be carefree- video and giveaway!

micron pens, jelly roll pens, koi watercolors field sketch box, IDenti pen, souffle pens

I was thrilled to receive a lovely package from Sukura with some wonderful products that I was excited to try out and play with in my drawing. I have slowly carved out time everyday to draw- something that is not always easy or fun to do if you recall a post from a while ago - but it is something that brings comfort, discipline and joy to my creative process! Some days it's simple doodles while other days I challenge myself with difficult compositions. It has become a part of my routine and a time when I am able to let my imagination go wild!

I decided to start a little project with my new supplies and my imagination- this little video is my experiment and just the beginning of something bigger but I wanted to share with you how carefree drawing can be!

be carefree from Alisa Burke on Vimeo.
music: Free by Donovan Frankenreiter and Jack Johnson

and....

I want to share some of my new supplies with you!

I am giving away a bundle of brand new Sakura pens- microns (which are the best drawing pens EVER), jelly rolls, 3-d glaze and more to the person who will help me name my little boat (for furture drawings and videos!)

Leave me a comment with a name for the boat

I will pick the name that I like best on Tuesday

and you will win a bundle of Sukura supplies!

My Imaginary World

So it is very possible I have lost my mind (but in a really good creative way!) I have been slowly adding to my recycled city since last week and am falling in love with my imaginary world that is growing with each and every cereal box and cardboard tube- I wish I could live here!

tiny miracles & everyday magic

It is around corners, beneath my feet and above my head that I continue to discover tiny miracles and everyday magic that set my ideas on fire.

Recycled Roses Wreath Tutorial

I keep seeing fabric flowers EVERYWHERE- clothing, jewelry and crafts- so to kick off spring I decided to make my own fabric flowers out of recycled materials and turn them into a pretty wreath for the door. These flowers are super easy to make and can be used in a multitude of projects!

Start with strips of recycled fabric, canvas, paper, ribbon- you can use just about anything.

I started with some scraps of painted fabric that would have otherwise been thrown away!

Tie a knot at the end of the strip and begin twisting and rolling the strip around the knot, dabbing glue as you roll. You can use fabric glue, regular tacky glue, hot glue or even use a stitches instead of glue.

Continue rolling and twisting your strip until you reach the end and secure with glue to the back of the flower.

Experiment with different twists and rolls for different effects.

Make a variety of sizes, colors and materials...

I used junk mail,

and old silk scarf and pillow case,

recycled book pages,

scraps of painted paper, an old shirt and more!

Cover a wreath form with paper or fabric and starting gluing the flowers to the surface

Stack, layer and fill the entire surface with flowers.

The result is a colorful and delicate wreath to celebrate spring (if it ever gets here!!)

FYI- giveaway winners are posted in the previous entry- below

Giveaway Winners!

Thank all of you for the wonderful, kind and lovely comments!!

The three winners are...

lynette (of PA)

nacherluver

Cathy Spivey Mendola

email me at alisaburke@gmail.com with your address so I can send you a journal!

it's the simple things

Finally I seem to be settling into a groove with this whole "working for myself at home thing" and while my days are long and pretty wild and crazy, I am finding there are a few simple things that keep me happy and productive throughout the day! Like my "work attire" -half the clothing in my closet, even the nice stuff is now covered in paint. It brings me joy every morning to put on pants and skirts (that I used to wear to my old office job) that are now smeared with paint!

Giant mugs of Gyokuro Imperial green tea that I drink all day long!

My lucky hat that that I wear everyday to work- it is the only thing keeping me from chopping my hair off! When you are growing your hair out, it is benificial to have a cute hat on hand!

My do list- I have to keep lists or all my creative ideas and tasks would sadly be forgotten! I take time every evening to plan out my tasks and use it work from each day in the studio.

Music and lots of it! I listen to my favorite Pandora stations all day long (Indian/Bollywood music seems to keep me the most productive and energized!)

Handfuls of animal cookies- my favorite treat- which were consumed while writing this post!

Reminder- I will be announcing winners of the journals tomorrow and sharing a fun tutorial!