Trying To Get Into a Creating Groove...

Wow! I really don't know where the time is going.  I thought that once school started I would fall right into a schedule...ha!  I have started to put together my Etsy shop, however, learning the technology is going to take me a few days.  It's not that it's really hard to put the shop online -it's just learning the most efficient ways to do things, remembering to tag this, link to that, and I really don't have a good grasp on HTML.  But I'm getting there:)

I have been playing around with some broken slate pieces and collage.  They are the perfect size for magnets and I have an almost unlimited access to them.  They are fun to do and I enjoy making them, now if I can just get a handle on creating the Etsy page.

I do have a question though for all of you successful, prolific creators;  how do you set aside the time for your art and stick with it?  For example, when the girls started back to school this year I decided that Tuesdays and Thursdays would be my art making days.  This worked well for the first week, but by week two I had school stuff to do on both Tuesday and Thursday.  Also - how do I not feel guilty for working on my art when I have to pass the dirty clothes pile several times a day?  I know - I shouldn't feel guilty but I do. So that is my question for the week - how do you make time for your art and not feel guilty about it?  I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

A Girly Day Making Artist Trading Cards

On Saturday the girls had a few friends over to play. Five little girls running around my house for three hours, what was I going to do with them...

I decided to put together some kits for the girls to make Artist Trading Cards. Thank goodness for my overstuffed craft room! I had all the supplies needed and even had the little totes left over from a birthday party.

Thanks to Strathmore ATC card packs too! Artist Trading Cards were first introduced by an artist named M. Vanci Stirnemann, a Swiss artist in 1997. He created 1200 cards as part of an exhibit. On the last day of the exhibit he invited others to create their own cards and trade with him during the closing reception. After that - an art movement was born.

The girls had a lot of fun creating their cards and were excited to trade with each other. I always find children's art so inspiring - they have no hesitations! Have a Blessed week:)

A couple of finished frames

I have three frames finished for my friend Krista. She requested four and I am working on the last one momentarily...

These are colors that I normally do not work with. I like the colors (in fact my bedroom is olive green), I had just never tried to use this type of color scheme before. Like I have said before, my muses are two little girls, I tend to get very compfortable with the purples and pinks. I really like the way this turned out though, so much so, that I am going to start working with earth tone colors more often.

This frame is more along the lines of what I am used to working with from a color stand point. Lots of victorian pink and reds with some contrasting hunter green...

It feels really good to create something that gives so much joy to someone else. I have one more to finish - look for pictures soon. Both girls are in school tomorrow so I will have the whole house to myself for six hours! Granted I do need to get some house work finished but just the thought of the whole house to myself makes me feel like tomorrow is Christmas:) Have a great week.

Photographic Friday...

Bonnie Brae Farms in Wellington, Ohio, hosted their annual Ohio Outdoor Quilt Festival a couple of weeks ago. The girls and I love going to this event. It's relaxing, beautiful, and relatively inexpensive...

I can't find the words to adequately describe how beautiful everything is.

I believe there were around 350 quilts entered in to this year's show. Some were hand stitched, some were machine stitched, some were new, and some were very old. But they were all beautiful!

What makes this show so nice is that you can walk right up to a lot of the quilts and get close and personal. It's amazing to see all of the fine detail and really hard work that go into these works of art.

I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as the girls and I did:)

Enjoying the last week of summer.

The girls and I visited the Ohio Outdoor Quilt Festival last weekend. What a beautiful experience! The event is held every year at Bonnie Brae Farms in Wellington, Ohio. They are a registered Elk farm. Hundreds of quilts are displayed outdoors on the sides of the farm's outbuildings. I will have more pictures to post on Friday. In the mean time, I thought I would give you a sneak peek at some of the frames I am making for my friend...

Lots of layering, painting, inking and stamping...

And even a little bit of water color pencil...

Lots of texturing, and stenciling...

And even some homemade paper hearts! I hope everyone enjoys this last week of summer:) At least it's the last week of summer here in northeast Ohio - most of the schools in this area start next week. Enjoy.

Experimenting with color...

I have a Facebook friend who has asked me to create several collaged picture frames for her. One of the frames I am making is for a 40 year old man. This has caused me to think outside of my box when it comes to color; my muses are five and seven year old girls! I have completed the frame (I will show pictures of all those frames after I have given them to my friend) but I realized that I really enjoyed working outside my normal color schemes...

I created a frame that used some of my go to colors (pinks and purples) but also experimented with colors that I don't normally use...

I consulted my color wheel a bit and then just started to experiment. Here is what I came up with.

What was so wonderful about making this piece was that once I started - I was too excited to stop. I completed this in about two days! The quote helped as well - it just speaks to me. What sparks your muse?

Photographic Friday...

The past few weeks here in Ohio have been nothing but hot and humid. We had a break yesterday with a high of only 82 (still humid but at least it wasn't 90). The girls and I took the opportunity to go to the park...

Black-eyed Susan's are one of my favorite flowers, I just love their vibrant yellow/orange color.

The girls both enjoyed the day too. It's been so hot and humid - they haven't been outside much. Unless it has been to go swimming or to play in the sprinkler, they haven't wanted to be out the last couple of weeks.

We are almost ready for school to start here; the girls wish summer would never end, I on the other hand am looking forward to the start of a more structured routine again! Blessings:)