live . craft . learn

two parts build. five parts destroy.

i've spent today in my jammies. playing with paint, which was an utter disaster. cutting paper. collecting and building and ripping it all apart again. i feel so lost in my little corner here. unable to get and truly feel what i want to make, and i want to make things so badly. i finally felt successful after about 5 tries. five times i started something and three times it ended up in the trash. fortunately the other items {my creative therapy prompt for next week - above; the beginnings of a ruffled garland - below} i feel good about. i just keep trying to remind myself that the process is just as important as the end result....

i know i'm not the only person who loves making things that goes through this, the slump. you've felt it too right, i know we all have. it just feels so weird right now because i just got back from cha and i feel so inspired. so in love with making things and art. i think it's partly sensory overload and partly because i want to start creating altered art more. i'll have to show you the few pics i took of the 7 gypsies booth, because it made me want to make things out of old things again. it was my favorite by far.

i've also been going over to kari's year of color blog {i'm guest blogging there in october} to read and be inspired by all of the other amazing women who are collaborating with her. such an amazing concept really, each month is a new color inspiration and the ideas, tutorials and pictures are wonderful.

ok.... back to my corner, i may be able to crank out one more project i've been dreaming about for a while.

happy creating.
xo

blurry

 

cha was a whirlwind blurry weekend. shopping. looking, cheescake. buying. inspiration. avoiding celebrities. planning. shuttles. meeting new people. morgans. being with old friends & meeting new. space mountain. seeing people i admire. chocolate fairies. 5am cell phone wake ups. loyalty. executive breakfasts. going to the right airport. meeting subscribers irl. seeing art, noticing the details & coming home wanting to make things. many, many, many things.

it was time wonderful.

it was a blur.

looking back i see the future...

i'm spending some time right now looking back. searching. looking. seeing. knowing. thinking about my life so far and really feeling the seconds, minutes, days, week, months, years and decades that have passed. i feel as if i'm on a precipice, and the steps i take from here on are etched deep with the memories of my past.

i know what i want. i know who i am. i know where i am going.

it all begins with the past.

xo.

personal treasures

i know i'm not the only one who does this. i'm not the only one who uses scrapbooking as a personal journal but i adore it, in my work and in the work of others. the truthful journaling frees me everytime. i love being able to just use my hands and make something, even if the page is as simple and unfussy as the layout above, and then to just purge. get all of those thoughts out of my head and down on paper. i feel refreshed and so grateful to have finally gotten it out, each and every time.

later, a few days after i had created the layout above i re-read my thoughts and it made me happy to know that i documented this for me. just me. i just keep thinking how interesting it will be in a few years, if not 50, when i look back and can visually see and read who i was. to hear my voice right now.

i treasure these pages.

for my mom. i wrote a sweet simple little note in the rolled up parchment. a little wish just for her. a little reminder that she is cherished and loved and that we, those who know and love her most, believe in her with every ounce of our hearts.

i've also been printing directly onto cardstock alot lately. it started because i was out of large photo paper {i've always just printed my pics right at home} and i was too lazy to run to the store. now i'm still to lazy plus a little bit addicted to the way they look. i adore the texture, especially with kraft when you combine a faded filter.

the rest of the kenner road gallery is up and the girls definitely put everything about themselves that inspires me into their work. it is lovely, go see.

happy saturday.
xo

ps : the christmas music and images have got to go. i know this. it's coming. promise ;)

he

makes saturdays at the park feel perfectly perfect... even when this is what he did 75% of the time that we were there.

the weather here in nor cal has been freakishly warm. 70s freakishly warm. t shirts and jeans and flip flops warm. base tan warm. we've got the back slider with the screen open right now {at 9pm} warm. not to make you snow bunnies jealous or anything.

and in case you were wondering, we have cannoli too. HA!

happy monday.
xo