a creative halloween

Just like last year (see here) instead of dressing up and going somewhere for Halloween we created our own "make believe" at home with a little dress up, a camera, some sketching and photoshop. This year's theme- pirates!

I hope everyone has a creative, amusing and safe Halloween!

GIVEAWAY winners announced

Its that time...time to announce the winners of my book Sew Wild and Beneath the Surface online class. Via the random number generator- Carole and Marcia are the winners! Ladies send me an email alisaburke@gmail.com and I will get you your prizes :) Congrats!

guest post- everyday embellishments from Dawn Sokol

I have asked a few of my creative friends to help me out with my blog here and there during my time with a new baby and today's guest post comes to you from Dawn Sokol

For me, art journaling is a natural form of creative expression. It’s also a way of documenting my life. I love to use various embellishments on my pages. When I first started creating, I would visit local scrapbook stores and buy up tons of manufactured embellishments, until I realized that the best ephemera to add to my pages is from the everyday...

An apparel tag

Fortune cookie fortunes are always a sure bet, along with postage from envelopes you receive.

A rail ticket

Part of makeup packaging

A torn bit from a sugar packet and a fruit sticker

A coffee cup wrapper

A wristband from a night out to see D.L. Hughley

A piece of packing tape

Dawn DeVries Sokol is the author of Doodle Sketchbook: Art Journaling for Boys; Doodle Diary: Art Journaling for Girls; and 1000 Artist Journal Pages. She is also an avid art journaler, teacher, and lettering illustrator, and has designed books for publishers all over the U.S. She discusses doodling and art journaling on her blog, www.dblogala.com, where she also teaches online workshops. Register for her next workshop, Doodling December, until Dec. 1.

andy's chicken and kale curry

My husband loves to cook and he has a knack for coming up with his own recipes with unique flavor and simple ingredients. One of my favorites is his curry chicken and kale- a hearty dish perfect for a fall evening.

Start by chopping all of the fresh vegetables.

In a pan, cook the chopped sweet potatoes, potatoes, garlic and onion in a little bit of peanut oil until "almost" tender.

Grill or bake the chicken breasts until tender and chop into bite size pieces. Andy likes to fry the chicken in peanut oil until golden brown.

Add a couple tablespoons of curry powder to a mixture of coconut milk (16 oz), chopped potatoes, chopped kale, chicken, 2-3 garlic cloves, 2-3 chunks of ginger, diced red chilis, a pinch of salt and pepper and a pinch of chili powder.

Simmer for about 30-40 minutes on low heat.

We like eating ours with naan (Indian flat bread)

it is is perfect for dipping!

two weeks...

Two weeks ago today little Lucy was born- such little time but it feels like an eternity that we all have know each other. Things are going well and we have "hunkered down" in our cozy home and are getting to know each other (lots of snuggling, sleeping, healing and just hanging out going on). We seem to be finding a groove (one that is constantly changing but a groove none the less). While we have moments of overwhelm and confusion we seem to be conquering the learning curve when it comes to taking care of a newborn. My body is on the road to recovery, we are actually getting good sleep (disrupted sleep but good sleep) and much to my surprise I am finding time to create every day and juggle my business. But the best part of the last two weeks is getting to know and fall in love with this new little person.

online class sale and a GIVEAWAY!

I am starting off the week with a couple of fun things!

First, I am having a "pop up" sale on my online classes. I am offering $10 off of all my online classes for this week October 24th- October 30th. Visit my online shop HERE for the complete list of online classes and all the details!

And I have a two of signed copies of my book to giveaway and I will also be throwing in Beneath the Surface online class to go with each book (they make a great combo!)

TO ENTER-

Leave me a comment

Let me know how you are starting your week

I will draw two winners later this week!

guest post- hand stitching journal pages from Jane LaFazio

I have asked a few of my creative friends to help me out with my blog here and there and today's guest post comes to you from Jane LaFazio!

I love hand stitching and have been embroidering since I was 16 years old. And yet, I use the same ol’ handful of stitches in my work, frankly, because they’re easy and I love them! I nearly always use variegated thread, so it makes even the simplest stitches look cool.

I needed a handout for one of my classes, to show the students my basic stitches and I didn’t want to use someone else’s instructions—so I drew my own instructions in my journal! Then of course, I needed a stitched sample. I stitched on plain felt, and glued it next to the illustration stitch page in my mixed media journal. For the students, I created a handout with images of my journal page here is a peek-

Jane LaFazio, a full-time artist since 1998, truly believes she is living the life she was meant to live! In that time, she has cultivated a wide range of skills as a painter, mixed media, quilt artist and art teacher. She’s known for her fun-loving, creative teaching style, and providing a relaxed supportive environment in the classroom. She teaches workshops online and at art retreats internationally. Jane’s artwork has been featured in Cloth, Paper, Scissors and Quilting Arts magazines many times, and in Danny Gregory’s An Illustrated Life, and in numerous books.Jane has made 7 appearances on Quilting Arts TV, in season 300 and 800.
Her instructional DVDs “From Art Journaling to Art” and “The Small Art Quilt” is available on Amazon.

JaneLaFazio.com JaneVille.blogspot.com

http://janeville.blogspot.com/p/classes-and-workshops.html teaching schedule