Classes at A Work of Heart

I will be teaching classes at this wonderful little studio, A Work of Heart in the Willow Glen area of San Jose on September 18. There will be 2 different classes. The first, we will be making this 11x14 Glamour Girl canvas which will focus on a lot of background collage techniques. The second class we will make an 8x8 wooden frame, doing a very condensed version of the same background techniques. Both are adorable and would make great gifts for the holidays.
Hope to see some of you there!

A Sneak Peek...

Just a little sneak peek of my idea board I did using all Ranger products for my upcoming event in September. As you know I am so used to doing candy colors or shabby chic because I love the colors and that's who buys my art. So this little project took me out of my little world and I loved creating what I call Industrial Chic Girls! The Tim Holtz paper I used was so much fun. It's like it was created just for me! Patterns in varied sizes, perfect for my dresses. I used the medium sizes for my 11x14 canvas and the teeny sizes for my tags. I loved using the browns and bronzes for my backgrounds. They contrast so nicely with my latest obsession - doilies!

I will post the finished samples after the event. The Grunge Girl tags are adorable!

Just a note...I finally updated my sidebar with classes and shows. I'm working on a few more. Look out east coast, Florida and local LA people!

Ranger Goodness

This came in the mail on Monday. A box of every color, every medium of Claudine Hellmuth products. And brushes, and distress stains, and sticky back canvas, and...... ! I have been immersed in this goodness for 3 days now creating backgrounds for a presentation I will be doing at an event in Long Beach in September.
Back in April, I was in a store in Sacramento shopping and happened to be in the right place at the right time. While I was shopping this wonderful little stamp store, my friend Sylvia was chatting it up with  a rep that was there. Well, this rep happened to own the rep company that services California, Oregon, Washington and Nevada for 34 scrabooking companies. She asked about my work and when I showed her some pieces that were in my car, she asked if I would demo what I do using Ranger products at an event she's doing for all her stores.
Of course I said yes and Ranger contacted me and sent me all this product! I've been busy, busy, busy for 3 days now creating. It's so much fun trying new products and of course my mind is going in so many different directions. I've never been much of a grunge person, love it, but I'm into pretty! So I'm working on a sort of Tim Holtz meet Ralph Lauren type look. Industrial vintage meet pretty! I can't wait to finish and will post pictures after the event!

Teaching, Learning and Stretching

We teach classes for one reason. And that is to do just that, teach and share. I was lucky enough to teach a class at a darling little store in Tustin last Saturday. This store is home to California's famed Glitterfest so enough said, it is girly, glitzy, pink, and fun!
A few weeks back I saw a post on Facebook that showed a few of the people that signed up for this class and I must say, I went into a bit of panic mode. None other than Kim Caldwell who, if any of you follow her on Facebook or her blog, you know all about the fabulous events she puts on in Southern California. Always themed for the perfect girly get-aways, and everything from table decor to goody bags looks right out of perfectly styled magazines. So, it goes without saying, I had to step up my act here. I don't do cute and I don't do pretty, I just do. It's not because I don't want to, It's just that I'm not that great at it.
Kim and her group of friends are used to pretty and I pushed myself to create pretty.Because my classes consist of canvas art, I never really pulled it all together in kit form. So pretty I did. I pulled all the paper elements together and simply tied it all together with a pretty bow. Of course, Sheryl, owner of Whimzy had the tables all prettied up so that made it all the easier for me. The class was so much fun with this group of pretties! They are a close knit group but they made me feel like I belonged. Their art turned out beautiful and a fun time was had by all. Thanks girls...you pushed me and stretched me and that's what I love most about teaching...what I learn from the students!

Playing Paper Dolls

I recently saw this post on Kelly's Art Journaling blog and was touched. She made a play day with her young friends to make paper dolls from my book, Collage Couture. You see a few months ago I was reading reviews on a paper doll book (can't remember the name) and was so disappointed. The book was described as an art book but people bought it for little girls. The book had some bad reviews because these adorable dolls and their little clothes had to be cut instead of punched out. It was too much time and trouble. I remember thinking when I was about 5, I used to wait patiently for my mom to cut out my paper dolls. My mom never complained, it was our time together. Watching her cut meticulously around every tab, no white would show beyond that black line, I was mesmerized. It's sad to see so many people who were upset by this book because the dolls had to be cut. We seem to want everything ready made these days. Part of the fun is just simply in the anticipation of being cut out. It's the process of getting to that final playtime that is part of the charm of playing with paper dolls. I totally can relate to Kelly when she talks about the girls being dreamy eyed as she cut the paper out to make their dolls. I remember that well which is probably why I am doing what I am doing today; still sitting there dreamy eyed, cutting out paper dolls. Thank you Kelly for sharing your journey and blessing me with this wonderful story!

Painting an Owl

I am going to do an online class in the near future. The problem is I am technically challenged. I have no patience for computers and don't really care how they work! So I decided to take a class first to see what they're all about. I chose Juliette Cranes How To Paint An Owl class, not so much to paint an owl but to see how it all worked.
Her class structure is simple, easy to follow and visually pretty. These were all the things I was looking for. I was pleasantly surprised when on week 2, I totally got into painting and letting go....somewhat. You see Juliette is one of those artists who gets down and dirty with her paints. Her videos are fun to watch because there is paint everywhere. No wonder she likes to paint outside! I am a much more methodical painter and I'm very neat. My paintbrushes must be cleaned often and I can't stand to have much paint on my hands. I did manage to get a little messy while doing this little guy. I actually painted with one finger at one point in time, but of course it got washed right after I was done!
If you want to take a fun online class, I would totally recommend hers. I am so in love with my little owl that I can't stop looking at her!