Grateful to be back....

....I just cannot believe that June 2019

was my last blogpost, but there it is,

and I'm so sorry I've been neglecting to post!

Granted, since then we all have been through

tough times, 

with this current global crisis with

this virus outbreak, and all the stress and hardships

that have gone along with it, 

but I hope family, community

and yes, 

arts and crafts have seen you through.

Especially arts and crafts,

 if you've been stuck at home!

So here's a catch up post,

 of a few bits and bobs

I've managed to play around with. 

I've been craving some art time, 

getting back into my art room with

the boy,

 Barkley the cat, 

(who's just turned 2 years old

last month...time just goes by so fast!).

So here's some of my projects....

First off....

Fabric Painting

Prior to the pandemic, I had started dabbling into Fabric Painting and using my hand carved stamps to create the paintings with.

Using recycled cottons to begin practicing with....

...and experimenting with drawing....

I found it all to be quite addictive....

especially buying the supplies for the project...

...I found getting a selection of these fabulous

 Derwent Pencils just as addictive....

...which Barkley kind of noticed...

...still an ongoing project, lots of practicing and will

later on show you what the outcome will be from all

all this effort....lots of other projects and bits and bobs

have been going on as well...

Even managed to dabble a bit in acrylic canvas painting...

inspired by Barkley...

...although he doesn't think so....

...he's always skeptical....grin...

And my latest of projects,

Artist Trading Blocks

using 

Retro Cafe Arts 

Artist Trading Block Kits

...and using some wonderful scrapbooking papers 

 I found up here in Canada, 

from manufacturers in

Hungary and Poland through a little,

new to me online shop called 

Ninny's Napkins

...with all the other wonderful bits and bobs from

Retro Cafe Art

So as you can see....

even though life's been topsy turvy,

I've still managed occasionally 

to get some art time....

Hope you have too!

Enjoy!

Well finally some real art time....

Hi Ho All of You

So my hubs is in hospital and after a 

frenzied week of details taken care of

extra chores to figure out, and a general

'what the heck'....

now it is a 3 day Holiday weekend here 

Canada Day Weekend with the holiday

on Monday.

Had all of my ducks in a row by Friday,

with the full intention of doing something,

anything creative for myself.

Seems my mojo has been on a slow burn

all week, but what better way to get some

quality creative time....

So I dragged out my big rolling 

rubbermaid cart full of my 

liquid acrylic paints from my 

decorative arts days and grabbed a gel plate

and Walla!

Didn't have the patience or time to drag out

my huge collection of stencils and mark makers,

that would have taxed my brain a little too much currently...

Just wanted to make a pile of colour and designs to 

start a little project with my collection of Mole Skin books...

So once I had all the papers printed on the gel plate

off I went on cutting and pasting pieces into a brand

new blank mini-mole skin book....

My idea is to just take bits and bobs of pages,

even the pages I rolled my brayer out on just

to created backgrounds in the entire moleskin

so as the mood, time and inclination hits me

I can just grab and do some collage, pen work

for a few minutes or for an afternoon....

This part of just pasting them in the book is

creative enough for my brain currently,

picking and choosing which 'pages' might go

well together for backgrounds....

...I find just looking at all the colours is 

uplifting in itself....

...also as I'm pasting them in, ideas are

sparking off in my brain on what to do

on the pages....

So between actually making the pages all

morning, then clean up from it all, 

having the blank mini-moleskin in the ready,

I can now spent the rest of the holiday weekend

pasting away to give the brain some much needed

de-stressing and worrying about the hubs....

...Barkley's worried too about his fur-dad

but more nose out of joint that I'm keeping busy...

GRIN.

So Happy Canada Day

to all of my Fellow 

Canadian Followers

and a 

Great July 4th coming

for all of my American Friends!

Cheers!

How can it be June already!

All I did was blink at Christmas and already

it is half the year gone!

I'd like to say it is because I've been busy with lots of creative time, but alas, not the case this year as it seems...

but there has been bits and pieces of some creative time...

Using some of Tumble Fish Studio's (Retired)

Fabulous Graphics 

seems that Barkley McMuffin Butt Phillips

now almost 10 months old, 

has slowly, but defiantly, demanding that he be my muse...

So be it Barkley, so he's been insisting that I get

back into my digital graphics and have a play

with some of his photos. This one digitally

altered, ( although I am sure his little soul looks like this),

I've printed this out on some cotton fabric with full

intention of quilting and turning it into something...

pillow, journal cover, who knows yet.

At the moment I just enjoy looking at it, and getting 

ideas on how to embellish...hope I don't ruin it!

...and on occasion between 'busy', have managed

to grab a journal or two and add some creative

pages in them...

I have high hopes of looking ahead further into this

rapidly passing year for some more regular and

deliberate art time, with a stored list of ideas

begging to be let loose....

(Graphics from Art Tea Life)

...and I still manage to grab a Artist Trading Coin blank

and have a bit of art time with them on occasion...

I always keep some blanks available, along with pages

of graphics and bits and bobs for that moment you

sit down and have no idea what to get started on...

mojo start ups....grin....

So I guess I should be pleased to say that there is still

some creative time I've been having, just not as

regular as I would like...

but then, these days, we're all busy aren't we.

So here's to us all getting our mojo going!

Make some time 

and

Enjoy!

How can it be March already?

Funny how that happens, you just blink, and you

realize you've lost 3 months.....grin....

I always look forward to Wintertime, with big expectations of lots of creative time and a list of projects that I sometimes spend months planning and thinking about.

Then when it arrives, I end up these days, more like a bear in

Winter, wanting to hibernate.

So I keep in practice, at least every couple of days

with my Artist Trading Coins.

As I find when you keep your hands and head busy

with creativity usually, one thing leads to another.

Last year, I had started a series of 

Artist Trading Blocks

with wonderful, quick and easy kits from

Retro Cafe Art

I loved the Artist Trading Coin 'Spring Fever'

I'd made using paper flowers from

Retro Cafe Art, that I didn't want to just stick

it away in my ATCoin book, so I had a play around

with one of the Artist Trading Block kits and 

channeled a bit of wishful thinking

for a change of season soon.

( Still snowing, raining and general Winter at my home).

Will be adding this one to the collection, that at

some point will take up a wall in the art room.

More nail holes....grin...

Something of which, I am sure 

Sir Barkley McMuffin Butt

will enjoy plotting about reaching up the walls

to get to all the pretties hanging up there.

As you can see, Barkley's growing like a weed, 

and each month as he's sprouting, I'm still playing around

with the artsy apps and digitally changing up his photos.

6 months old, almost 8 pounds, and 28 1/2 inches from

back feet to nose in a stretch. His 1/2 Maine Coon is

regally showing up.

And although he manages to monopolize most of my time

being a kitten mum of a moose kitten, it doesn't change

that we still miss our dear Oliver Howard any less.

I was motivated a few weeks ago, to give tribute to my boy,

after seeing a series of Victorian Sweetheart Eyes, as 

traditional gift of a loved one's eye to give remembrance.

I did my version with a metal frame from Retro Cafe Art,

and chose a photo of Oliver Howard's gaze, which wasn't easy,

as going through the photos to pick just the right one.

Sealed with Glossy Accents and placed on a clear

acrylic mini-easel also from Retro Cafe Art, 

Oliver Howard is there on the mantel in the art room

at a glance when I think of him.

If you're missing a pet that has passed, I encourage you

to try this for yourself, it does give a strange peace to the heart to see it daily as a reminder of how special they are.

And as I said before, still making my 

Artist Trading Coins

here's a few more to have a boo at ....

Using a variety of the wonderful graphics

from all of my favourite graphic designers.

From Tumble Fish Studio (Retired), Crowabout StudioB,

Itkupilli 

and many others...

So it may be March, it may be unseasonably cold

and icky outside, but I do hope you all are 

managing to have some rest, and creative time

in your neck of the woods.

and Barkley says, 

"Be Creative, but don't forget to Cuddle your Pets" 

Enjoy!

May be late but, 

Happy New Year

Just noticed my calendar, and although it is still

technically January, ok, the end of January, 

I thought I'd better get a blog post done for

the beginning of the New Year.

Better late than never....grin...

So my last post last year, I announced and 

introduced you to my new art room buddy, and

our new fur baby in the home, 

Barkley McMuffin Butt Phillips

(graphics used by Itkupilli)

Turns out, Barkley, who is turning 5 months old

today, is a real character...

and during my late night, ok, all night

art fests in the art room, turns out he's great

company too...

And since Oliver Howard's passing, as my muse,

turns out Barkley has given me a bit of a push

at creating some new projects....

Using one of a myriad of downloaded photo

manipulation apps, I've been having a play

with pet photos. Barkley turned out so well,

that he's sent me off on a journey of doing a

myriad of our pet photos spanning 30 years

of 5 dogs, now 2 cats, and many others...

...like this one of our very first dog together, 

Muffy the toy poodle.

So alas, another round of mats and framing to find...grin...

I'm loving that they're so unique in look, just as each

of our dear pets have been unique in their personalities.

And since New Years, there has been some bits and bobs

of other arts and crafts happening....

Still grabbing late night art time and coffee,

and making my Artist Trading Coins.

I have a little 'station' set up on my art desk,

so no matter the time, day or night, if I'm sitting

there, then, there is no excuse to not be doing

something artsy...

it's so easy to get addicted to making these...

And one of the wonderful gifts I received at

Christmas was a Midori Traveler Notebook.

Being that I don't travel any longer, (spent my entire

childhood and 

young adulthood traveling worldwide),

I decided to nickname it, 

'My Not Going Anywhere Travel Journal'

...grin

(graphic from PaperWhimsy, watercolour

with doodles)

Although, I have all sorts of the accessories

tucked in it, like for credit card holding, or even a zippered

pouch for keeping pens, etc. in...

about the only traveling it will see is from room to room,

or an occasional tucking in my purse to use while 

waiting for doctor appointments...HA!

(Graphics from Tumble Fish Studio (retired)

As you can see from the size of the pages, being the 

'traveler' size,

it's a bit different of a page for doing my bits and bob 

graphics collage works in than my usual mini-moleskins.

But totally enjoying the freedom of using it for anything, as it

holds so many insert booklets. 

So there you go, a bit of New Year's artsy mojo,

and hope it might inspire you to get some art going for yourself too!

It'll be a good way to bring in February.....grin...

Cheers!