want it?" and she said, "Yes!" Moms. *smile*

I hope you have a weekend full of:

Peace, Love, and Chocolate!

Journal Play

So, my cat Kiki and I worked on a journal page, inspired by Cloth, Paper, Scissors. The full project instructions are here.




This was the first step - gluing down pics from magazines or other sources. I didn't glue much down. And yes, for my journal I use regular craft glue (slightly watered down). Gel medium is much too expensive for me to use in my journal! :-) I didn't take pics of the other steps, so this will be quick...

My final page result! The effect turned out really good, I think. Although my corner picture really has nothing to do with the piece as a whole, other than it's a place to dream, lol. Anyway, I'm sure I'll be playing around more with this technique in my journal!

Peace, Love and Chocolate

January Giveaway

I have a giveaway announcement! I'll be listing necklaces (like the above) in my Etsy shop starting Friday and wanted to have a drawing for my Facebook fans. These necklaces are made from prints of my art, using cute Memory Frames that I found at Michael's. I'm not a jewelry maker, but think this is a fun way to display art!

To be eligible, simply go to my FB page and click "Like". I'll announce the winner this Friday!

Wishing you all,

Peace, Love and Chocolate!

Panic Time!

I just realized that I have approximately a week to finish up 19 pages in my Sketchbook Project book and get it in the mail! Yikes!!! Talk about waiting until the last minute! I can't believe how quickly time passes. So, I'll be buckling down this week to crank out page after page, so I can get this done. I'm hoping that my hubby and I can go to Atlanta in April to see the tour - that would be awesome!


I better get to it! :-)



Peace, Love and Chocolate

Refreshed and Renewed

I took last week "off" to prepare for, take part in, and recover from Thanksgiving. It was a good move because I feel so much better this week and have more energy to push on (and make it through Christmas)! I went to the library yesterday and picked up the following books:

They're both so exciting to look through and absorb. The second book is by Ann Baldwin, an artist whose work I'm not familiar with, but am falling in love with. There are so many great tips given, which has given me a new sense of drive to create! And this is my focus for December. I've decided to put my Etsy shop on hold - it will still be there, but I'm not going to be active with it. I need to work on art for myself. I have to finish my Sketchbook Project book and I'd like to submit a piece to Cloth, Paper, Scissors for their 2012 calendar. So, I'll be plenty busy.

Oh yeah, and there's all the Christmas festivities! :-)

Peace, Love, and Chocolate!

Doubting Tuesday

I am at a stand-still. This is the time of the year when I should be thankful (and I am, believe me, for everything wonderful in my life), but as far as my art and blog, I’m frozen. I am having serious doubts about the future and how far I can take this “wanting to be an artist” thing. I know, this is the moment that separates the “men from the boys”, as my husband would say, or separates the artist from the wannabe. My husband (who is very wise, I must say), says that this why not everyone chooses to put themselves out there, why not everyone is an artist, because it’s lull’s like these that make or break you.

Right now I am nothing more than an artist in my head – with some wonderful friends and family who provide encouragement. I have plans for 2011, but not sure where they’ll take me. I’ve slowed down for the holidays, because everything I’ve read says that trying to build up cliental during the holidays is like trying to build a house in a tornado. So, I’m waiting.

I have to push through this doubt, because not trying is a crime. And, I don’t want to be a criminal...

Peace, Love, and Chocolate

I Love to "Wine"

Another mixed-media piece, based on something I love - wine! I created this for my dining area and want to do another companion piece, but I'm thinking about making prints available for my Etsy shop. Not sure yet. :-)

Peace, Love, and Chocolate

The Joy List

Some things that brought me joy this week:
Beautiful fall colors at the local park...

...my favorite little waterfall spot - so peaceful and relaxing...

...and finishing another mixed-media piece. It's from a picture I took of the lighthouse at Hunting Island, SC. I'm looking forward to next week~

Peace, Love, and Chocolate

A Good Week

It’s been a good week for me! I had my first Etsy sale (a set of my Noel Dove Christmas Cards) and one of my paintings – Rain – was selected as a Feature on Milliande Art Community for Women! These may seem like small potatoes, but for an artist newbie like me, they are very much accomplishments! They both are motivators for me to keep going, keep creating, and keep learning (along with all the encouragement from my friends and family). It’s only been 2 months, but I’ve learned so much! I’ve had so many ideas floating around in my head, that I have to write/draw them on scraps or stickies and then stuff those in my journal for a later time.

I can honestly say that I feel like I’m on the right path. And I’m already thinking about goals for 2011. I’d really love to attend an artist retreat, but I may have to hold off on that until 2012 – I don’t know, we’ll see how the budget goes. But I really want to invest more into my Etsy business (that sounds so formal!) and paint and create!

Anyway, I wanted to share my good week with everyone who reads my blog or stumbles upon it. I hope you had a good week too and will have an even better next week!

Peace, Love, and Chocolate

Rain

Something new and I'm not even sure if I'm done with it yet. And, I'm not sure what I'll do with it when I am done. But, I have to say, I kinda like this painting. I love the rain. It's probably due to growing up in Washington state and now living in South Carolina, where it seldom rains (at least in comparison). And although I don't get to bask in the rain very much, it is a lovely thing to do! Hmmm, now I wish it would rain...

Peace, Love and Chocolate