Julie Nutting Designs

CHA and My Moment of Fame

2012-02-07T19:00:00.000-08:00

This was my 15 minutes of fame. Well maybe 30 minutes and not widespread fame, just in my little art world here at CHA. I was lucky enough to do a book signing and demo at the F&W Media booth. I arrived at the booth to a nice line of people waiting for the 9 free books they were passing out. The first nine people in line got them and they were such a nice group from all over the country. After signing and chatting, I went on to do a short demo and answer questions. I had a lot of fun and enjoyed talking with my little crowd of creatives.
The top picture is a 4' tall piece I did for the booth prior to the show. I had a couple of small pieces displayed also and as a result Hobby Lobby picked up the book! It helped that they could see the actual art.
After the signing I was off to the Prima booth where more goodness happened but that will have to wait for another day!

A Littlle CHA Sneek Peek

2012-01-24T17:50:00.000-08:00

A little peek at Prima's new line of papers

She will be my new class

I can't believe it's been over a month since I've blogged. I guess because I blogged about Valentine's Day, I thought I was not that far behind! I have been in full swing creative busy since the new year. I was asked to do a lifesize piece for the North Light booth and finished that the first week in January and it's a good thing because I was then contacted by Prima Marketing to work with them on some things. I made a few pieces for their booth. I'm not sure they'll use them all but I was very happy with the way they turned out. Who wouldn't be, with all that gorgeous product!

I will be at CHA on Monday in the Prima booth and then doing a demo in the North Light booth at 2. Stop by and say hi!

Valentine Classes!

2011-12-13T11:52:00.000-08:00

Valentine classes are up and running! I know, it's too soon to think about. Everyone is in the countdown mode to Christmas! I will be in San Jose on Jan 6 and 8, at A Work of Heart Studio. We will be making these darling paper doll tags that are large enough for cards. All materials will be supplied. Other classes will be Jan 14, in Poway at Cool Scrapbook Stuff and Jan 28, at Stamp Your Heart Out in Claremont. I hope to see you there!

Joyeux Noel

2011-12-08T13:20:00.000-08:00

It's been no secret that I LOVE Graphic 45's Christmas line of papers. The black holly paper is so sophisticated and I've been using it in a lot of tags this season. But it was the paper with all the toys; dolls, bears and the sweetest little french Pierrot clown that inspired this piece. That paper has been just screaming at me to do something with it but I didn't want to cut into it! So out came this little lovely. Now, you all know I don't usually do faces but I had to do some clown eyes with the tiniest heart tear. I hope you like her!

Always Practice First!

2011-12-02T12:04:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd share this as I was cleaning out my studio space last month. I found this little wooden cabinet from probably the 80's that I had sponge painted blue. You remember the first sponge painting, right? Blue on white, not blended in at all...very country. Well that's what this baby looked like, complete with mauve trim and black and white checks. Cute in it's day. Yep, must've been the 80"s, maybe early 90's. I took it out of the closet and immediately thought stencils and color. I've been wanting to do paint a piece of furniture like this so I thought this would be a great piece to practice on.
I kept the black and white checks for some definition. I primed the rest of it and then went crazy with stencils and doilies. I used Claudine Hellmuth paints because of their translucent quality. I added some Graphic 45 letter stickers that are newsprint which you all know I love. At the very top of the cabinet is a very 80's cut out heart where I place a little hand painted shrinky-dink girl. it turned out so pretty and it's the perfect size for Stickle storage. So happy to have this little cabinet out again after all these years!

Watercolor Playtime

2011-11-21T12:59:00.000-08:00

I recently switched the guest room with my studio because I needed more space and who really needs a large guest room? I found this watercolor tin from when I was little. Isn't it adorable? I then hunted down my "good" set from college years that was hardly used at all. The cover is plain silver and not at all cute! Grabbing some watercolor note cards, I sat down last week on a rainy day and decided to paint some thank you cards for some much deserved people. It was such fun to use a media that I never use.

More Stencil Madness!

2011-11-18T11:25:00.000-08:00

Still going crazy with stencils! Once I get started on these little tags, I can't stop! I've been only using paint, so I decided to try the Distressed Stains by Ranger to see how they would look. They came out somewhat hazy, however I love the look. The stencils are from Crafter's Workshop.Using tiny scraps of paper, I then cut their outfits, getting into my paper doll zen-like state. The little hot pink jacket to the left is made of Ranger's sticky back canvas and dabbed over with their Worn Lipstick stain. Although it's hard to see, I embellished the ribbons with some of the Tim Holtz Ideology items. I then took the color, Picket Fence and put it on a brown tag and it came out looking like gingerbread snowflakes. I had purchased the new Graphic 45 Christmas line and thought the black hollies would look amazing on the stenciled background. The little pierrot inspired me to buy this paper (more on that project later) and thought he would look adorable in the corner and was I right? Cute, cute paper! Now to figure out, who will receive these little tags on their gifts this year?

Stencil Crazy!

2011-11-15T19:49:00.000-08:00

I am loving stencils lately. A while back I saw on Jenny Doh's blog that she was using doilies and bakers twine together. This caused me to grab some doilies and start using them in my collaged backgrounds. I either spritzed or painted through the doilies, using them as a stencil and fell in love with the look. They are so dainty and add such an old-fashioned look to my art. I then saw a video with Mara Johnson, where she was using stencils on an old file cabinet and it looked like a lot of fun to try. I ordered the 12x12 stencils from Creative Imaginations, thinking I'd like to do a piece of furniture. I actually have started that and will post pictures when I am done.

I was up in the Sacramento area teaching back in May, when I discovered some 6x6 stencils by Crafter's Workshop at The Stamp Art Shoppe and started using them extensively in my backgrounds. I have yet to find them in a local store so I was elated when I found them in San Jose at A Work of Heart, while teaching there. Of course I bought more because we were using them in the project. I received a huge order this week and am furiously creating more with them. I am officially addicted to stencils. I can't seem to get enough of them! Will post pictures of my stencil crazy creations in a couple of days.

Boo!

2011-10-28T16:41:00.000-07:00

Have a happy, safe and fun Halloween!

Working Outside the Box

2011-10-26T10:26:00.000-07:00

Art by Laura West Kong

Classes are a funny thing. You go in, teaching a technique and the students learn. Sometimes a student goes off on their own, takes your materials, and comes up with something completely different than what they signed up to do. I love it when they feel comfortable enough to go outside of the box. This particular student, Laura West Kong, came up with this absolutely gorgeous fairy design. I love the way she layered her papers, incorporating bits and pieces into the torn strips that I instructed them to do. Students always ask if they should tear the paper so the white doesn't show. I love the white part showing as it adds texture. Laura's fairy skirt shows a lot of white and I think it added to the ethereal look of her skirt. I learned that Laura is an incredible quilt artist and you can see some of her work on her blog. Sorry, her blog wouldn't link but if you search her name, it will come right up. I can't help but wonder if there's a fairy quilt in her future. Maybe torn strips of fabrics with lots of yummy fibers thrown in?

Glitterfest!!!

2011-10-10T11:11:00.000-07:00

Trick or Treaters

It's that time of year again...Glitterfest! If you've never been, I highly recommend it. But a small warning; you will spend money! Located at the Elks Lodge in Santa Ana on Sat. Oct 15, this is the show in Southern California. Hope to see you there!

Art is You, Petaluma

2011-10-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

Yep...The Golden Gate Bridge

Sausilito

Looking out at Tiberon and I believe, Belvedere Island while having coffee

Hubby and I headed out on an extended road trip last week, heading to Petaluma for the Art is You retreat where I participated in the trunk show on Saturday night. We left on Friday, stopping in San Jose to have dinner with family and spend the night. We left for Petaluma Saturday morning, taking the long way, through San Francisco and over the Golden Gate Bridge. I've always loved this route because it takes me back to being about 12 or 13 when we drove this very drive nearly every weekend for 2 years when my cousin was injured badly in Vietnam. He stayed in the veteran's hospital near Golden Gate Park. It was the late 60's, early 70's and I really thought the hippie lifestyle was so romantic. Yes, you really could go to San Francisco and see girls with flowers in their hair!
So anyway, feeling a bit nostalgic but also sad because the fog was so dense you could only see the side rails of the bridge. It's been a few years since crossing the Golden Gate and I couldn't even see it! We stopped in Sausilito for coffee and pastries and walked around this charming town for a bit while the sun started peeking through the gray skies.
On to the sweet little Victorian town of Petaluma, right on the edge of the wine country. We met up with Lisa Loria and her darling Rob for lunch, eating quite possibly the best sandwich I've ever had, and then quickly back to the hotel to set up for the evening.
It was a great show but the highlight of my evening was getting to know The Fabulous Women of Petaluma. Yes, capitol letters...this is an actual group of women who have been recognized on Oprah and written about in magazines. A grass root organization that started out with a small group of women who wanted to help those in need in their community. It has grown enormously since their start and they were at Art is You because they were raising money for the local art center to teach classes for homeless kids. We talked to Krista, the founder at great length and we were just flat out amazed at what they have accomplished in their area. From helping out families or individuals in need or other organizations such as their art center, I walked away in awe of the power of this group of women.
The best part of doing these shows sometimes is not the show itself but what you learn in the process. It was Krista's wish for women in all towns to start a chapter of their own. Could you imagine the issues we could all tackle? What an inspiration this group was!
Next...off to Lake Tahoe for a much needed vacation!

Pink Shoes

2011-09-22T22:48:00.000-07:00

My class at A Work of Heart studio in San Jose last weekend. What a darling place! Who wouldn't be inspired with those aqua walls! I taught 3 classes thru out the weekend and yes, was tired by the end but had so much fun.

In my first class of the day, there was a lovely lady with the most wonderful British accent telling me that there was a part in my book that she really liked and related to. It was about treating yourself even when you shouldn't. She shared a story of when she was younger and her mother bought the most gorgeous pink shoes. Her father was upset because they really couldn't afford them but her mother just needed to buy those shoes anyway. She said that taking this class was her pink shoes right now, that she just needed it! You can imagine how touched I was. Yes, sometimes, especially these days we need to treat ourselves. Whether it's a class, a new dress or a pair of pink shoes, we have to take the time to indulge. It's good for the soul and nothing is more nurturing to our souls than a class to get your creative goodness flowing. She made the most wonderful piece of art. Reminded me of Cinderella going to the ball. I'm thinking maybe instead of glass slippers hiding under her gown there might have been a pair of pink stilettos instead.

Girlfriends + wine = giggles!

2011-09-13T19:34:00.000-07:00

I did a show, The Vintage Marketplace in Fallbrook over the weekend and it's just a visual masterpiece of vintage goodness around every corner. But it's not the show I want to post about, I didn't even bring a camera to take pictures. It's the friendships that are made along the way. I couldn't help thinking about the fun I had as I was unpacking and cleaning up feeling totally exhausted!
A group of us girls rented a most charming ranch house high up on a hill in Fallbrook overlooking layers and layers of hills dotted with avocado groves, a lovely sight away from the hustle and bustle of Southern California. We were exhausted from a day of setting up, selling and recouping from the San Diego blackout. Instead of heading to a restaurant, we decided to buy cheese, crackers, veggies, fruit and plenty of wine and headed to our little get-away up on that hill. With so many wonderful rooms to choose from, we tried them all and we chose the sprawling living room to settle in for our food and giggle fest. And giggle we did. A grown up slumber party, all cozied up in our pj's, learning life stories, family hardships and the dreams of 6 creative women entering the second half of their lives.We laughed long and hard into the night until it was time to get some sleep. And just when it was time to retire, something wonderful happened. A pillow fairy left a little surprise of goodies on top of the comfy beds.
Such, such fun and as I decide on the next direction of this creative endeavor of mine, I will always be a part of this show even if I choose not to participate as a vendor. I may just have to shop and be a part of the slumber party with these great women. It's not just about the sales and the fun...it's about the support and the encouragement to keep me on this sometimes difficult creative journey of mine. Thanks ladies, for a wonderful weekend!

Classes at A Work of Heart

2011-08-29T22:40:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-08-25T10:59:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-18T21:35:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-14T10:48:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

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!

Oh So French Frames

2011-07-23T12:50:00.000-07:00

I scored on these old frames the other day. My intent was to paint them but then as I fooked at the richness of the dark brown wood, I decided to keep them this color and create my art accordingly. Not a fan of the linen around the edges of frames, I thought I would stamp them for fun. Loved the way it turned out. I used the same frame for these pictures but plan on stamping each differently to go with the art.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

2011-07-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

Dorothy, using all Graphic 45 papers

Follow the yellow brick road. It all sounds so easy, until you hit the sign that says this way, no that way. This art journey that so many of us are on is not unlike the little road to Oz.
For some, art is a hobby, a kind of sanctuary. A place to go after a grueling day on the job or where one can go to get away from the demands of kids, husbands and life in general. For others it's a job, and for some it's both.
For me, it's both. Before it was a job, it was my place to escape. I could get in my zone and get lost for hours doing whatever I want. For the last 2 years though it has been a business. A very serious business, replacing a not so bad paycheck. With that comes a lot of decisions. I wish my yellow brick road had more concise signs. But like Dorothy, I run into the same signs, pointing in every direction.
Which way? Publishing, licensing, teaching, selling. Do we go in all four directions? Do we try a little of each? Which first? Can it all be done?
I ponder it all, I make lists, I make game plans, I set goals. As I sit here and decide to take the next leap, I find that I am not unlike Dorothy trying to find her way. I come across people who help, people who need, and challenges to be met. I do feel like my land of oz is not far off. I have a feeling though when I arrive, there will be yet another road to follow. Or maybe the yellow one doesn't end. Perhaps Oz is just meant to be experienced at a distance. I know one thing for sure. The yellow brick road has been a most interesting journey, full of many characters and places to stop along the way. I will keep happily skipping on until I find the end.

Meet my new friends!

2011-07-12T18:01:00.000-07:00

Georgia's table from Modern Crush

Is her table not yummy? Love the colors!

Dodie's booth, Bags From Britches

Yours truly!

I just did a show in Oceanside, Ca last weekend. It took place on the beautiful grounds of the Del Rey Mission, yes one of those located on California's famous mission trail. We couldn't ask for better weather and we were surrounded by giant old pepper trees which so kindly provided shade for us the entire weekend.

I spent time with a couple of ladies I'd like to share with you. The first, Dodie, who I shared my booth with, repurposed old skirts and made the most gorgeous umbrellas. She has a big spread on them coming up in the August issue of Somerset Home. These sold so well, she was making new ones the entire time we were there. I lost track of how many she sold. She also makes bags of all sizes out of old clothes. She will also have an article in the next Haute Handbags showing off one of her little bagged treasures. Her stuff is truly unique so if you're in So. Ca. come by and see her at The Vintage Market Place in Rainbow, Sept 9 and 10. By the way this was named in the new issue of Romantic Homes as #10 in the top 50 flea markets. Another reason to come out to Rainbow!

Georgia from Modern Crush was the other one I spent some time with. I couldn't stay away from her table! The colors were like that of an old-fashioned candy store! It truly was delicious to look at! From fairy rings, crowns and wands to the most yummy paper flower goodies, her table was a treat to feast your eyes on.

Loved being around these two and getting to know them better. All in all it was a good show. The highlight of my weekend was when a woman came and let her 3 daughters each pick out one of my originals for their rooms. The girls ranged in age from about 9 - 15 and they were so appreciative towards their mom and to me also. You can imagine how I felt when their mom told them they now have their first "real" art! It was such a pleasure watching them choose!

My Happy House

2011-07-08T10:42:00.000-07:00

Isn't this just adorable? My last post was about my wonderful hosts on my trip up north. Sylvia makes these sweet little houses that I think she should do some classes on, don't you? Hers had more painting but of course I didn't want to copy them exactly, so I depended mostly on the paper for mine. I just couldn't get these houses out of my mind, when yesterday, I was supposed to be packing up for a major big 2 day show and I came across a blank 5x7 canvas. A blank canvas! The little houses in my mind, I set about creating my own. I just had to get it out of my system! So out came the papers, punches, buttons and Mod Podge. I bought these wonderful metal numbers from the Tim Holtz collection a while back and thought they would be the perfect house numbers! Happy with my little canvas, I continued my packing. Hope to see some of you at the mission in Oceanside this weekend!

Wonderful Hosts!

2011-06-29T11:26:00.000-07:00

I drove up to Sacramento last weekend to teach a class in Grass Valley. One of my favorite parts of the state, Grass Valley marks the beginning of the gold counrty. It is situated among pine trees, just northeast of Lake Tahoe. My friend Sylvia, who I met in a class in Davis, back in April, invited me to stay at her home near Sacramento. She told me she had a comfy guest room. She didn't disappoint! Upon arriving at her home, this wonderful red door greeted me. Love the house numbers painted on the door. Now, I am just about to paint my front door a poppy red-orange so I had to snap this picture with the address. I think I might just copy this idea.

Her house was beautiful...a magazine house! Look at this guest room. Can't even imagine being in a hotel room after this. I made some good contacts and will probably be back up to teach, so look out Sylvia...this may be my permanent guest room! Love the colors, so cheery and bright. Love the touch of black in the headboard to tone down the yellow just a notch.

A bedside button bouquet

A mirror fit for a queen

Sylvia and her husband were the best hosts. She had a great studio to get inspired in, got to play with products I've never used and came away with good storage ideas. Her huge dogs Lulu and Baxter kept me laughing and her hubby was a crack up. Had a great time and hope to get back soon.

And yes, I had 3 blissful nights. Thank you Sylvia, Rob, Baxter and Lulu.

And the winner is....!!

2011-06-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

A BIG thank you to all that posted and followed! I appreciate all the comments about my book. Those of you that bought it, I can't thank you enough and for those of you that want it, I thank you too! I really enjoyed writing it. It was so much fun finding that girly zone and writing not only how to do something but also about my inspirations, in hopes that I inspire someone else out there.

Well here is the list of winners! Please email me your address. artsyfartsy25@hotmail.com or message me on fb. I will get these out as soon as possible.

3rd place....Katie Holmes (not the acress sillies) She gets my clipboard thats in the book

2nd place....Allie Chandler. Allie, you can go to http://www.trashallamode.etsy.com/ if you see a print you'd rather have, let me know. I want you to have something that you want, not that I choose.

1st place....Tina from Mommyscrapsalot (sorry didn't get your last name.) You will get my book and a little suprise from the book.

THANK YOU ALL!!!!!

Blogaversary Giveaway!

2011-06-13T08:38:00.000-07:00

Well this is it! My blogaversary! Yep, I started it a year ago, kicking and screaming. Who would read this and why would anyone want to read what I have to say! You all know what I'm talking about! This was single handedly the most difficult part of my creative journey...putting myself out there. But I was told I had to. I was told by the Senior editor, Christine, from North Light Books that I simply had to. I supposed she knew what she was talking about, after all she was working for one of the top publishers of arts and crafts books. So I listened. Then I started. I tread lightly at first. How would I ever have enough to say? I'm shy, I don't even talk that much! But I forged ahead with it. It was kinda fun. I kinda liked it. I had stuff to say! I had stuff to share! I remember my 4th follower! I remember my 16th. Hey, people might just read this! I remember a post where I whined big time and a reader made a comment and really felt sorry for me! We exchanged phone numbers and met at her house. Some of you might remember my first meeting with a blogger stranger in Laguna Beach. Paulette and I became great friends.
Looking back, I can't believe the tangled web of people that stemed from this meeting. There was Beth, editor from Stampington that was led to Paulette's beautiful treasures at the beach. There was Jenelle who started at the little cottage in Laguna and has ended up in the vintage fou fou crowd. There was Juliette, who visited from Wisconson and ends up being one of Lisa's favorite artists now.
The web of people in blogland get tangled in all directions. There was Crystal, I worked with her sister and she was led to Beth, published in a Stampington magazine, then ended up with the vintage fou fou crowd. Christine was my 3rd follower who was in my class at Urban Barn, whom I saw last weekend at The Vintage Marketplace, who went to the Lavender farm with the vintage fou fou girls. I didn't even know she was part of the vintage fou fou crowd! Oh the places you go in blogland.
There was Elena, who invited me to Key Largo to teach at her retreat. Now I see Eileen, who was at the retreat and is from NYC, is on so many blogs that I follow. Or I'll meet someone at a show and they give me their card and when I look them up, guess whos on their bolg? Yep, Eileen! I suppose it's all those fancy Tim Holtz cruises she goes on!
It's been fun looking back at the followers and comments, then connecting the dots. If it weren't for blogland I would've missed out on so many things this past year. Great times, Great friends.
So Happy Blogaversary to me! And to celebrate, I am doing a giveaway. My first! Just leave a comment and I will put your name into a hat. If you have my blog connected to your blog, I will put it in twice! And what will the winner get?

1st prize- My book Collage Couture. What? You already have it? Don't worry, give it away as a gift and there will be another little something with it!

2nd prize- My best selling print Trash, featured in Somerset Studios July 2010

3rd prize- Japanese Garden, the origami clipboard featured in the book

My First Book Signing!

2011-06-06T10:17:00.000-07:00

I was exhausted after 2 days of selling at The Vintage Market Place in RAinBow, CA. This was a show that was bursting with luscious yumminess everywhere you looked. It takes a lot out of you to look at all this for 2 days! You can see pictures here but if you did not attend, I warn you, you will be jealous that you could not be there!

Upon arriving home, I had to unpack and repack for my first book signing at Stamp Your Heart Out in Claremont, CA. on Sunday. Now, I knew the store had been planning to give out a bookmark with the purchase of my book, Collage Couture, but I had no idea they would be something like this. I don't know why these were such a shock to me because every sample in that shop is truly amazing, but these bookmarks actually brought tears to my eyes! Little paper dolls, that if you look closely, the paper for their skin says Collage Couture on it. The handbag actually opens with the date of the event on the inside. What a surprise this was and my first reaction was that I would by the book just to get the bookmark!

I had a great time seeing lots of old friends and meeting new ones. What a wonderful feeling to see these books going home with so many creative souls! Thank you to all who came and a big thank you to Joan and her girls who work so hard at creating such a wonderful little shop of inspiration. And a huge thank you to Marilyn for making these darling bookmarks, something I will treasure always!

The Vintage Market Place

2011-05-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

Looking foward to next weekend at TheVintage Market Place. This show is taking the place of the wildly popular Chateau de Fleuers that used to be held at Chrisie Repasy's home. Located north of San Diego in the quaint little town of Rainbow, there is now more space for even more vendors which means more vintage yummies and crafty goodness! I will have some art from my book, and my book and some new dolls that I made just for this show...just to bring a little something different to the table!

Books, Book, and More books!

2011-05-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

They have arrived!

My first official book signing of Collage Couture will be June 5 at Stamp Your Heart Out in Claremont, CA from 2-5 pm. Please stop by! I was pleased (as well as surprised) to find that they already sold out of their fisrt shipment and had to order more! I guess I never thought about them being in stores yet, even tho Amazon shipped over a week ago. Thank you to everyone who has purchased so far and another big thank you to all that have emailed or commented on fb regarding this book. it means so much to me that you are enjoying it as well as pulling some inspiration from it. It was my intention to do a book that you will look at over and over again just because it makes you feel good. I have a few how to books that I have never even tried to create a project from but just love to open to take in all that inspiration.
If you are on the fence about ordering yet another book, there's a little button to the left and you can read the reviews and order your copy now. I promise you won't regret it. North Light Books designed a gorgeous book that you will pull out again and again!

Art in the Garden Party

2011-05-23T11:08:00.000-07:00

I went to a garden party, to reminence with my old friends.....

Upon enterring...the higgly piggely wall, right out of storybook land

Of course, the birds have a fabulous place to live in Pauleete's garden!

More birdie goodness

Hummingbird heaven!

The inside did not go un-noticed with her handmade garden goodies

More bits of color

What could be better that a beret wearing, heavy accented man sketching?
Oh, did I mention thats the ocean in the background?

Lorenzo and the lovely Beth, editor of Altered Couture, Somerset Home and about 90 more magazines!

It turned out to be a lovely day. The June gloom turned to sunshine around 1:00 making for the perfect day at the beach. My friend Paulette had her annual Art in the Garden Party at her wonderful little cottage in Laguna Beach. I have done many posts about this place but Saturday it was in all of it's glorious color. The roses, lavender and hydrangas were all in bloom. There was citrus hanging from the trees and the inside of her place was filled with all her handmade ceramic treasures. The ocean came out of the clouds in the afternoon like a fashionably late guest.
Many artists set up their easels and began their play as they talked about their passion for the arts for all to hear. There was a portrait artist who could've come straight off the streets of Paris complete with his beret. There was someone painting out front in the street as you came in and another working on a rose still life in pastels right when you came through the garden doors. It was art and flowers everywhere you turned.
Of course the best part of the day is connecting with old friends and making new. It was wonderful catching up with Jenelle and as always, talking with the gracious Beth Livesay from Stampington. Paulette flited around being the perfect hostess to all that entered her little spot of paradise. Thanks Paulette for a lovely day!

Upcoming Book Signings and Such

2011-05-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

From the book Collage Couture

Well, we will try this again since blogger has dropped my last 2 posts! I will make this one short and sweet. The last 2 months have been sort of a resting perriod for me as I pursue some other things. Last week , I had a super creative streak and started doing some projects with fabric. If all goes well, I will post pictures this week.

I received an email on Saturday that someone actually got my book Collage Couture, in the mail from Amazon. I have not yet received mine so I was pleasantly surprised. I am in book planning event mode right now so I thought I would post where I'll be in the coming weeks.
I will start off doing a lovely vintagy show in Rainbow, CA. Yes, Rainbow in North San Diego County, and the area is as pretty as the name! This was formerly Chateau de Fleurs that took place at Christie Repasy's home in Fallbrook. I will be there June 3 & 4 and will have a few books to sell and will have some of my original art from the book for sale.

On Sunday, June 5, I will be at Stamp Your Heart Out in Claremont from 2 - 4. This sweet little store is where it all began for me. The owner, Joan has been cheering me on since I first was asked to participate in an art walk there a little over 2 yrs ago. Yep, I walked in that store that night with nothing but my art. No easels, no prices, nothing...not a clue how to set up for this! But Joan helped me set up, I had a successful evening and have been asked back many times since.

I am setting up a signing and 2 classes at a Ben Franklin store in Grass Valley, CA on June 25. Am very excited about this. This a wonderful area in Northern CA sitting at the edge of the gold country. Sylvia, who I met in Davis while doing a show and class has graciously offered me her guest room that weekend. How fun to spend the weekend with new friends!

I will post as more events come my way. Thank you to everyone who pre-ordered the book. I hope you enjoy it!

Yes, it Was A Successful Trip

2011-04-15T11:18:00.000-07:00

What better way to spend the day with your daughter whose home from college!

Silvia...my new BFF!

When ever I travel to do a show or a class, I always get the question "was the trip successful?" I have to stop and think...what is successful? How do most people measure their little art ventures? When travel is involved, I am happy when my hotel and my gas is paid for. And I might add that driving to the Sacramento area last week I paid $4.39 for gas on I-5. Now, I'm pretty used to the gas prices in central Calif. but what really gets me is after I pay that and then see that they're charging over $3 for an energy drink that costs $1.89 at home! So they get us for gas and then it's a double whammy for a tiny little can of energy! Ok, we'll just get off that tangent now. I vented...feel better.

I think my shows and classes are wildly successful when you watch people's reactions to your art. When you see a smile spread across their face. And when you tell them that creating is just like being a child again and playing paper dolls. You can see it in their eyes as they too recall those memories of playing with 49 cent paper dolls and how happy it made us. The conversation turns to what type you had and whether or not you drew your own clothes. I like it when my art stirs up memories and brings a smile to someone's face. That's what it's all about.

Janet, who so very carefully chose every color.

Loving Autumn's greens she chose.

The same goes for classes. They are successful when you watch the creativity unfold. Whether it's a class of 2 or a class with 20, there is something special about grown women cutting out paper and dressing their art. Deciding on hair styles and colors or whether or not to place a flower in her hair. When all of our problems fade away for a few hours and the major decision we need to make is whether to use a crown or a headband on our masterpiece. This is what I call success. Listening to music, chatting about our lives, making friends and creating. Yes, my weekend was very successful. New friends, new clothes and enough money to buy an energy drink on the way home. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

Inspiration from Davis

2011-04-11T11:09:00.000-07:00

The Wardrobe, Davis, CA

Display with some of my goodies

Loved all the color of the walls!

Heather and her friend Autumn with her darling twins

I'm not sure what it is about Northern Calif. that always seems to clear my mind and feed my creativity. Perhaps it's the clean air or maybe the roads that are not as congested as I'm used to. I know this time of the year it's the green rolly poly hills that surround me driving from the 5 to the 101 and driving from San Jose to Sacramento. It's truly a beautiful drive in the spring.

A few months ago I was invited by Heather Caswell, owner of The Wardrobe in the quaint college town of Davis, to participate in the town's art walk at her store. I jumped at the chance because I typically show in galleries or arty type stores as well as arts and craft shows. This is a high end boutique with very arty clothes because it seems Heather's philosophy is that clothes should be art in themselves. The store was beautiful and well, the clothing, lets just say I saw many masterpieces in that little shop.

The art walk turned out wonderful. The town was full of colorful characters and lots of students. I enjoyed many conversations that evening. She had dj's playing the most wonderful music. Old French garage band music. So much fun! The darling dj, Emily handed me a CD at the end because I loved it so much. Thank you Emily...I listened to it all the way home on Sunday! I had my book, Collage Couture, displayed for all to look at and I'm happy to say I had rave reviews on the design and look of it!

Being the capitol of natural foods, I ate well over the weekend. Gluten free and dairy free pizza and cheesecake. Delicious! Sorry to say girls, I did have to have my frou frou coffee the following morning!

Davis being such an artsy town, I thought I'd share a few pictures of my walk. It's the little surprises you find along the way that get your creative juices flowing.

The mural on the local art supply store

Bench outside the barber shop

Don't know what the building was, but loved the color. This was all ceramics I believe.

Thank you Heather and staff for a great weekend. The Wardrobe

Could it Be?

2011-04-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

It has been a most dreadful, stressful week. One of those weeks where nothing goes right from pressing the start button on a copy machine that won't make 900 copies to bill mix-ups that require being put on hold with at&t for an eternity! More car issues, our dog of 15 years getting ready to leave us, yep, it's been one of those weeks, where you really have to press into that inner being for the positveness and the learning and growing experiences that come from one of those weeks!

And then.....

I come home from a morning of madness to find a lump under the doormat.
Is it? Could it be? It is!!!!

It's my book! two copies of my.....MY book. Collage Couture. I ate my lunch really, really fast and then sat down and savored the pages...one by one. Every page, prettier than the last.Then it dawns on me. It's not just MY book. It's a whole team of creatives...editors, photographers, and designers that translated my words, feelings and art into this beautiful little book. This book just really captured exactly what I wanted it to. It's whimsical, girly and I hope inspiring. The photos are nothing short of stunning. The design IS me and yet I had nothing to do with the design. Northlight Books is just a giant group of the most talented, creative people, who after spending a week with me captured my spirit into 128 pages of pure bliss.

Collage Couture

The Wardrobe, Davis CA

2011-03-23T10:44:00.000-07:00

The WardrobeApril 8th: Paper Couture: Fashion Collage Art by Julie Nutting

The Wardrobe, in conjunction with Davis' Downtown Art About, presents "Paper Couture" by Southern California fashion collage artist Julie Nutting on Friday, April 8th , from 7-10 pm. Several of Ms. Nutting's fashion collages will be displayed and available for sale. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, call The Wardrobe at 530.756.1128 or email staff@thewardrobe.com
Ms. Nutting will also be teaching a class the next day, at 1:00 on Saturday April 9th at the Davis Art Center. Space is limited to 15 people, and reservations can be made at The Wardrobe for $50 each.
Julie Nutting has been creating for as long as she can remember. She started drawing fashion figures when she was about nine years old. She grew up in the era of the first really fabulous fashion doll clothes. It was a time when doll clothes were exact replicas of Dior coats and Balenciaga gowns. Zippers were real and buttons were of the tiniest proportions. When she couldn't have the clothes she wanted for her dolls, she simply made them from her mom's pretty pastel hankies or fabric scraps headed for the trash bin. This led to a lifelong love of fashion illustration, design and sewing. She is published regularly in Somerset Studio magazine and has a book Collage Couture coming out this June.

Charms and Printer Trays

2011-03-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

My bottle cap charms and plastic thingy charms

My domino charm and a ceramic seashell i made with my friend Paulette, last year
The merbaby is Ingrid Dijkers bisque charm that I painted

Last week was a crazy week, trying to recuperate from my Key Largo trip. I had to get ready for Glitterfest, which is a really big deal here on the west coast. Gf was super busy, I think their best show yet with many new, amazingly talented vendors. I could have spent a lot of money there but thankfully I was too busy to get out from behind my booth!
Sunday was a day of total relaxation after unpacking all my goodies. I have been wanting to get back into my Key Largo projects but just wouldn't even let myself look at them because I had to be ready for GF. So yesterday, out came all the charms and vintage images that I gathered from our charm day in KL. I couldn't rip open that printer tray fast enough! I wanted it to really capture my trip to Florida, using the turquoise of the sea as my base color. Mermaids (and babies), seashells and of course keys found their way into all my little compartments.
On my last day in KL, I learned how to make charms out of bottle caps, dominoes, memory frames and other assorted stuff, thank you very much Val and Eileen! All of my tiny treasured pieces are tucked into the little boxes. One of Jen's handpainted faces found her way into a box as did Ingrid Dijkers bisque merbaby. There's a glittered heart with the word dream on it that I put to the left side of the tray that I picked up from a vendor at CHA. The colors went perfectly as did the word dream, as I dream of another fabulous artsy, beachy retreat in the future!

Making glam girls in Key Largo

2011-03-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

Chaotic mess...I love it!

Lillian (Canada) Linda (Florida) Eileen (NYC)

Gina (Oregon) Sue (Illinois) Marita (Oregon)

Daisy (Florida)

Ingrid Dijkers Lovely Renaissance lass

Sarah (Australia) love her originality!

Jen (California) A fairytale princess

Teri (NYC) love the color and texture!

Was I nervous? You bet! What a group of talent that was gathered here! What I loved most was everyone was given the exact same materials; black background papers, newsprint, tissue and a tiny piece of colored paper. Every piece turned out so different and each held a bit of their creators' personality within. With little instruction these women went off in their own direction for about 4 hours. The room was quiet as each concentrated on their layering all the different papers. I'm sorry I didn't get pictures of all but it was hard in the frenzy of things!.
Did I have a favorite? Of course I did! The problem is mind changes every time I look at them!

Key Largo, day2 with Ingrid Dijkers

2011-03-16T09:03:00.000-07:00

Over the Edge Journal

Jen and Val painting away

Messy and Fun!

Pancho

Day 2....Ingrid Dijkers AMAZING Over the Edge class. I have never done anything like this so I was a bit nervous surrounded by all this talent! Ingrid was a great teacher tho and I caught on pretty fast. We made chipboard journal pages, starting with gesso and ending with the most beautiiful edges. These pages had layers and layers of paint, paper, stamping and stenciling. we learned to dress up the pages with beads, buttons and wire. We layered them so the many layers could be seen at once. They were so much fun to make, you just didn't want to stop. With 17 ladies in one room, you can imagine how noisy it could get but what I found amazing was how quiet my table was. Everyone was completely in their zone, concentrating like they didn't have a problem in the world. I love being in that zone! Of course we could hardly stop for lunch, Cuban sandwhiches brought in....delicious! Can't forget the Cuban cofee that made its' rounds every few hours to keep us wide eyed. Oh yeah, I thought I'd introduce Pancho. He was in an ajoining room but he managed to get his say so in every now and then! He seemed to like the retreat as much as we did!

Waking up in Key Largo

2011-03-14T11:08:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh...waking up to this for 5 days! As you know, I spent a week in KeY LArgO teaching a workshop at a private retreat. This is where about 6 of us spent our nights and woke up to this glorious view every morning.
This home was owned by a friend of Jackie, one of the participants, and he offered it to us to use for the week. Set up high on stilts like all homes in the Keys, it sat not far from the Atlantics' edge.

What does one do when there is no beach in Key Largo? They bring the beach to you! His property was filled with crushed rock the color of sand that spread all the way to the little boat dock to give the illusion of a beach. SpECtaCUlaR! The water was turquoise and waveless, much different than that of our beloved Pacific. The homes were unpretentious and many were painted in the cool, pastel colors you find in Florida. No where else is a pink house more accepted than here.

Imagine the inspiration this view brought to us before we began our days of nonstop aRt!

More to follow....

OOps!

2011-03-02T11:42:00.000-08:00

Do you all remember the brides I did last year? Well yes, one of those brides has a pregnant friend who loved the art so I was asked to create a preggy girl for her friend. This piece was so much fun because I never met the girl and have only seen a picture of her. She's a Colorado girl, outdoorsy, hikey, mountainy, not girly at all. Not girly? Gasp! How to cope with that one? She has the most beautiful head of thick curly red hair. that combined with some outdoorsy colors was my inspiration. I absolutely loved the way she turned out and decided to name this piece Baby Bump. Now the fun little finale of this story....as I was finishing this, the bride called me and told me she was pregnant! Hmmmm, do I see another preggy piece happening?

Key Largo, Here I Come!

2011-02-28T20:41:00.000-08:00

One week from today I will be flying to Florida to teach a class in Key Largo. This all came about because of a woman writing and asking me if she could teach a class featuring my girls. I told her I would love to come and teach a class, and so it began. The journey to Key Largo. As I was getting some of my stuff ready today (while dealing with a flat tire and a cracked and very expensive rim...thank you California potholes!), a darling little lugage tag came in the mail today with my name on it. Sent by the pillow fairies! Hmmmm I wonder what else these little fairies have up their sleeves?

Procrastination

2011-02-22T14:53:00.000-08:00

What do you do when there is absolutely no motovation in you? I clean! Organizing my little creative space today, I am hoping I will find some inspiration lurking on a shelf, inside a jar or hiding under a pile. I am at one of those points when I have a ton of little things to do. Packaging, embellishing, pricing...you know the stuff. All little, easy things to do, but what do I do? I procrastinate. Because there's nothing major, I say I can do it tomorrow and then all of a sudden tomorrow comes and there's too much to do! So I am hoping to get motivated to do something big, so I will have to finish all the small stuff before I start a major project.

I had a great weekend. Lots of rain and even snow in No. Calif. The rain brought out cooped up people for

my class and I ended up having a great time with 7 talented ladies at Scrapbook island in San Jose. Lots of personality in this class and all were creative so they needed little direction. Which is a good thing. It leaves more time for chatting! What I love most about teaching at scrapbook stores is the students normally are all about scrapbooking or card making so a lot of the techniques are new to them. It always makes me smile when they learn to stamp with bubble wrap or when they learn that Mod Podge is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Or they use Stickles for the first time and wonder where it's been all their lives.

So this post was a bit all over the place, wasn't it? Just like my head!

Paper Couture Class in San Jose

2011-02-04T12:10:00.000-08:00

I will be teaching a class on Feb 19 at Scrapbook Island in San Jose. We will be making this little pretty, an 8x10 canvas which you will handpaint the background and use some fun collage techniques combined with the paint. Don't worry...you don't have to know how to draw for this class, I will provide a pattern! Cost is just $40. All materials included.

January came and went

2011-02-01T18:24:00.000-08:00

City Girl A gift for my neice

January seems to have come and gone. I posted just once last month! It became a month of focus, planning and newness. Sounds kind of boring, huh? But not really. I sat down and planned how many shows , workshops and magazine submissions I need to do in the next 6 months to make the amount of dollars I want (need!) to make. This forced me to focus on emails and phonecalls to any stores, venues and magazines that I've been thinking of working with. A day at CHA gave me the opportunity to meet many people in the business and of course makes me think of the endless possibilities that could lie ahead.

I also took on a part time job putting together programs and such to revitalize an ailing art association into a thriving community gathering spot for artists. I welcome any thoughts on this as it is a little bit overwhelming at first. I will focus on some senior and kid programs, beginning the the grant writing process. There is a beautiful gallery space as well as a fabulous classroom space. If any locals out there need a low cost area to conduct workshops, let me know. We have kilns,wheels. easels, water. It's just a great space to create!
So that's been my January. I squeezed in a series of gypsy girls and mermaids for article submissions and oh yeah, a little makeover on my kitchen. Nothing major; just painted a chalkboard wall, changing the window coverings and sprucing up with a couple of ideas I brought back from the CHA booths. I will post later when I finish it all. Here's to a fabulous February!

What If?

2011-01-17T09:34:00.000-08:00

What if I have nothing to say?
What if all the great ideas are taken?
What if, in all of the playing, I never accomplish anything?
What if I'm terrible at it?
What if I don't have the skills to flesh out the ideas I do have?
What if I don't have enough time?
What if I spread myself too thin?
What if the thing I'm doing isn't the thing I should be doing?
What if I don't ever learn to be consistent?
What if I never finish anything?
What if I never find my passion?
What if I get so involved in my creative process that I start failing at other things?
What if I can't pursue God AND creativity?

What if?

This is a post from one polka dot day I've been pondering for days. These are all thoughts that we creatives have at one time or another. Katie is just starting out in her creative endeavors so I commend her for laying her fears out there. Even though I've been creating art in one form or another most of my life these thoughts still creep up on me every now and then. Like I told her, those little nudgings of wanting to make art is actually God, or one of His art angels, whispering in our ear that this is what we're supposed to be doing. Yes, there will be mistakes, yes, there will be dry spells and yes, there will be people that don't like what we're doing. That's all part of it. Our destiny or rather the search of it, is not supposed to be easy. When I start struggling, the thing I always try to remember is that He gave me this gift of creativity and therefore I must use it. If I choose to give in to my fears then I am really disobeying Him and disregarding my destiny. Breaking through the fears is not so simple. I still hesitate hitting the send button when submitting my work. I overanalize participating in art shows, thinking too much about about the end results, yes, the $$$. So I've learned to relish in the good that happens; articles being published, upcoming book, and most of all the wonderful friendships made along the way.

If we don't face our fears and ignore the creative nudgings, I suppose our world would look like this photo. So like Paulette, from Summerland Cottage Studio, we can look at everything on our artistic path like a fresh blank canvas, ready for us to make our mark on the world. There's no one else out there who can do it quite like we can!

New Beginnings
Summerland Cottage Studio

A Very Cheesy Gift

2010-12-21T15:11:00.000-08:00

One thing I'm finding that is difficult about blogging this time of the year is that I can't share much of what I'm creating because I don't want the recipients to see! I thought I would share this piece because I know it won't be seen by the "cheese girls" anytime soon. They are much too busy! This is a little something I made for my son's bosses, 2 delightful young sisters who own a gourmet cheese shop in the adorable town of Claremont. The Cheese Cave opened just last summer and has been a huge success since. The girls have been written up in the Los Angeles Times as well as Los Angeles Magazine with rave reviews. They sell the most delicious cheeses from all over the world. They know everything there is to know about cheese because it's their passion in life. I used cheese labels from some of their cheeses as well as some washers with a bit of bling for embellishment. The shop is very, I guess I'd call it upcycled, vintage urban in feeling with chalkboard walls, used wood trim and curtains made of hundreds of washers tied with twine. I think this will be a nice addition and can perhaps hang next to the life size silver cow that stands near the front of the store!

Cheese Cave

Bartering is a Good Thing

2010-12-17T12:12:00.000-08:00

A couple of weekends ago, I participated in Chateau de Fleurs which I'm happy to say was featured in Romantic Country magazine as one of the best places to shop. This is no surprise to me because Christie and Rita are 2 of the most creative, professional and hospitable women to put on a show!
Now, this show being in December, I really had to limit my spending and that's not an easy thing to do with these vendors. I walked thru the show with blinders and I have to admit I was a bit sad that I could't spend. I spotted this apron and matching fabric at one of my favorites; Lil Urchins. I was trying to justify spending the money by telling myself that I was using it for my business. The apron, to wear for change, pen and receipts, and matching tablecloths for the booth. Sounds reasonable, right? But no, I fought hard and won....I couldn't, I wouldn't spend money. I must admit, I was a bit pouty with myself tho because I couldn't have what I wanted. Then.....a most wonderful thing happened! Cynthia of Lil Urchins asked me if I wanted to trade. She wanted some prints for Christmas presents! I can't even tell you how elated I felt. It was like a gift. Aren't these the most amazing yummy fabrics! And then to top it off when I went over to pick them up, the wonderful Nicki from Mermaid Glade gave me this gorgeous felted clamshell ornament with pearl. I came home feeling like I won a million bucks....no more pouty face! Thank you Cynthia and Nicki!

A Night Filled With Color

2010-12-12T11:00:00.000-08:00

It was a night filled with the most spectacular color at Stamp Your Heart Out in Claremont. And what could be more colorful than a basket filled with hand made felted monsters! The little gray guy with green stitching went home with me at the end of the evening.These were made by Atie Holmes who also made these gorgeous coin purses.

Who could resist a bowl full of free love? Artist Laura Palm made the most beautiful block prints that she carved from erasers. Erasers! The lovely green one below will soon be framed and hung in my bathroom.

Lots of color on these little girly-girls! My favorite "Shabby Pink" found a new home that night!

Cutest button necklaces from Renee Buckway. My photo doesn't capture all the color that these cuties had to offer. She had fun bracelets too. Unfortunately, the rest of my pictures didn't turn out because of the lighting, but the art of Ruth Law and Ginny Babineau was amazing!

Thank you to Joan and her staff for so graciously offering to put on this Gathering of Artists! It was and evening of fun, food and color!

Stamp Your Heart Out

Come Join Me!

2010-12-02T09:49:00.000-08:00

There will be fabulous art, adorable stuffed creatures, fun toys and jewelry galore. All handmade of course! A night of fun! Have dinner in the village and just hang out!
http://stampyourheart.com/

Ta Da!

2010-11-30T09:15:00.000-08:00

Remember the little girl that loves pink, ponies and princesses? The princess is done and has arrived safely in Cincinnati. I actually made 2. The first sat for awhile and everytime I looked at it something just seemed off. The girl seemed too big for the frame, so I decided to do another and choose between the 2 of them. The first picture is the second one that I did. She is wearing a pink rhinstone crown that I found in the clearance bin. I liked it better and framed it in the shadowbox. The first one has a tiny glass vial from a perfume sample that I filled with some vintage flowers. I loved that detail! Now what to do with the first one? Well, I ended up sending that one unframed as a bonus and she can decide. Or frame them both and have a set. My bonus? Very happy client with 2 pieces she is taking this to a trend meeting for the company that she works for....North Light Books!

My Old Friend...the Sewing Machine

2010-11-27T10:02:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh. Finally I have my computer and my car back in working order. It's been a rough couple of weeks. Took my car in because it wouldn't start and only $900 later it still wouldn't start! So back to the shop it went, me, kicking and screaming! Hubby, at this time decided to upgrade computer, cleaning out the old and installing the new, and of course nothing is as simple as it should be. I went a total of 7 days without a car or computer. Imagine! So I turned to an old friend that I haven't had the desire to see in years....my sewing machine. I have been dying to sew a doll for quite some time but just didn't want to deal with the mess of sewing. Dragging the machine out and having the ironing board up for days just doesn't sound appealing to me. But drag it out I did and surprisingly we got along quite well! I bought some fabrics from Lil Urchin at the last Chateau de Fleurs show thinking I would make a doll someday. Well that day came when I was stuck at home in the rain with no car or computer to distract me. Fancypants was soon born! I decided to make her body look like my art so I stamped muslin with black permanent ink using a french script stamp. I wish her sleeves were more of a contrast than the rest of her dress but I still like her. Most of my girls have oversized hair embellishments so I put a giant fabric rose in Fancypant's hair and of course she has just a touch of blush on her cheeks but no face.

In the middle of all this, I received a package with a tote that I had my art printed on. I set out embellishing it with whatever stuff I could find in the craft room. I stamped flowers in the background and used some old clooney lace and buttons that I found from my 70's stash that I had from my days when I worked in the garment district. I had to laugh at my 22 yr old son that told me to make sure I put plenty of pockets on it! So there are 2 pockets on the front, perfect for a cell phone and lots of paintbrushes.

All in all, my friend the sewing machine and I had a pretty good time but my favorite part of sewing is all the hand sewing that can be done in front of the tv watching talk shows or home improvement shows which I don't allow myself to do often.

I will be selling the bag at Chateau de Fleurs this coming weekend but Fancypants isn't going anywhere. I can't part with her. Perhaps she will sit in my Christmas wreath this year.

Lil Urchin

I have a Cover!

2010-11-16T13:45:00.000-08:00

Well, I think it's time to introduce my book....it now has a cover! It's been available for presale on Amazon but never had an image to go with it. Imagine my excitement when the cover finally showed up on their website!
It was exactly a year ago when I was waiting to hear whether the proposal for North Light Books would be accepted or not. Once it was finalized at the end of Nov, I began working on the art. I haven't really thought about all of the pieces until today when I received an email of some of the pages after the design process. I can't believe how much the design enhances the art. Kelly is soooo talented! I absolutely love everything she has done so far. I can't wait until June...it seems so far away!

My New Friend

2010-11-13T19:37:00.000-08:00

Emily's wall

I spent Thursday with a new friend Emily. She is 10 yrs old going on 30. I met her at my very first art show Chateau de Fleurs. She kept me company and made me feel welcome, not the new outsider that I really was. She saved my day. She made me feel like maybe, just maybe I belonged there.
So on Thursday, I went to Emily's home and was in awe of the magic there. Her mother Lisa, is one talented lady. Lisa has been featured in many of the Stampington family of magazines and it was easy to see why. Her home was filled with her whimsical creations. So inspiring! I had the pleasure of drawing with Emily on my first day at Chateau de Fleurs during the slow times and I'm pretty sure she has picked up on her mother's talents. She's got the sketching bug for sure.
Anyway, Emily greeted me at the door in her brand new navy blue coat and sporting a very cute headband with flower attached. She reminded me a bit of Madeline minus the straw hat. She looked very grown up but with a teensy bit of little girl still there. I liked that. I think all girls need to keep that bit of little girl still there for good measure. I wished I had brought my camera, but of course I forgot it.
We went antiquing in Ontario and Upland. She and her mom know of all the good places to go and know of all the good things to look for. Me? I'm new at all this vintagy stuff. I'm not an antique buff but I love looking at all the goodies that remind me of my childhood, all the while being upset that these things are called antiques! Really...it hasn't been that long!
After one huge store, we were ready for lunch. We went to a delightful little place called Molly's. Emily announced in her most grown up voice that she was buying. Now you can imagine the thoughts going through my head. How could we possibly expect her to pay and of course she probably doesn't really mean it anyway. Molly's is located in an old house in downtown Upland. Very cute and old fashioned. We ordered and Emily's drink came in a little teapot and teacup. Too cute...I too wanted mine in a cute little cup! When the bill came, Emily picked it up and proceeded to pay for it. I so wanted to protest but I felt like she needed to do this. If we took it away from her we would be treating her like a child and take that wonderful feeling of well, feeling grown up away from her. So I let her pay but offered to tip. We told her it was customary for people to tip when others pay. Just a little bit of grown up advise for her.
We trekked through a few more stores. She spotted an old tin dollhouse that she bought with birthday money. It was exactly like the one I had when I was little. I offered her $50 for it but she wouldn't budge! I don't know how but that dollhouse ended up on her lap and she was halfway in it on the ride home. She was so excited about it. I was relieved that the grown up girl dissappeared for awhile and the little girl came back to play.
I loved seeing both sides of Emily that day. It's not easy being 10. Teenage years are so close you can touch them. I remember how excited you are to be a grown up and you just can't wait. But then there's the dolls...it's hard to let them go. Keep the dolls for just a while longer Em. If you're anything like your mom and I, you will never let them go. For some reasons, they keep appearing in our creative lives and that's a good thing.
Thank you Emily, for a wonderful day and a girly lunch. I had so much fun!

Inspired!

2010-11-08T19:30:00.000-08:00

Yee Haa!

So last week I should have been getting ready for a show that I was doing in Redlands for the weekend. But instead I was super excited about doing a little girl project. When I received the email asking me if I would do a piece for a 3 year old girl that loves horses, dancing, and has a room that's bubblegum pink, lime green and turquoise, I have to admit I was less than excited. It was the horse thing. I just didn't know how I was going to get a horse incorporated into a piece of my girly art. I told her I needed a couple of days to think about it. So I thought about it and just wasn't feeling it. Then I went to the store. THE scrapbook store. The store that is so crowded with aisles of paper that sometimes I knock things off the racks just turning around. And there it was, in the very back, a stand with cowgirl and cowboy stuff. So cute! Colors perfect! So I grabbed a couple of sheets for inspiration then pulled the solid colors mentioned above. I knew I had enough printed papers in those colors but I couldn't resist the pink paper with xoxo's in lime and turquoise. And of course how could I not buy some sort of princess paper, right?

Upon arriving home, I cut out some of the horses and started arranging paper to see exactly which ones I would use. I spent about 2 hours before I decided. It was so much fun, trying to get in that little 3 year olds head! So I continued to play, using crepe paper ruffles, buttons, rhinestones, ribbons and bows, and all kinds of girly embellishments for this little cowgirl until I felt satisfied. I think what made it so much fun was that I felt like that little girl playing paperdolls once again. Too fun!

When I finished playing, I promptly went to the computer and sent out the email that yes, I could fit it into my schedule this month!

What's wrong with me??!!

2010-11-02T19:22:00.000-07:00

Self diagnosis, we've all done it. I think I've narrowed it down to being Artistically Bipolar or Creative ADD. What's with this crazy up/down, up/down? I have so many ideas swimming in my head right now, so many half way there projects, that I seem to get so overwhelmed and then stop doing everything. No, I'm not depressed and no, I'm not so crazy busy that I just can't handle it all! Wish!
I just can't seem to focus and I've never had this problem before. So, what to do? I have neglected this blog for much too long so I guess I will just post what's on my mind and what's going on just to get back in the swing of things.
I am happy to say that I am published in the current issue of Somerset Studio...Four wonderful pages. I will be doing a class at Stamp Your Heart Out in Claremont on Nov. 28. We will be making these cute little girlfriend gifts in the magazine.
I will also be in Artists Cafe issue to be out Dec.1....so blessed with that one because it came as a nice suprise to be paid a second time for something that was published 2 years ago! This was my very first article for Somerset Studio and it means so much to me to revisit it. This weekend I will have a booth at a show called Tell Me Bout the Good Ol Days in Redlands in a great house in the historic district. It should be lots of fun. And very happy to report I have my tickets for a retreat in Key Largo that I'll be teaching at in March. Such a wonderful group of women who have just welcomed me into their creative world. I can't wait! See how scattered this is?! But I felt like I could put off this blog forever if I didn't do something now! So there it is...until next time. I hope to be more focused then@ Haha now why would I put that there instead of a period? Focus!

Getting Ready...The glitter's a flying

2010-10-19T13:33:00.000-07:00

I am lucky to be doing a show at this grand old house in Redlands on Nov. 5 & 6. Isn't it beautiful? I am so intrigued to see it. It is a historical landmark owned by the charming ladies of Two Wild Roses. The art/craft/vintage fair will take place on the sprawling front lawn that seems to be surrounded by lots of gorgeous rose bushes. I can't wait to see it! As for me....I will have a new batch of originals and right now I am working on the cutest little package tags that could also be used as ornaments. I have ornament ideas dancing in my head but I just read a blog that this is just 17 days away! The days are flying by and I am working as hard and fast as any elf you've ever seen! My work table is filled with felt stockings and mittens, glitter and gold, buttons and baubles and snowflakes too! The glitter is flying, paintbrushes painting, all to make a table full of holiday goodies just for you! I hope to see you there!

http://www.twowildrosesantiques.blogspot.com/

What's next God?

2010-10-15T14:06:00.000-07:00

Feeling Blessed

I love it when I get into my little conversations with God. I ask what's next and he puts me in place to meet the right people. It's not about coincidences (don't believe in them) and it's not about the secret of positive thinking ( sorry famous book author, but He invented that first). It's about prayer and about relationship. The day I lost my job, both kids said to me, I think God is trying to tell you something. And yes, He has hit me on the side of the head with a few events that seem to be saying you are not supposed to be doing that, you are an artist!!! So it began. Everyday I thank God for the gifts, the talents and the blessings. Some days, sometimes in dispair and sometimes not, I pray what is next in this little creative endeavor of mine. One day He brought me Paulette, who without her, I would not have had the wonderful experience of teaching a class without being connected to a store. I also would not have brought out my watercolors of 30 years to play with. He brought me to Lisa, who brought me to Chateau de Fleurs and Glitterfest, which not only made me money but brought me to many others that will help me on this creative journey of mine. Seriously, I asked just days ago, whats next and to please put the right people in front of me. And guess what? he brings me to Elena! She emails me a couple of weeks ago. Just the standard email asking me a question on technique. She saw my work in Somerset Studio and wanted to try it. I answer her question and jokingly tell her she can learn more in my upcoming book. She responds that she already ordered it! So she is the first person that I know of that preordered it. That to me is special! We continue emailinng back and forth because I am now endeared to the first person that has bought my book 7 months out! To make a long story short, she has invited me to her home in Key Largo to teach a class at a retreat she hosts for about 15 women. Would I ever have imagined this last year when I closed the door behind me on that job that I really didn't like anyway? No! I mean Key Largo! Me, art, teaching, Key Largo! Thank you God! Hmmm...I wonder what's next?

The Power of Pink

2010-10-08T09:24:00.000-07:00

available at trashallamode.etsy.com

Can you believe it's already October? It's a month of such contrasts to me. Dark, eerie, witches and goblins everywhere. And then there's pink. Breast cancer awareness month...I often wonder why October. I'm sure there's a reason, I just don't know it but I sometimes think that it gets a bit overshadowed by the darkness of the season. There is a real soft spot for the Power of Pink for me. It's really the beginning of my art story. Grab a cup of tea and I will tell you how it all began.

As I was nearing mid-life, I was feeling frustrated with my creative life. I have always created, dabbling in every art form and craft you could think of. Trouble was I never felt really good at any of it. I needed to find my niche. One night I sat down and listed one by one all of the arts and crafts that I enjoyed doing. I began to cross off the least joyful to me. When I arrived at the end of the list, three things stood out to me. These were things that gave me feelings of pure joy. The kind of joy where you completely loose yourself in what you're doing. They were fashion illustration, mosaic work and my love of paper. It doesn't take a genious to see where this led. I sat down and incorporated all of these things into one of my girls. I liked her so much I did 2 more. These 2 lovelies were submitted to Somerset Studio for publication and within just a few days I heard back from them that they would be published in the Sept/Oct issue! How exciting was that? That was 2 years ago. After the magazine came out, one of the girls that I worked with sent a copy of the article to our corporate offices for the newsletter. I received a call from the art directer if she coulld use the images in the company's annual breast cancer campaign. My art, the girl dressed in pink ended up on a poster in stores across the country. That was just the beginning. One of our clients, an attorney, puts on a big pink tadoo every October to benefit the local hospital. I donated the pink girl to her to be auctioned off. I was assured she went to a good home! The following year, I did a pink spread in Somerset Studio with about 5 pieces of art and those were donated to last years function. I was asked to to the artwork for the invites and posters for last years soiree. It was so fun to see my girls in pink on blogs, posters and magnets! I went to this fabulous pink party last year and was quite surprised at the well, funess of it all. Ladies not just stopping at pink shirts but wearing big pink hats, boas and the works! Celebrating their survival, their journey with this devastating disease. Yes, celebrating. You can learn a lot from women like this. It was a day of laughter and I'm certain a few tears. I am excited to be attending this years party next week. I am glad they call it a party instead of a fundraiser.

That lead to a trunk show at the local store, Stamp Your Heart Out and that led to one more thing, which led to another thing and on and on. So it began with pink and every October it will continue to be pink.

Published Somerset Studio Oct. 2009

Glitterfest

2010-10-05T19:36:00.000-07:00

Some of the girls that sold and all went to good homes!

Well, I fully intended on writing about Glitterfest but wouldn't you know it? My camera battery died! I will tell about it anyway, but without pictures of the most amazing booths filled with the most charming handmade treasures. This was the second show I've ever done and both shows were just 2 weeks apart. To say I was nervous is an understatement. You just never know how your work will be received or if the show will provide your clientele. This show, like my first, Chateau de Fleurs, was well organized, thank goodness and the vendors very friendly and helpful. All of the booths were amazingly gorgeous and so well put together. I am still on that learning curve! The show was well attended and I am blown away by how many originals I sold. I met the most wonderful women who just made me feel well, good about my art. I so enjoyed talking to them about the process and the inspiration. There were a few celebs that stopped by to say hello. Jenny Doh made the rounds wearing one of her cute little dresses. The always sweet and very supportive, Beth Livesay from Stampington came by also. It's always good to see her. My very first buyer, Maggie came up from Long Beach. Yes, she bought a piece from me a year and a half ago when I was showing my work at Stamp Your Heart Out in Claremont for their art walk. I have to laugh at how nervous I was for that. It was the very first time anyone saw my art in person other than my family! Maggie has been a faithful follower since, taking several of my classes.
I learned so much from these shows. First, always remember to check the camera! Second, not to stress out so much. It may be a day with great sales and if it's not, it will be a great day of making new friends and contacts. I set up 2 more shows before the holidays and was approached about doing classes at someones shop. Managing stores my whole life, I made sure I had all price points represented. That worked well for me. I realize not everyone can afford to buy an original but my journals and wooden blocks were all mini versions of my work that anyone could fit in their budget.
I will definatly do more shows in the future. These were a lot of fun.

One amazing Home

2010-09-28T19:43:00.000-07:00

Quaint kichen

Magic staircase

AMAZING studio

Rooms filled with art

Backyard with ocean view

photos by Beth Livesay

Unbelievable givaway! These photos are of Summerland Cottage Studio in Laguna Beach, Ca. Paulette Adams (owner) and I had workshops here last Sat. Visit her blog, follow, amd leave a comment and you could win a night in her guest cottage that is just as amazing as her house in the above photos. Now mind you, there is an ocean view and the beach is just across the street! Just blocks from the village, you will never have to get in your car for shopping and dinner! For a wonderful description of this home go to http://coutureovercoffee.blogspot.com/ Beth descibes it beautifully. To see Paulette's delightful art and participate in this givaway, just go to http://summerlandcottagestudio.blogspot.com/

A Magical Day

2010-09-27T10:33:00.000-07:00

Goodie Bags in the quaint little courtyard

Bottles filled with bath salts for the girls. Paulette made the exquisite ceramic bottle stoppers and shell "necklaces"

Charming lunch boxes. Yummy sandwiches from the Cheese Cave in Claremont

ahhh, painting is such hard work!

Voila! Cathy's finished projects

The weather was perfect! 106 degrees inland and just mid 80's at the beach. We had a delightful group of women including Beth from Stampington. Beth brought a bag of papers for us to play with which made me very happy. It's like searching through your Christmas stocking for all the wonderful little goodies! After a tour of Paulette's amazing beach cottage, we settled into our first project; a collaged mermaid. There was so much chatter, learning all about one another's lives and creative journeys. I felt like I did little teaching! I am amazed at watching women get in their zones while creating. We all sat down to work on the same project and yet every piece comes out so different. We had pink mermaids, yellow mermaids and even green mermaids. How great is that? We had shy mermaids and mermaids with well...lets just say, a lot of cleavage! They all turned out so whimsically wonderful! We broke for lunch on yet another charming patio overlooking the ocean. More chatting, ocean breezes and great food. After lunch we started our second project...watercoloring on a bisque plate. Again, I was amazed at the skill of these women and how quickly they learned. I was even happy with my little water colors of seashells and starfish and I've never really painted before. Before we knew it, it was 5:00 and I really believed we would have stayed well into the night had Jenelle not had plans that evening. Jenelle summed it up, leaving..."It was a magical day and one I'll never forget." Ditto for me. There is nothing quite like the magic that happens between creative female souls.

Playshop in Laguna Beach

2010-09-16T14:23:00.000-07:00

Ouch! mt picture taking abilities could sure use some improvement! As I get readdy for Chateau de Fleurs this Fri/Sat I thought I would get one more post up about the upcoming Laguna workshop on Sat, Sept. 25. There's still some room so if you are interested please email me or message me on facebook to make arrangements. I will be doing a class where we will make this darling mermaid collage and Paulette Adams will be teaching a class, doing a seashell watercolor on bisque. I was intimidated by her painting until she showed me how and I loved learning the technique. Believe me, I can make a cute girl but a nature artist I'm not. I can happily say I can now paint seashells! This sweet goodie bag will be filled with your projects as well as oodles of other goodies...handmade journals, shells, bookmarks....hmmm, what else can we put in them!

This will take place at Summerland Cottage Studio, an adorable historic cocttage overlooking the ocean in Laguna Beach. The time will be from 10 - 5 with lunch served between classes. The cost is $200. Stop by and see me this weekend if you're planning to go to Chateau de Fleurs...link is on my sidebar for location and info. Hope to see you there!

All Dressed Up And Lots of Places to Go!

2010-09-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

Trick or Treaters soon to be in my Etsy shop

I've been busy, busy, busy! Getting ready for 2 big shows; Chateau de Fleurs this Fri/Sat and Glitterfest, Oct.2. Also I am getting ready for a class featuring my mermaid art in between those weekends! Once again I find myself drawn to making paper doll cuties. For these upcoming shows, I've made these little trick-or-treater banners as well as a couple of others. I love the way they turned out!
I've also made some little wooden plaques that will be featured in the Nov/Dec issue of Somerset Studio. Of course there will be lots of my girls in all their girly glory. I will have originals; framed and unframed, lots of prints and sweet little journals that would make a great gift. If you're local, please stop by and I'll see you there!

Saving Lives

2010-09-03T11:13:00.000-07:00

I know it's silly, but it's tradition. A lot of our vacations have been to Utah or Canada, winter and summer. Since our son was little we have gone on outings looking for moose. And so the tradition continues. In Park City this week, my husband and I decided to take a couple of days to look for the moose. Our first day took us to a beautiful area a bit too perfect. We spotted many men and even a couple of ladies dressed in their hunting gear. Helloooo ladies, aren't we the sensitive ones? Did you not cry during Bambi!! Anyway, on this particular gorgeous drive, we did not see any mooses. I actually get a stiff neck from looking out the window searching thru all the trees! We did see many, many deer families near the road feeding. We knew we had hunters behind us, so with every deer we saw we stopped and yelled run! out the window. We made an adventure of it, silly I know, but fun. But seriously, how could anyone hunt these beautiful creatures? It's the end of the week now and we did not see one moose. We've only seen 2 before and they were both here. So much for the moose hunt...I'm off on the shopping hunt on my last day.

Laguna Playdate Set!

2010-08-27T09:30:00.000-07:00

The playdate at Summerland Cottage Studio in the beautiful town of Laguna Beach has been set!
It will be Sat, Sept. 25 from 10 am - 5 pm.

You will be in awe upon entering the enchanting brick wall of the historical cottage grounds. This charming cottage has it's own old Hollywood history but I assure you it's not the history that will charm you. It's the artistic talents of it's current owner, Paulette Adams that will keep you enthralled thru out the day.

We will begin our day with a 3 hour ceramic class. Don't worry. there will be no wet, messy clay involved here. It will be pure painting pleasure with Paulette and you will take home a beautifully decorated ceramic item for your home. Her ceramic pieces are pure eye candy.

We will break for a gourmet box lunch catered by the Cheese Cave in Claremont. Between all the delectable goodies we will chat, laugh and share creative secrets on the lawn overlooking the ocean.

Back to another 3 hour class where you will create a much layered, finely detailed mermaid collage taught by me! I will be teaching lots of collage layering techniques that will inspire you to come up with your own projects whenever your creative spirit arises. At 5:00, our day of creative bliss will be finished but feel free to stay and do the town that evening. It's just a few short blocks away! Nothing like keeping the creative fever blazing than food and drink with new friends!

We have incredible...and I mean incredible goodie bags for all!

The cost for alll this? Just $200 per person. $100 deposit due by Sept. 14. Please email me for info regarding how to make the payment. artsyfartsy25@hotmail.com Thank you!

Please feel free to visit Paulette's blog to view her stunning artwork at http://www.summerlandcottagestudio.blogspot.com/

pLAyDaTEs Are Not Just For Kids

2010-08-24T21:58:00.000-07:00

I think playdates are important. One day last week I went to Laguna Beach to spend the day playing with my friend Paulette. We brainstormed ideas for art, classes and retreats. Revisit my post "Two Brave Souls"to meet her. I can't even begin to describe her home. This historical seaside cottage is just blocks away from the charming village of Laguna. Paulette's talents as an interior designer are very apparent as you walk through this delightful home but it's her gift as an artist that just makes my jaw drop. The cottage is like a candy shop. You don't know if you want to look at the pink candy or the green candy. You don't know if you want to taste cherry, lemon or lime. There are so many flavors you just simply don't know which way to turn. One thing is for certain. you are filled with inspiration and you want to go back for seconds and thirds. As we sat at the studio table, I created my paperdoll banners and had this most beautiful view of the Pacific. Even better was all of the delectable ceramic pieces she has created. You can see some of them in the background. We talked of art, crafts, workshops, and the inspiration that comes between brave souls who come together in the name of art.

I am pleased to announce that we will be hosting an all day playdate in September. Put the 26th on your calenders...more details to follow later in the week.
I can tell you there will be wonderful food, wonderful workshops and of course the most wonderful party favors in a most wonderful place where only creative brave souls dare to meet! Stay tuned...playdates are important!

Does Your Art SpEaK to You?

2010-08-20T09:11:00.000-07:00

Do you notice the exact moment your art speaks to you? This is the first glamour girl of a collection for some upcoming art shows this fall. I am doing Chateau de Fleuers in Sept. and Glitterfest in Oct. Both shows have a vintage glam feel to them and called for a different feel to some new pieces. Last weekend I was given some paper from a student in a class I was teaching in Claremont. One of the great things about teaching classes is people are always giving me amazing paper scraps. You can read more about this class at http://www.coutureovercoffee.blogspot.com/ This is Beth Livesays blog who is an editor at Stampington Magazines. She was in the class and as exciting as that was, I was nervous! She was a lot of fun and I had a great time with her. She is filled with so much talent! Anyway, I was given this paper that was pink and a sort of mustard paisley on a gray background. Not colors I would normally choose but I found something striking about it. I found other paper to compliment it and set out designing my glam girl. I painted the background gray (I have never done that!) I tore lots of different papers into thin strips and adhered them to my canvas with Modpodge. I felt the background was too bold so I paainted a very light wash of white across the entire piece. Wanting more white in the background, I turned to one of my favorite techniques...printing with bubble wrap. Once satisfied with the background, I set out to make the girl. I wanted her old Hollywood glamorous. She's wearing a draped, I'm sure it's the finest silk top, bearing a lot of back! Her skirt is flowing to her ankles just ready to move into a waltz with the most handsome man in the room. It was about this time that this piece started speaking to me. She was not old Hollywood at all. She wasn't even American! She was decidedly French. It was like she whispered it in my ear! So French she was. It was then I thought she needed a chandelier in the background and jet black hair with a touch of gold highlights. I'm thinking I like doing glamour girls...at least this week!

Here Comes the Bride

2010-08-17T11:21:00.000-07:00

I was asked by a good friend if I've ever done brides before. This has been something I've wanted to do for a long time but just haven't gotten around to it. I even saved wrapping paper from my neices bridal shower to do one for her. Now that my book is done (yay) I can focus on trying new things.

My friend, Darlene sent me a photo of her daughter-in-law and I was instantly inspired. Not only did her dress have TONS of ruffles, her hair was in the usual upsweep but had a little sprig sticking up that was absolutely ADORABLE. I had to do this piece!

I set off to shop for papers. I was lucky...most of these were at Joanns because they were basic white on white bridal stuff. Then off to the scrapbook store for the special stuff. I found a paper with this beautiful lace heart and the "Lovely" diecut. Her bouquet was white roses with hot pink and orange mixed in....gorgeous! I found this hot pink paper, probably left from Valentine's Day that had tiny little hearts and words written in the prettiest script. I cut out the words, happiness, love and laughter and have them sprouting out from the bouquet. These are words that marriages live by and if you can just remember the laughter in good times as well as tough times you shall succeed in this marriage thing. I suppose I can say this, my 28th anniversary is next month and I know a thing or two about it! I really like the way she came out. I hope Darlene likes it as much as I do.

Here is the next one I did. The picture is not too clear on this one. This is my neice. She used navy blue in her January wedding and it was stunning. I love the background papers for this piece. Her dress was a simpler line than the dress above so I thought I would be a bit more dramatic with the background. I wrote with a white chalk marker "And after the beautiful bride said I do, they lived happily ever after." This will be her Christmas present this year and I will make a print for her mom as well. These were so much fun to do. I can't wait to do another! Thanks Dar, for the inspiration!

Letting Go

2010-08-12T11:08:00.000-07:00

I have had a totally uninspired August so far. I finished my manuscript on July 30th and have had a kind of lost, now what feeling since. I do have lots of things planned out for fall but have had that feeling anyway.
Since I have not had those artistic feelings I decided it was time to do some work on the house. This is my tiny powder room downstairs. I painted the sinkbase probably 12 years ago when I saw these darling pottery benches in the accessory displays at Nordstrom. I loved the color combos but knew my little house could not possibly use another piece of furniture so I decided to paint the sink base instead. My husband was away for the weekend climbing Mt Whitney so I figured that was the time. It's always easier to do projects when he's gone so I don't have to hear "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Well, I remember having my son saying "Are you sure dad's going to be alright with this?" It's never easy making a decision to completely change something in the house, especially something mounted to the walls! I loved the way it came out tho, and I still love it to this day.
Our walls were papered during the 80's wallpaper age and when we tore the paper down we had the walls professionally painted. We have always done things ourselves but we were doing pretty good financially when we decided not to paint the kitchen and bath at that time. After 2 years the paint started chipping like crazy. I think they didn't get all the wallpapaer paste off or it could have been cheap paint, but whatever, it was a mess! So I papered the walls 3/4's the way up with a green and white stripe and did a black and white checked border above it. It was adorable but time took it's toll on the wallpaper and having 2 males in the house didn't help matters! I have been putting off redoing this because I absolutely loved this room and didn't know what else to do with it. Peeling, chipped walls or new wallpaper that doesn't cost an arm and a leg? I just didn't want to let go.

So, last weekend I tore off all the paper and sanded the walls as best I could. I primed and painted. There were still some crackels and damage lines from an old chair rail (again the 80's!) I decided to just go with it and washed some white over the new vintage green color. I wiped it with a sea sponge and at times the white became chalky looking settling into the crackels, lumps and bumps. While doing it I wasn't sure I liked it and felt totally defeated on my already uninspiring mood. When I went back in and tore off the blue painters tape and put some things back on the counter, I just stood back in ahhh. I loved it. Here is the finished bathroom. I still have to do some finishing work. The color is a bit lighter than this picture. The mirror? My first attempt at mosaic.Its made with broken dishes and has words woven throughout with those little alphabet beads. There is half of a tiny flower pot with a bluebird sitting on the edge. The bird broke off my son's piggy bank that I bought while pregnant. There are also these cute little ceramic duckhead knobs (oh those 80's!) on there that I can hang things on. The plate? my little creation that I love! As soon as I put her in her place, she sold on Etsy this morning! I think I will go put some more things in here that's in my Etsy shop!

Making Beauty From BrOKenESs

2010-08-01T18:02:00.000-07:00

Just finished a two day workshop teaching mosaic on pots. I forgot how much fun this was. I was cleaning my studio and really needed to make space to be better organized and decided to get rid of all my mosaic supplies. I had really burned out on this a few years ago and knew it when it took a year to finish a commissioned piece. Instead of tossing everything, I decided to teach some classes to get rid of all the odds and ends.
The process of mosaic is very calming. We used broken dishes, seashells and lots of small tiles. As we were piecing it all together I couldn't help but notice how this process mimics our lives and my own spiritual walk. As each broken piece gets glued to the pot, you are in essence, trying to make something beautiful from brokeness. Isn't that exactly what God is trying to do with each one of us every single day? In the process, some of the pieces fall off just as we do striving for perfection in our lives. Just like the pieces of glass, we get picked up and put back onto that pot and try to hang on only to fall off once again. Perfection in these pots, just as in our lives is not possible but after finishing, we found we had indeed made something beautiful from all the broken pieces.
I could have thrown out all of my shattered shards but I'm thankful now that I didn't. Our God doesn't do that with us...no, He makes us into something beautiful no matter how many times we fall. Ok, so it's Sunday and I'm feeling a bit spiritual, what can I say?
The pot above was not made in the class. I did a more basic teaching of the craft. Each pot came out so unique to each personality and it was an enjoyable experience getting to know these women this weekend. The pot above took a bit of intricate cutting and planning to get the face. The rim is filled with shells, coral, buttons, sea glass and much more. She has enjoyed her stay in the yard this season filled with chamonmile. The herb is fading and I think her new hair will be made of succulants.

Workshops, Crazy Busy!

2010-07-25T21:19:00.000-07:00

http://urbanbarn155.blogspot.com/

I have been extremely busy these last couple of weeks, which is a good thing. I have no idea what posessed me to schedule 5, yes 5! workshops and 1 art fair in the latter part of July when I have a manuscript due Jully 31! Well I got thru it all and I'm almost done with the book except for some final tweaking. These pics are of a workshop that I did at The Urban Barn in Escondido, Ca. The place was gorgeous as usual and since it was their grand opening weekend there were lots of festivities planned.

Thes pics are of a city sponsored art and music festival in which they paid me a nice amount to do a 45 min. workshop with 25 kids. Now I've never really worked with kids before, but it was a lot of fun and they were all very well behaved, thank goodness. We made 8x10" collages that turned out super cute. All the materials were donated to me which made it even nicer. I set up a small table with my goodies to sell and just kicked back and listened to music all night and talked to lots of great people. Got a nice list going of women who want to take workshops......not until the manuscript is done!

I am planning a workshop that will take place in a beautiful yard overlooking the ocean, probably in September. The theme will be beachy...I will post details later but not until manuscript is done! I f anyone is interested please email me. I promise fun in the sun and lots of good company.

2 BRavE SoULs

2010-07-18T19:16:00.000-07:00

I was stuck in beach traffic forever it seemed. When I arrived at the higgledy piggledy wall made of used brick going every which way with seashells, rocks and ceramics mixed in here and there, I was completely enchanted. I rang the bell and when the green doors opened, the pretty blond said "We are really brave souls." I laughed because I knew exactly what she meant. The night before I started thinking that I must be out of my mind to be meeting someone from blog world at their home and not a coffee shop. But then I thought there's probably not too many serial killers preying on middle aged women at their million dollar beach houses! I walked into a courtyard made of the same wavy bricks, with the cottage style home just ahead, the grey ocean in the background. This cottage was amazing, something surely out of a magazine but of course she is an interior designer so it had to be wonderful.
I met Paulette because of my whiny post where I complained about being jobless and not knowing for sure where my life was headed. Poor Paulette, she was worried I was going to loose my home and starve. But in my whiny,woe is me mood, I was of course being dramatic because that is what we writer/artist types do sometimes. Being very much the encourager, we talked for hours one night on the phone before I headed down there last Friday. The hostess was as delightful as the house I am glad to say. We painted ceramics, ate a wonderful healthy lunch and trekked into town on foot for shopping and dinner.
She is an amazing artist and I must admit I was in awe of her large studio. It was crammed full of her creations and gave me the much inspiration I've needed. There was a beautiful one-of-a-kind vase she made that I couldn't take my eyes off. Of course I brought down some of my goodies to show her and there was a piece she liked of mine and suggested a trade. It was difficult to pick a piece. Seriously, I will take a picture of her studio when I go back and you will understand why!

After dinner we arrived back to the cottage after dark and I made one last stop to the bathroom before heading home and when I came out she was holding the gorgeous turquoise vase. I'm sure my heart stopped for a few seconds as she handed it to me. What an amazing day it was and I have my beautiful vase sitting here to remind me of our brave day.

Paper Dolls

2010-07-07T10:58:00.000-07:00

I"ve been busy, busy getting ready for some art shows. Now I've never done a show ecept for gallery shows, so I don't quite know what to expect. I've been making paper dolls and bookmarks for a craft fair next week. I need lots of inexpensive goodies for this show and lots of kid stuff. I will also be doing a hands-on collage demo during this show which will mostly be kids and their moms. Lots of fun!

I was a major paper doll fan as a kid. I had Barbie of course, but also, Samantha from Bewitched, Ellie May from The Beverly Hillbilliies, That Girl and Haley Mills, just to name a few. I could spend hours cutting out the clothes and then designing and coloring my own to cut out. I suppose this is where it all began with me and my paper obsession. It was good training!

Color!

2010-06-27T14:17:00.000-07:00

I love working with color in unexpected ways! This is a color combo that I would not normally sit down and use. Not because I don't like the colors. These are just not colors that I wear or have in my home. I found a turquoise paper with purple flowers on it and thought it was beautiful! There is the tiniest strip of it on this piece that inspired me to use the 2 colors together and I really love the combo. Sometimes we get into color ruts and have to move in a complete opposite direction. It's very refreshing to me when this happens. I'm sure this cutie will find a home filled with purples and teals somewhere and she will be quite happy!

"Lulu" can be found at http://www.trashallamode.etsy.com/

Published!

2010-06-24T21:02:00.000-07:00

Print available at http://www.trashallamode.etsy.com/

Yea! I'm in the July issue of Somerset Studio magazine. I just got my copy and love it! I have an article featuring fashion art made of trash. I used lots of newspaper for these 3 pieces. I had papers from Montrreal, France, Italy and Thailand. I so hope there's nothing bad written in these languages because the girls and their dresses are so cute!

What i've Been Up To This Week

2010-06-18T13:38:00.000-07:00

There are those days when I think to myself "what made me ever think I could do this?" Last August on a whim I wrote a book proposal to North Light books, one of the top arts and crafts publishers in the country. On that day I honestly thought it would never happen but it would be good experience for me. Much to my surprise, the aquisition editor loved the idea! By December I signed the contract. I worked daily for 3 months on the artwork and the featured projects. About 30 pieces later I was whisked off to Cincinnati for the photo shoot. It was an amazing time. I felt like I was supposed to be doing this. For the first time in my life I felt like I was in my element.
Well.....let me tell you....the last few weeks have been the extreme opposite! Literally for weeks I could not sit and write. I was completely paralyzed, wondering how I was going to pull things off. This week out of the blue, I have been able to write. Yep, 6600 words yesterday. Call it a deadline, prayer, panic or a bit of all three. I could write! The first chapter is absolutely the hardest and I finished it last night. It's about sketching and it's not easy instruction at all! But I am happy with the way it turned out. I am happy with the voice I finally found. These 2 fashionistas will be in the beginning of chapter one. Well, I best get off and start chapter two.

Urban Barn Class

2010-06-10T22:24:00.000-07:00

I am so lucky to be teaching a class at the Grand Opening of The Urban Barn in Escodido. When I first walked into this shop I was in total ahh. Crystal chandeliers dripping from the ceiling, vintage tiaras and my favorite, French script everywhere! It was in one word... heaven. Beautiful jewelry, home decor...I couldn't even begin to describe all of the yummy goodies here. You have to visit their site to see it all!

http://urbanbarn155.blogspot.com/

Letting Go and Moving On

2010-06-07T08:40:00.000-07:00

I received a few emails regarding my post where I decided to have a tantrum and rant and rave. I think I need to clear a few things up. I am not losing my house and I am not starving (believe me, I think i would live a long time without food with this bod!) Was just feeling some frustrations and after putting them out there, it gave me a huge feeling of letting go. I have such great things happening in my life right now and am forever grateful for them. Any woman at a crossroad in her life is bound to feel a bit down and I really feel you must acknowledge those feelings (just not more than one day) and then move on.
Thank you to all for your good wishes and positive thoughts. It's amazing how a few words from people you don't even know can help!
I had a most productive weekend. I talked to the owner of Stamp Your Heart Out in Clarremont and will be teaching a class in her shop in July. I can't wait. This is such a great little shop that has supported my endeavors since starting this creative biz. I also designed some new ceramic pieces and will be painting them this week in hopes of getting them fired by the end of the week. I'm working on teacups and saucers as well as a vase. I made a few of these little wooden chunkies (pictured) that I will be selling in a local fair this month. I liked the way they came out so I made more only painting my girls onto them. Adorable! Because they are only 3 inches square. So cute!

Gratitude

2010-06-02T19:14:00.000-07:00

I have had some major mood swings lately and that can make for some difficult postings, so I have avoided this whole blogging thing! I am taking the Kelly Rae Taking Flight class and today's post happened to on blogging so I thought I needed to post whether I want to or not! I decided to focus on gratitude today. This photo is a view that I get to see every time I walk in my front door. When you walk in the door you look beyond the living and dining rooms into the backyard. This was taken a couple of months ago when most of the country was still getting snowstorms! I am so grateful that I get to see color almost every day of the year from my windows. It can be so inspiring!
I am grateful for this class because it is making me slow down and think, where I want and need to go next with my creative journey. I am grateful for the art show I am participating in next month even tho it is small and has no major following. I am also grateful that I met a most wonderful woman Mary, who has asked me to teach a class at The Urban Barn which has a huge following of the most delightful ladies you could ever imagine. I am grateful I was asked by Jenny Doh to share my story on Crescendoh.com. By the way it's posted this week! My journey has been a crazy one...baby steps and huge steps with no reasonable order but I suppose most journeys are that way. I am grateful no matter the size of the steps, I am always moving foward.

The bumpy, lumpy, windy path of the creative journey

2010-05-27T14:31:00.000-07:00

It has been one of those mornings...no one of those weeks. Self pity, woe is me, a bit of hopelessness. Tears, anger, frustrations. Reading scripture, crying my eyes out, feeling alone, reading more, feeling hope, KNOWING that this shall pass and sunshine will find its way out of the clouds but the lump never really leaving the chest and the eyes never really totally drying.
I am feeling abit overwhelmed lately. I always felt like I was on the right path and that path would stay fairly straight because basically I always did the right things. Little did I know that when I lost my job a year ago would I be put on this most creative bumpy, lumpy, windy path with such a vague map to follow. Now I'm pretty spiritually minded, but am not one of those people who seem to effortlessly hear God's voice and follow the map that was designed just for them. When I found myself jobless I felt the door closing but I did feel another opening and still do. I found myself praying heavily some days asking for concise direction and I would not by coincidence find an email with an order or an email from a woman who admired my work and needed encouragement to find her creative side, or an accepted submission for a magazine on the very same day. Ok God, I KNOW I'm supposed to be traveling this creative road but the time has come where I need to find a job and make some money. It's not like I'm asking for a job with a lot of money attached, I'm not. I'm not asking for an important job telling people what to do all day. I'm not! Just something to help pay the bills, feed the tummies and maybe even keep the house!

I could also use a bit more help on the creative road that I was put upon last year. Just a little insight on how to create a bit more income there. Afterall the more I can do on my own, the less I have to depend on others.
Ok my pitty party is over and done with for the rest of the day. I will not even go back to the job sites again today. I think I will paint instead!

French Knots and Ric-rack

2010-05-25T15:10:00.000-07:00

Ric-rack. There's something about it that evokes wonderful childhood memories. Cards of it made their home in my mothers sewing box. It was found on her aprons, embroidered guest towels and pillowcases. Yes, along with those memories come smells...homemade cookiies, lavender soaps, you get the idea. So out came the ric-rack when I decided to do some embroidery projects. I have always loved the simple process of hand embroidery. I was taught one very hot summer when I was about 10, when i was oh so bored. My mother brought out all of her supplies from when she was younger and taught me this lost art. That summer I made many tea towels and pillowcases from the most delightful vintage patterns from her stash. At the time they were so old-fashioned...bumble bees hanging up laundry with a saying "Be clean". You can imagine how corny that was in the day of flower power and peace signs! Of course after learning the process I went on to create my own designs to decorate my jeans and peasant shirts.
I have so wanted to pick up the hoop and needle again and thought my dress designs would be adorable on these towels. How I love french knots. They seem to add the most feminine touch to any design. And of course the absolute finale touch had to be my beloved ric-rack! I think these may have to become kits on Etsy in coming weeks. Stay tuned!

Oh and by the way, my original tea towels from many years ago are now gracing my kitchen a good 60 years after my mother bought these patterns at Woolworths for 25 cents. How lucky is that?

Plates are not just for food

2010-05-17T10:48:00.000-07:00

I seem to have a thing for plates lately. I used to do a lot of mosaic work where I would use broken dishes in my pieces. I have a huge collection of plates from those days and decided to hang some on a very large boring stair wall. I love the way it turned out and oh, the color! My next project will be incorporating some into the garden. Maybe a parade of colorful plates bordering a flower bed? We'll see.
My son gave me 12 bisque plates for Christmas and I finally finished painting them all. The thing I love about painting ceramics is you never know how it will turn out. Because the colors you paint with aren't even close to being true, it's a total guess on the outcome. I love the anticipation of waiting for the firing to be done. I now have 12 pretty little dessert size plates. Can you just see a cute cupcake or a piece of cheesecake drizzled with pink berry sauce served on these little cuties?

3 Followers...Yay!

2010-05-12T11:36:00.000-07:00

The roses are in full bloom now and the backyard is the most beautiful place to sit and write while I have my morning coffee. I prefer the process of writing in longhand as opposed to sitting at the computer. It's easier for me to compose my thoughts in such an inspiring setting. I will usually sit at the computer late at night to put my final words in whatever I am working on at the moment.

My biggest roadblock to this whole artist thing has always been and continues to be networking. I work on it everyday whether it's adding friends to fb, commenting on a blog (thank you Juliette) or messaging someone I don't know about their art. It's all about the baby steps. Since my endeavor into the art world 2 years ago, I have made great strides and will continue to conquer the networking thing. I am greatful to all of the artists out there who are so supportive and helpful to me.

Oh...and I have 3 followers now! How exciting is this? See, it's all in the baby steps! You 3 are my first steps...thank you ladies!

Mother's Day Brunch

2010-05-11T16:11:00.000-07:00

My kids took me out for brunch on Mother's Day. It turned into a big fiasco, receiving some of the worst service I've ever had in a restaurant. I felt so bad that they paid so much of their hard earned money for it. We made the best of it though, because after all we were together. As we sat waiting I couldn't help notice the pretty "older" ladies with their pretty hats and their Sunday best on. They made me smile in a not so great situation. I think more women should wear hats. Gloves too. I think the world would be a prettier place to live in.
Couldn't help but be inspired by women like that. I came home and after a nap started this collage. I love the way it came out!

Have a Little Faith

2010-05-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

As I continue to write this blog, I realize I must have a little faith.
I was in a scrapbook store last week called Scrapbook Island in San Jose. I had never been there and saw (and bought) so many papers I had not seen yet. The colors are gorgeous and prompted this little collage.
The message is to myself as I embark on the next phase of my book...Collage Couture, by Northlight books, due out May 2011, new workshops this summer and coming up with new ideas with my art. I've been in a bit of a slump lately and the colors of all these papers sort of woke me up last weekend. I ended up making three new collages using this color scheme. They all look like sisters so I shall call them the Tree Sisters series. I continue to be insspired with these colors as I work on some vintage embroidery pieces to be made into kits eventually.

Should I or Shouldn't I?

2010-05-06T16:47:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been told by many that I must start a blog and I know it's true I need to. But I keep telling myself why should I? Who really cares what I have to say or what I am doing? Then I realize how many blogs I love to read every day. I think creative souls do care.

In this world of art and publishing it is very important to blog. I have always believed that us creative types must be there to support and inspire one another and this is obviously the best way to do that. It does feel a bit strange tho.

I have no idea where this blog will take me. I really have no idea if it will remain just about art or if it will go in a more personal direction. We will just have to see.

I suppose I should tell you a bit about myself. I have been drawing fashion since I was 8. I am not particularly girly, I am more of a jeans and tee shirt kind of girl but but I love drawing girly feminine and sometimes glamourous fashion illustrations. Two years ago I took my love for paper, fashion and mosaics and put it all together into my fashion collages. I really liked the way they turned out so I wrote an article and submitted it to Somerset Studios magazine. It was published and from that point on I keep submitting and to my delight they keep accepting.