A Little Birdie Told Me...

I've been totally in love with working on these journal pages lately...

I feel like they 

are a 

thread, 

tying parts of my art life together

weaving in and out

from page to page

leaving me with 

a road map of ideas

to 

turn into 

big colorful art.

I'm amazed at what this process has been growing... 

I find it not only a way 

to explore my paint process, 

but to think about words

and have some fun 

with the pages I pulled out from the book.

Oh the possibilities!!

So... I'm whispering now...come close... 

I've gotten a huge response to my journal postings 

and have been asked by some 

to teach an ecourse on watercolor. 

It's on my radar, and I am working out the details.

If you think you'd be interested in an online class

feel free to drop me a comment with any thoughts,

request's etc. 

Also, I am getting close to launching an official website.

Woo! Hoo!  It's been in the works, 

and getting closer to complete.

And finally... tomorrow... Sunday...

I am officially introducing art prints to my etsy store!

These prints are made from my journal artwork in limited editions.

The colors are vibrant and a true match to the originals.

Printed with a Canon Pro 9000 printer 

using Epson Ultra Premium Matte Paper

 created. 

 a lovely reproduction.

I am offering a 20% discount to all you lovelies that visit here. 

I am forever grateful for 

your kindness, encouragement and support.

Mention the discount code: BLOOM when ordering.

Only one coupon code per order.

Linking up to Jennifer and the lovelies over at  StudioJRU 

Come on over and have a peek!

Where I am at today, is where I am supposed to be.

Nothing feeds the center of being 

so much 

as creative work.

~Anne Morrow Lindbergh

I've been thinking a lot lately about this process... this artistic journey we are on. 

So I'm jotting down some artistic ramblings today...

(heart thoughts...)

where I am at today, is where I am supposed to be~ 

even though there are so many parts of myself that feel 

like they are being pulled in different directions.

where I am at today is where I am supposed to be~ 

even though, I feel like I am not doing enough to make more happen.

where I am at today is where I am supposed to be~ 

because I know that I am one who believes in "trust"~ 

trust in the process~ 

trust in the ONE who gives me all that I have.

where I am at today is where I am supposed to be~ 

because I know that there is growth happening

because I've always believed that dreams 

are made to be sought after

and

because the soil in the garden has been tended to 

and is rich and dark and fertile.

I am where I am supposed to be...

So a few new pieces and some exciting news...

(twig2nestStudio.etsy.com)

I made these new designs for a little gift shop 

that has taken me on consignment. 

This is my first consignment venture and 

I am doing a major "happy dance."

It's a beautiful church store in Westlake, California 

with a lovely proprietor.

I created a line of pieces that are Spring like, 

softer in color and can be personalized for Weddings.

St. Maximilian Kolbe Church of Westlake

My pieces are at home in this beautiful place...

and I am where I am supposed to be.

Hanging out with Jennifer and other creatives at STUDIOJRU

Click the link to take a peek at what everyone has been up to this week.

BTW... next post I've got some shout outs to some lovely creatives, 

their work, and some beautiful gifts... pop back anytime!

It's all about a sign....

It thought it would be fun to share what I think may have eased 

my nervousness before the Patchwork event last week. 

I was so worried about preparing a booth, 

sharing with a friend and coordinating our styles.

And in the end, I realized... 

it was all just an extension of what I normally do,

 when I take a table at an event! 

But with a cool sign! 

I wanted to share how I made this pendant sign, 

because I see so many versions of these at shows, 

and I think they are really a sweet way to identify a booth.

When I saw these fabrics, I went crazy~ the perfect addition 

to my colors, and logo for the booth.

I bought a yard of each, but used probably only a quarter yard for the sign pendants. 

I was sooooo happy to have left over for some outdoor cushions, 

since I'm spray painting some fun color onto my bistro table in the yard.

I measured and cut the triangles with a sharp scissor, 

but a rotary cutter would give an even cleaner edge.

And... heat bond... what a wonderful invention!

Basically Heat bond is a transfer glue sheet that allows you

 to not "have" to sew on certain types of projects.

(Although, a zig-zag stitch would have made it look 

even cooler and more finished.)

I chose a typeface on my computer and ran the letters out large 

for me to lightly trace. 

I used white duck cloth for the inner pendant piece. 

After ironing the heat bond onto the one side of the white pendant material, 

I then ironed the white pendant onto the patterned fabric, and voila! 

A sweet pendant letter.

A sharpie marker worked really well to draw the letters on. 

I was afraid of bleed, but it held the ink well. 

(Of course, sewing fabric letters on, would have looked fabulous- but you know....)

Okay- so here I am in all my nervousness...

Here's the side of my display area. 

It was a fun show with great vendors, a lot of traffic, 

and a touch of nervousness.

linking up to StudioJRU... where there are always some fun artists to visit.

Thanks for stopping for a peek at what I've been up to.

Gifts... Giving & Receiving

And the winner is........ The lovely Jacqueline

Last week was a week of unexpected gifts. I found myself on the  

r e c e i v i n g  end of a few blog giveaways, 

while having a little giveaway of my own right here.

What an wonderful feeling to win something, 

let alone, from a couple of the blog spaces and artists

 that I admire.

(And right before Mother's Day- couldn't have timed it any better!)

On the other hand... what a  d e l i g h t  to be able to give a gift to someone else!!

Thank-you everyone who entered the giveaway.

I am continually amazed to find such sweet, supportive comments here. 

I am so grateful for the continued support and the time you all take 

to drop those seeds of encouragement.

It was hard to choose only one winner.. and so it is, 

that Jacqueline, a fellow flyer from Malaysia, 

will be receiving my little birdie house. 

Jacqueline has a lovely line of creations that she sews by hand. The words 

s w e e t,  l o v e l y,  w o n d e r f u l  a n d   m e r r y

are the embodiment of Jacqueline as well as her creations.

I'll be doing another birdie house giveaway in a couple of weeks-- stay tuned for details.

 

Little Birdie House

Below, was the blog giveaway that came from Jennifer at StudioJRU 

via her shop at DaySpring. 

I am an admirer of her work, and have been longing to purchase one of her pieces. 

I've looked and looked and couldn't decide. I love them all! 

So, I was fortunate to win one~ choice made! 

It came this week and was as fabulous as I was expecting it to be. 

Thank-you Jennifer, Deidra, Johnna, & Mandy. 

The lovely Jennifer 

Below is an art piece from a sweet blog written by Miranda. 

Her post at Easter, was most meaningful and inspired the painting, 

 I am going to be entrusted to care for.

Thank-you thank-you Miranda!

The lovely Miranda

And finally, these lovely handmade eggs, were a gift from 

Sheila of the CAST team on etsy. 

What an lovely group of people!

I am finding the connection to teams on etsy to be invaluable. 

I can't believe her handiwork- it's just beautiful! Thanks so much Sheila!

The lovely Sheila

By the middle of last week I was feeling like I should 

go to Las Vegas or buy lotto tickets. 

I've never won anything in my life, and here I had 3 lovely gifts in one week!

Gratitude to the max!!

In between all of the receiving and giving, I worked on a few new plate designs.

My favorite being...mom  l o v e 

...inspired by, thoughts of my children ~ 

 grown-up and getting more and more on their own ~

leaving the nest, and starting to fly ~

makes me very proud and happy with a smidge of sad, deep down inside.

And it is with "Mother's Day Love" that I leave you, 

with wishes for a joyful and happy celebration 

of all Mother's, on this very special Sunday!

Linking up to StudioJRU sneak peek fridays... 

Stop on by to see some fabulous creative blogs and other artist studio's.

A little of this... A little of that...

    

Where to begin... busy busy week. 

I came across this quote that was very encouraging, and had to share...

Act as if what you do 

makes a difference.

It does.  

~William James

The simplicity of knowing, 

that what we are doing as creatives really does matter...

adds a cherry on top of the sundae for me!

(As do the words I chose for my little birdie painting plate-

a pure expression of how I feel when I am "creating".

If you've been popping in now and then, 

you may have noticed that there are a group of creatives 

that have been linking on a regular basis to studiojru.

Jennifer has been hosting this lovely space  

 where creative gifts are being shared.

I am happy to mention that this week's link-up will be at the (in)courage site.

A wonderful place of inspiration, community, creativity, and fabulous product.

Grab a coffee, a tea, and take a look through-there's so much to see.

Here's what I had been up to...

launching... new moMMy pins 

(personalized pins with your favorite picture)

launching... new biRdie pins

...prepped for a MOPS boutique and happily sold many inspirational plates...

... more prepping

... and planning

... and completing.

There are a few smaller shows on the horizon, but I am so happy about the opportunity 

to be part of a larger show...

Patchwork- Indie Arts & Crafts Festival

This event will take place on May 15th in Long Beach. 

Want to know a secret....

With this venue,  I'll have to prepare a booth space.

A full 10 x 10 space of creativity to sell creativity- yikes!

(Something, I've always been a little freaked out about). 

I am sharing the space, with a friend that I met at a prior venue.

Zazu Faure

Between the both of us, I think we will be able to pull 

something together and make a nice showing. 

Her work is quite lovely- 

sweet plush animals out of reclaimed materials- so well made and stylized.

 I am on a path right now, to continue integrating 

more and more of my own paintings into the plates... 

and perhaps have a few mixed media pieces to bring.

For anyone in Los Angeles- check out the Patchwork website- 

perhaps we'll see you there... at a booth or stolling the show?

If anyone has any thoughts on a booth space they'd like to share- 

feel free to leave some seeds in the comment area.

Any creative ideas are welcome!

Time to check out the rest of the creativity from Sneak Peek Friday.

Thanks for stopping by, and know that 

"Y O U make a difference"!