One Heart-Three Tees Tutorial

I love unique t-shirts and tanks but don't like spending lots of money! What better way to transform a cheap tee than with a heart! This project makes use of the above heart shape, cut out of fabric and applied to three $5.00 shirts- three different ways!

Start by journaling on a scrap of fabric.

Cut out a heart.

pin down and sew to the surface of the shirt- I placed mine heart right in the middle

Use a fabric in different colors and cut out a variety of heart shapes.

Layer all the hearts onto the surface of the shirt- let them overlap each other.

Sew the hearts down either by hand or machine- let your stitches be messy!

Cut lots of hearts from colorful fabric- I chose pink to go on a red tank.

Sew onto one side of the shirt- layer and crinkle the hearts until a ruffle forms.

what a difference a week makes!

Since my meltdown last week I decided it was time to make some changes over here with the goal of working smarter not harder, to have more balance and be able to grow into this new life! The first thing I had to admit to myself was that a big part of my immediate overwhelm was the disorganizationa and mess that has become my studio! After tripping on my hammer, slipping on pens, stepping in a big puddle of paint and not being able to find anything, I forced myself set time aside for a studio clean up-

and now all of my work counters are clear...

my paint is stored in clear containers and not in the middle of the floor...

brushes, pens and tools are all in their appropriate places...

all of my large pieces of painted canvas and fabric are hanging where I can see them...

smaller pieces are put away in large bins (someday I will fold and organize by color!)

the smallest pieces are tucked away in clear drawers...

my sewing table is free of paint cans and piles of fabric...

and my wall is freshly painted- for now :)

This clean up has already made me feel so much better, clear headed and inspired! I have a number of other things to do to get organized that will take some time but this is a great way to kick off my mission to better work habits- what a difference a week makes!

***I am in the midst of updating my teaching schedule so please keep checking the left column of my blog in the next couple of weeks for new classes.

***The rest of this week will include lots of tutorials dedicated to love and hearts- I can't wait to share lots of inspiration!!

Video Preview of New Purses!

In a quest to keep myself from having another meltdown, I am taking the weekend off and away from my blog to CATCH UP on other things!! But I will return on Monday with some fun news, updates and lots more inspiration. I will leave you with a video of preview of one of my many projects- new purses! Enjoy!!

purse preview from Alisa Burke on Vimeo.

music: printemps by coeur de pirate

Color Inspiration- Turquoise

did you know that pantone declared turquoise the color of 2010!

necklace from polishedtwo

1940's train case from our retro toybox

painting by sara john afana

suede platforms from miu miu

living room as seen on HGTV

fabulous door found at coastal living

self portrait from lazybones photography flickr

shoreline scarf by rollick

Marquise de Pompadour by François Boucher, 1756

cute sneakers from vintage fix

truck photo from integrity studio

vintage dress from becky drolen vintage

vintage film reel from sweetshorn

tufted chair print by melissa bryant

bedroom in san francisco decorator showcase

the paint water on my table today!

Healed Heart Winners

the 5 winners (via random number generator) are below-

email me at alisaburke@gmail and I will mail you a healed heart!

Healed Heart Tutorial and GIVEAWAY!

For years I have loved the simple shape of the heart and back when I was single it seems that much of my creative subject matter revolved around angry women and broken hearts (very telling about my love life back then!) I've come a long way since those days and when I met my husband my heartache of the past seemed to heal. To this day, I am amazed at how resilient our hearts are- we experience loss, pain and a myriad of life challenges and through care, faith, time and healing our hearts somehow keep loving.

These days being married and little more stable in the love department, I have often tried to visualize what my heart might look like today- colorful? put back together? messy? patched up? spots of shine? Our hearts can be wounded, beat up, broken and lost but amazingly they can be put back together, healed, more beautiful and stronger than before. This simple project is my tribute to the imperfections that come with love and matters of the heart.

Start with your favorite fabric, hand painted fabric or even paper. Choose colors that represent your heart.

Cut out a heart (a piece for the front and a back)

Use hand sewing and/or the sewing machine and colorful thread to begin the process of adding layers, color and texture to your heart that represent your own experiences-

Use found objects, string, twine or even wire on the surface,

use the surface to journal and write your story

use bright or metallic thread to represent shine

use colorful beads and sequins for sparkle.

When you are satisfied with the surface of your heart, sew up the edges and leave an opening for stuffing- stuff and sew closed.

if you like, continue to add to your heart

by wrapping with wire, twine and more thread.

optional- add wings!

I will be giving away all 5 of these hearts to 5 readers!

Here are the rules-

Leave me a comment with 1 word that describes your heart

check back Thursday when I will draw 5 names!

Creative Meltdown

Since returning home from Anaheim last week I have been in a creative flurry of activity (visualize tasmanian devil with a paintbrush!) trying to get things finished, orders filled, grasping at opportunities, planning for the future, holding on to momentum and on and on and on. After working for at least 10 hours each day last week and then 13 hours straight on Saturday I began to feel myself hitting a wall and Sunday I had a meltdown. One of those crying, every issue, frustration, fear, insecurity comes out kind of meltdown (don't worry, I usually have one of these every couple of months and always end up feeling better). It was in my explosion of tears and talking with my husband that I began to realize the problem...

my name is Alisa Burke and I am a workaholic!

Now that I have been living my dream of working full time as an artist, I've realized that I am slowly turning onto one of those people who eats, breathes, and worships their work! And while working for myself ROCKS- things are not always creative and happy in my world! I am now answering some big questions, overcoming challenges and trying to figure out self employment and self care. To be honest- it is wearing me down! Insert meltdown here. So I forced myself to take a couple days away from my blog (and other things) this weekend to just chill out a bit and put a little balance back into my life. But tomorrow I will be back and have a SUPER cool tutorial and giveaway planned!

BIG Drawings, Doodles and Lettering

I take video and photos of just about everything and lately I have decided to start sharing more of those videos of my process and all kinds of other creative things. This week is another fun little preview from the next lesson in my Graffiti Chic Part II class so if you are not able to participate here is a sneak peak - this week is all about working with BIG drawings, doodles and lettering. During this week's preparation and filming- my studio wall was painted over and over and over and over again :)

2 from Alisa Burke on Vimeo.

song: if the stars were mine by Melody Gardot

Love Everyday Wreath Tutorial

Last year I revealed that I don't like Valentines Day (at all!!) I am one of those people who thinks it is a commercial holiday where we all feel pressure to participate and spend money on gifts and dinner! But with that said, I love hearts, the colors red and pink, love notes, dinner out on the town, romance and celebrating love- I just prefer to celebrate it everyday! I decided this year to dedicate a series of tutorials in the next few weeks to heart projects that could be used everyday of the year- not just for Valentines Day! The first is a simple flower wreath made from junk mail.

I love using junk mail as much as I can and the easiest way to transform it is to paint over everything with colorful acrylic paint.

Start by painting 2-4 pieces of junk mail in different shades of pink and red or your favorite colors.

Once the junk mail is dry, quickly journal, doodle or even scribble all over the surface.

I wrote all sorts of little love notes- to myself and to my husband.

Cut up the paper into different sized circles and stack 2-3 circles on top of each other.

Scrunch up until it looks like an abstract flower.

Use hot glue applied to the back of the flower...

and attach to a heart or round styrofoam wreath.

Build up lots of layers of flowers along the entire surface of the wreath.

Go back and add beads or even buttons to the center of the flowers with hot glue.

The end result is a delicate and vintage looking wreath (MADE FROM TRASH!) to hang on the wall year round to remind you to love everyday!

Shop Update- New Stamps!

I just added three new sets of hand carved stamps to my shop!

hearts, neighborhood and crowns!

CHA Recap

I spent the last 48 hours up in Anaheim at CHA and this was the first year that I was completely on my own (no promoting for someone else!) and I was on a mission to research, network and answer some big questions in my creative life! If it is not already obvious on my blog- I don't quite fit into the traditional areas of the industry- I am always looking for ways to not fit and break the rules- this philosophy has presented me with lots of rejection and challenge to find where I go next with the many ideas that I have. This year I decided not to take things too serious and simply go to CHA with an open mind and meet new people, look for products and things that I could use to put my own twist on! I am happy to say I had a great time and a productive trip and despite the fact that it is VERY clear that I don't fit into traditional "industry" I still found lots inspiration, wonderful people and new ideas!! Here are the highlights that got me excited....

Saturday night I participated in the the Scrapbook Royalty Crop charity event and got to do a canvas flower make&take and raffle off some of my hand bags and auctioned off one of my original canvas collage pieces from my Somerset Workshop article. I don't get many opportunities to be a part of the scrap book world and it was BLAST!

i heart elena

If you don't know Elena from Scrapbook Royalty you are missing out!! She is fabulous, high energy, crazy (in a good way) dedicated diva behind raising money for charity through craft and art events! I will be participating and collaborating with her on some future projects that I can't wait to share!!

I stopped to see what Claudine was up to at the Ranger booth and to my glee she was making Sticky Back Canvas bracelets. Claudine is a wonderful and generous artist and as you know I LOVE her line of canvas and paint. In my opinion her paint line is up there with some of the best and the Sticky Back Canvas is one of the most versitle and BEST products out there right now!

I am not a knitter (well I'm a beginner!) but I LOVED seeing all of the yarn creations from Bernat (maybe I can talk my mother in law into knitting this outfit for me?!)

And these AMAZING knit creature from Lion Brand Yarn

Jenny Doh was all over CHA inspiring and promoting Crescendo.com - her new project which I am blessed to be a part of this summer!! I ran into her when I was chatting with Cheryl Waters (lead fiskateer) and we were lucky enough to get a sneak peak at the Crescendo website which will going live VERY soon- it looks wonderful!

Speaking of Jenny Doh- I also got to preview her new book (with Jo Packham) Where Women Create Book of Inspiration at the Lark booth!! This book goes behind the scenes of 25 women to learn about their studio, art and inspiration (and one of them is me!!!) I can't wait to share more with you later about this project!

One of the highlights of my trip was actually meeting Kathy Cano-Murillo (aka Crafty Chica in person) we have connected online but getting to meet her in person was wonderful!! You know how there are just some people who you know immediately are a kindred spirit? Kathy is one of those people- she exudes peace, kindness and creativity! She gave me an advance copy of her new book which I cannot wait to read!

Kathy was demoing at the I Love to Create booth which is always my favorite booth- in my opinion they are a company that is willing to take risks and do some creative things with their products and ideas! I loved this newspaper dress that they had displayed-

complete with matching shoes!

The product that I am the most excited about this year is Tulip's Fashion Graffiti products! They came up with a non aerosol spray paint that is AWESOME! Finally there is a crafting option for those of us who use lots of spray paint techniques!! Now we are not limited to using icky spray paint! I will share more about this new product and some inspiration VERY soon!!

Check out the video of Traci Bautista using the graffiti line!

Speaking of Traci- I heart this girl- she is another creative kindred spirit who THANKFULLY loves graffiti, making a mess and taking risks just as much as I do!! We made time to sit down and have lunch together and did some more brainstorming for future collaboration and creative plans- so keep your eyes peeled for us pairing up sometime very soon!!

I was lucky enough to be invited to C&T Publishing Stay and Play Cafe Event where I we got to experiment and try out all kinds of new products! And who came and sat down at my table? My new friends Diva Danielle and Rayme Royale of Diva Craft Lounge!

One of my favorite products out there is C&T's canvas books- if you want to experiment with making books out of painted canvas but don't want to have to sew everything together- this is the product for you!!

I was also super excited to work with Walnut Hallow's creative metal and tools for embossing! I use Walnut Hallows tools for ll of my hand carved stamps and I was really excited to get to draw and doodle on metal- I have some really great ideas for using this product in my work!!

my flower drawings on metal that I painted

We also got to play with Lutrador a really neat product that feels a little like a cross between interfacing, a dryer sheet and hand made fiber paper! You can paint, draw and sew with it and it is another product that I now have lots of ideas of ways to use it that I will be sharing soon!

After the C&T event I attended Provo Craft's event to launch their new product Cricket Cake- a super DUPER cool, easy-to-use electronic cutter that cuts gum paste, frosting sheets and much more. WOW!! Do those Provo Craft peeps know how to throw a party! I met SO many fabulous people (I still need to go through all my pics and business cards to get everyone's names!) at this event and was super inspired by the many different ways PROVO is reaching different artists and crafters! I am hoping to find a way to work with them in the future!!

While walking through the lobby of the convention center I heard my name and I turned to see one of my most favorite people resting her feet- Tracie Lyn Hunskamp!! Tracie and her mother in law Marilyn- are truly another pair of kindred spirits! I sat with Traci for a long time in the lobby and had the best conversation- that honestly I needed- we talked frustration, creativity, planning and more! The biggest change in my life after quitting my job has been discovering what it is like to work alone and I often feel isolated- so getting to talk, brainstorm and share challenges and success with other like minded people feels profound to me these days. Tracie seeing me and yelling my name across the lobby was just what I needed Sunday afternoon!

Traci is an amazing artist and teacher, she has a beautiful book- Nature Inspired out and will very soon have a line of fabric!!

And finally the best for last- I got to meet Julie Balzer in person (and the wonderful Lucy Edson) while she was demoing at the Sakura booth! Recently, after coming across Julie's blog I fell immediately in love with her creativity- I am convinced we may share a similar creative gene because just like me, she has her hands in all kinds of stuff- fiber, drawing, breaking rules, recycling and pushing the boundaries of traditional craft and I LOVE THAT!!! I plan on keeping in close touch with Julie and maybe collaborating sometime in the future ;)

Overall, taking time to attend CHA this year was a success and while I am still in trying to figure out where I fit, what path to take and where to go next with my career in art and craft I was thrilled to be able to connect, meet and discover new things about the industry and myself! Now its time to head back to the studio and splatter a little paint!

Graffiti Chic Part II Preview!

My next online class- Graffiti Chic Part II starts Monday, January 25th and since I will be gone all weekend I have been working around the clock to get the first lesson edited, photographed and organized! I am SUPER excited about this class and thought I would share a little video preview of the week 1 lesson- BIG Backgrounds! Don't worry, if you are taking this class the video is just a snippet of the actual lesson and painting demos (which FYI are not in hyper speed!!!)

Untitled from Alisa Burke on Vimeo.

CHA Here I Come!

I am in the midst of getting myself organized and ready to head out to CHA this weekend and while I have attended CHA in the past, this will be the first year attending as a full time artist and creative entrepreneur which means I am extra motivated to meet new people, try new products and research where I fit (or more like where I don't fit) in this industry! I will be armed with my creative press kits, my camera and cute but comfy shoes! My goal is to share as much inspiration, opinions and observations as I can with all of you!!

If by chance you are attending CHA I will be plugged in to all media so please tweet or email me if you want to meet up- I need more creative friends ;)

Look for me saturday night at the Worlds Largest Crop- Charity Event I will be raffling off some of my purses, doing a little make & take and hanging with all kinds of wonderful crafty ladies!! Check out the Scrapbook Royalty blog for a list of everyone who will be there!!

The rest of the show I will be attending events, meetings, catching up with friends and doing lots and lots of creative research so stay tuned!!

one doozy of a storm!

We are having one doozy of a storm here in Southern California and as a gal who is from the Oregon Coast, I am a bit of a snob when it comes to rainy winter storms and rarely ever think San Diego rain would be considered a storm- WELL THIS IS A STORM! I ventured down to the beach this morning to see what was going on in the ocean and YIKES what mess it was! I was able to get a few good shots before getting completely soaked. There is nothing quite like mother nature to remind you just how small we are!

Recycled Tribal Necklace

I love the tribal trend in fashion and accessories- it is colorful, interesting, whimsical and bohemian. In my daily work I have pulled lots of tribal inspiration into my fabric and surface design and today when I made my "weekly dig" through our recycling bin, I all of a sudden thought of yet one more way to use recycled cardboard rolls- to create a chunky tribal necklace!

Start by painting a cardboard roll with bright colorful paint- experiment with different sizes of cardboard rolls.

Once it is dry, cut into sections.

Paint each section with colorful, tribal inspired designs.

Once you are satisfied with the painted designs, use several layers of gel medium (in either a matte or gloss) and let dry.

Use a braided ribbon, a piece of twine or even a chain and string to string your cardboard beads.

Tuesday in the Studio

Don't worry- I haven't lost my mind- not yet!

I'm hard at work on a new project!

Today I Celebrate!

I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today I celebrate progress and growth, those who dreamed, who were brave, people who fought for what is right, I celebrate those who never gave up and gave us a future. Today I am celebrating my lovely husband and the freedom we have to be married.

Thank You!

Thank you to everyone who made purchases from my Etsy shop in the last few days! I was able to earn $600.00 in a short time and this will all be donated to Mercy Corps to the Haiti Earthquake Fund!

Back to Basics

Lately I have been rearranging my daily routine to work on being healthier, more productive and finding ways to simplify my life as an artist. It is no secret that I have been feeling a little clouded and annoyed by technology and art and this has inspired me to find ways to get back to basics and the foundation of being creative. The most basic I can get is to draw. In my opinion, it is the simplest and purest process you can incorporate into your daily creative routine. For some reason it has always reminded me of running- you can take it anywhere, it is free, simple, requires lots of discipline, doesn't always feel good, and the more time you spend doing it the better you get. Drawing has been with me my whole life, it has been a faithful companion that has challenged, comforted and brought me joy but with the onslaught of technology, distraction and the discipline it takes, often it is difficult to be consistent. In the course of the last year I have been carving out time every day to draw and it has brought me back to the foundation of what it means to be an artist and helped to offset the noise and chaos of living in the 21st century.

If you are looking for ways to grow as an artist try adding drawing to your daily routine-

Reserve a sketchbook, a pen or pencil for only drawing- no writing or art journaling- just drawing.

Don't be concerned with things looking good, let yourself simply let go and draw- Shapes, objects, patterns, doodles, people, architecture- fill your pages with drawings.

Make time every day to draw-even if it is only for 10 minutes at a time- treat it like any other ritual in your day (working out, checking email, drinking coffee, etc.)

Take a drawing class- there are lots of classes out there and I promise learning to draw fruit or naked people WILL help your skills grow as an artist!

Take yourself on field trips- museums, parks, farmers markets- just about anywhere you can find interesting things to get inspired and sketch from!

"It is only by drawing often, drawing everything, drawing incessantly, that one fine day you discover to your surprise that you have rendered something in its true character." ~ Camille Pissarro.

to haiti with love

My heart is heavy tonight for Haiti and while I am a simple gal currently armed with only creativity and a computer, I am moved to do what I can right now. For the rest of the week I will be creating, uploading and continuing to stock my esty shop with as much as I can and 100% of my sales will donated to Mercy Corps. The creative community is large, we are connected, innovative and powerful and I would love to see what we all can do to make a difference!

Color Inspiration- Neutrals

As soon as I received the latest email advertisement from Anthropologie on Monday, I knew my color inspiration in the studio and in this week's color post would be neutrals! For a gal who loves bright colors paired with lots of black, there is actually a space in my heart for soft browns, taupes and neutrals.

beautiful buttons from elysium beach stone supplies

wool wrapped stacking bangles from mystic fibers

photo from amelia kay photography

vintage mary janes from vintage petals

rose window illustration by little brown pen

fat quarter bundle from nauvoo quilt company

maple wood turned bowl from j& l wood turning

compass gift tags from wicked pen

felted wool beads by roving alchemy

1950's tailored toffee brown dress from pistol bazaar

smoky quartz earrings from city details

vintage spools of thread from vintage avacado

one of my new pouches created this week

Painted Egg Carton Organizer

I am busy over here trying to get caught up and organized in my life and my studio (things are a mess!). And in an effort to not spend money, I decided to raid the recycled bin -again- for some creative organization in my studio! I have TONS of hand made fiber beads that I wanted to separate and organize by color and simple egg cartons, painted with lots of color seemed to be the perfect solution!

Start with an egg carton- cardboard is best.

Cover the entire carton with paint and not just a light layer, really get a good thick layer of paint on every inch of the surface and the inside. This thick layer of paint will thicken the carton and make it a little more heavy duty.

Let the paint dry completely.

Begin to add layers of paint- I dripped spray paint to start...

And then painted layers of colorful and simple images.

A few alternative would be to stamp or stencil all over the carton, use collage images, free write and journal, go wild with messy swipes of color!

Get creative and make it your own!

Let dry.

When finished, fill with beads, findings, spools of thread or any of your supplies that will fit!

Updates from the Studio

Happy Monday to everyone! I am starting off the week with a special offer of $10 off of all my online classes. I decided to go ahead and make the offer good for the entire week! Just write "Online Sale" in the note to seller and you will receive $10.00 off each class via a paypal refund.

Speaking of online classes, this time last year I was prepping for my first online class- Graffiti Chic and now one year later and nine online classes under my belt, I am prepping for Graffiti Chic Part 2 which starts January 25th. I have learned so much by planning and teaching in an online structure and am working to make each class better and better!

In Graffiti Chic Part 2 we are going BIGGER, MESSIER and more WILD!

Building on the lessons from the first class, we will take graffiti to the next level- working VERY large, tagging, creating graffiti inspired fashion, getting more creative drawing and lettering, inspiring excursions and much MORE! This class will continue to inspire you to think and work outside the box!

Visit my website for registration information

I will be updating my esty shop very soon with all kinds of colorful creations that I cannot wait to share!

Last week I was on Diva Craft Lounge Radio and despite my phone not working right before having to call in, it was a blast (FYI- I laugh A LOT!) You can listen to it here-

Diva Craft Lounge

I have been going back and forth about whether or not to attend CHA this year and I have finally decided that I will be there (it is practically in my back yard!) and I am in the middle of planning some fun things so if you are also attending and want to meet up send me an email!

And last order of business-

I have decided to offer sponsorship on my blog so if you are interested in details, email me for sponsorship information at alisaburke@gmail.com

ok...now I am going to unplug for a little while :)

i challenge you to unplug!

In college I had a painting mentor who told me, "when creating, try not look to look at other artist's work, turn off the t.v. when painting and don't listen to music with lyrics- it can be too influential over your own work". At the time I didn't think much about his recommendations (he was really eccentric), I already didn't look at other peoples work to influence my own- there was not much of an internet then, I didn't have access to t.v. in my creative space but music with no lyrics- that was absurd!!! These days this advice has come back to inspire and haunt me- especially lately. In a world where anything is accessible on the computer, it seems that there is now a place in my life for his words- over 15 years later thank you very much! I have been forcing or maybe I should say "working on" unplugging in my daily creative life. While I still don't depend on other's work to inspire me, I do depend on the computer for marketing, promotion, research and more. I have recently noticed that all this technology is giving me anxiety and fogging my brain and my creative spirit. I find myself thinking of status updates and blog entries when I am falling asleep at night, I watch t.v. and movies when I work, listen to music, twitter, blog, photograph, update, email, check status and so on and so on ALL DAY LONG- sometimes at the same time! It is exhausting, and while I don't think there is any way to avoid technology and perks that come with it (especially when running a creative business) I do think that there needs to be a time and place in order to maintain purity in our creative work.

I want to challenge all of you out there to join me in "unplugging" throughout your week to make time for quiet creating that doesn't have technology attached to it. Here are a few simple ideas to get started-

Instead of t.v or music with lyrics while you create- try listening to jazz or instrumental or even (gasp) silence- just a few times during the week when you are creating.

Pick one day out the week and spend half (only half) the day not checking email, twittering, blogging, checking other blogs, etc. Challenge yourself to work up to a whole day spent away from the computer.

Look for creative inspiration OFF the internet- Look for unique color combos in your everyday routine (grocery store, drive to work, pile of laundry). Get back to basics and sketch. Go on daily, weekly or even monthly photoshoots for unique images or inspiration to use in your art.

Keep a body of your work private. Use some work for promotion, blogging, samples, etc but challenge yourself to work on things only for you. I find that making art without any purpose is best for the soul.

Turn off the t.v. when creating- this is my biggest challenge because often I get bored (while sewing or doing prep work) but have lately that time away from the t.v. while working on creative tasks has helped me thinking clear.

Come up with your own ways to be be authentic and pure in your daily creative life

Good luck!

Dear Ocean...

Dear Ocean,

Thank you for being my friend. You are always there to make me feel better, you bring me peace and calm, inspiration and joy. I am so glad we live near each other so I can visit you whenever I want, we can have coffee together, long walks and cool photo shoots. Thanks for being you!

love,

Alisa

p.s maybe I'll see you again tomorrow!

Sneak Peek!

Sneak peek of new clutches coming soon!!

Color Inspiration- Red and Grey

stormy and red necklace by marieflyfly

pages of toast winter catalog

felted pillow by mazizmuse

rocks and leaves photo by ginakelly

ode to scotland scarf from PlatypiVintage

nantucket quilted throw from old glory

feather assortment from kimonos

around the world dress by anthropologie

phillip lim cadet jacket

mobile of rain colors from leptitpapillon

a piece from my own new collection of handbags- coming soon!

i heart red and grey!!

Giveaway Winners and Special Announcement!

I loved all of your comments and goals and wish I could give classes away to everyone! But what I am going to do- to celebrate the new year and creative goals- is next Wednesday, January 13th offer $10.00 off all of my online classes all day long ($40 for the 5 week format and $20 for mini classes!) I will post reminders and further details leading up the one day sale!

And the 5 winners of any online of your choice are-

Arlene, Jessica, Peggy, Dawnie and Serendipity!!

Email me and I will give you instant access to your class!!

I Love My Holga!

I have quietly and humbly been pursuing a little side project for the last couple of years and that is working on a body photography to one day do something with- like maybe open another etsy shop. And I am to say happy that I am getting very close to this little goal! While I have been taking photos since yearbook class in high school it has been something that has continued to inspire me throughout my creative journey. Taking photos is a really great compliment to drawing and painting and has really helped me work on understanding of composition, color, lighting and design in my artwork.

I am lucky to have a nice little collection of cameras that I have slowly been accumulating through the years and latest addition this summer was a Holga that I finally made time to use over the holiday. I took a ton of pics (with all my cameras) but was most excited to see what came from the Holga! Today I picked up the photos from the lab- nothing like having to wait for film- I tore into the envelope and was really pleased to see that I did not ruin anything and actually got some very dreamy, retro and whimsical looking photos. Lets hear it for Holga!! Here are a couple of my favorites!

Messy Canvas Calendar Tutorial

I am obsessed with calendars- I carry one with me everywhere I go, I have one in the kitchen, one in my studio and often one in each room. This year I decided to make my calendars instead of buying them and I decided to make my calendar look like a little piece of messy art!

There are tons of free calendar templates online and I found one with the whole year on one page- perfect for my kitchen calendar!

I started by printing it out on Claudine Hellmuth's Sticky Back Canvas.

Trim to size and set aside.

Paint a stretched canvas (I chose to recycle one that I already have and painted over it for a fresh start!)

drip....

drip some more...

scratch...

swipe...

layer messy colors...

stencil...

free write...

and glob thick paint to create a layered and messy canvas.

Stick the calendar to the wet paint (or glue or utilize the back of the Sticky Back Canvas by sticking it onto the surface.)

The end result is a colorful and messy calendar!

p.s. Don't forget you have until Wednesday to enter to win a free online class- see post below!!!

Big Giveaway Today!

I am kicking off the start of a new week and a new year by doing a BIG giveaway!!

I am giving away one free online class (of your choice) to 5 lucky readers!! Choose from the following classes-

Graffiti Chic

Whimsical Women

Recycling Remix

Adventurous Accessories

Haute Holidays

Graffiti Chic Part II

Enter to win by leaving me a comment-

Tell me 1 thing you are doing different this year

I will draw 5 winners on Wed!

ready.set.GO!

Updates from the Studio

It has been a while since I posted a studio update and today was the first day (in the last 8 days) back in the studio- a little too long for me! After time away from creating, the build up of ideas and what I call "creative madness" begins to take over my brain- too much to do, too many ideas and often a challenge to focus my energy. So when there has been time away I like to start by warming myself up with painting BIG and EXPRESSIVE with no purpose or deadline (except to just get all the eagerness and frenzy out!) and then I find I am more focussed on tackling everything else. A good part of today was spent painting and I now feel like I can deal with "housekeeping" and the many tasks at hand!

So here we go with some updates for the new year...

I am in the midst of updating and reorganizing the vibe of my blog and finally feel like I have the time and head space to get organized with the way that I present inspiration on my site. My goal is to continue to try to have this be a place to visit where you can learn new things, find inspiration in all kinds of ways, peek into my own journey and way of doing things, I have lots of tutorials in the works, weekly posts with color, fashion, travel, even food inspiration and lots MORE planned!!

All kinds of new work is coming soon and I am in the midst of working on a little side project- opening a second Etsy shop dedicated to my EVER GROWING passion- photography!

All of my online classes- Graffiti Chic, Whimsical Women, Recycling Remix, Adventurous Accessories, Haute Holidays, Canvas Collage and Hand Carved Stamps are available for registration at any time time. And the best part...you now have unlimited access to take the class- no deadlines, no rush to create!

Graffiti Chic Part II starts on Januaray 25th and is now available for registration! I have big plans for this class- we are going bigger, messier and more creative with paint, lettering, layering and drawing!

Stay tuned for more classes and new online learning opportunities also coming soon!!

I am working on my live teaching schedule and hope to have some dates and events to share very soon!

Tune in to Diva Craft Lounge this Wednesday, January 6th for an interview with your's truly!!

On Monday I am celebrating the start of a new year with a blog giveaway - 5 people will each win a free spot, in their choice of one of my online classes so check back Monday morn for your chance to win!!!

Begin Again

Was it just me or was 2009 a rough year for others out there?!? While this last year marks the long awaited launch of my full time career as an artist, it also included a lot of really difficult life challenges-more than usual-that have made me just want 09 to be over with! So while today really feels like any other day, I have decided to treat the first day of a new year with a little more honor and respect than normal. Because I am an obsessive planner, always consumed by resolutions, a list maker, and daily dreamer- I don't usually view Jan 1st as anything that is special or different from my everyday mode of operation. But today I am feeling the need to embrace the symbolism of saying goodbye to the passing year, to sadness, worry, doubt and disappointment, the good and the bad and welcome a new day, a new year, a fresh start and the opportunity to begin all over again.

See You In 2010!

We just arrived in San Diego from our holiday trip back home to the Oregon Coast- back just in time to relax in my pjs on the couch! Here are the last of my favorite pictures from this week :) See you in 2010!