How fun is this?

I tried out for a Simply Stamps custom stamp team and while I did not make the team they did send me my own customized stamp to try out which was very nice of them. The one they sent me has my address in a thought bubble and the illustrator in me just adored that! The stamps are easy to use and this one is perfect for embellishing.

 I made a card for a friend of mine who dreams of being a mermaid and during the winter months you really do have to fight sometimes to keep that dream alive!

I used my address stamp in the traditional upper left corner of the envelope and then stamped the same snowman on the card onto the envelope.

I just love the "fun-ness" of this stamp, it really makes your mail art so much easier, and hey, easy is fun too!

And of course, once you get started it's hard to stop :) 

I just love making mail art, it's a little more time consuming as with any letter writing adventure but having a fun address stamp to use sure makes it quick and easy and adds a lot of character to your mail!

journaling my thoughts...

Hi everyone, I created an art journal page that I am entering in

The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge

"Put a Stencil on it"

I used one of MaryBeth Shaw's StencilGirl stencils that I got from Stencil Club.

I love January's stencils!

 I used the large one for my background.

I'm also embracing my Goddess Archetype and gearing up for 29 Faces in February .I've never done this and am looking forward to it.

I used my ColourArte Ultra Vivid Metallic paints through the stencil and let them act as a resist when I did a wash of Twinkling H20's over them. Love the effect and I have a video HERE if you want to see how I did this technique.

I even got to use my WOTY - Adversity in it!

Still "unfollowing" friends on Facebook...sigh...I am so tired of seeing how hateful some people are, enough is enough! I'm tired of the right and left wing media stirring the pot and getting people who aren't aware that they are being lead around like sheep so worked up! I'm tired of celebrities who think their 2 cents worth of political advice is something I care about and so disappointed in friends who do think that what a celeb has to say is noteworthy.

Who can resist?

Not me, I'm a sucker for the easy things in life and making a painting using a resist technique just makes it simple and fun to do.

Check out my blog post here which also has the video

Moon People

I have decided that I will dedicate 2017 to learning something new. To experiment and give myself the freedom to try something different, to stay positive and happy. I have become a moon person.

Now you might ask, what is a moon person?

For sure it is someone who appreciates the full moon like the one from last night. I guess that's how I started to become a moonie, by looking for it in the dark night sky, for even in darkness there can be light.

It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light. Aristotle Onassis

All my steps have been gradual ones because, like I said, this is new to me. 

First: I began to research what the full moon names were and what they meant. I art journaled Januarys and did a video if you want to watch. I also made a playlist so I'll be adding each full moon once a month, so it will end up being 12 videos in the end. Please subscribe to my channel so you won't miss the next one.

And now, as of last night, I have taken it a step further and added a full moon ritual. You can do your own ritual but I did mine on my balcony under the light of the full moon. I wrapped myself up in my favorite afghan, lit a candle and some incense and began by meditating about what I wanted to change in my life. 

Releasing. Letting go. Unburdening yourself. Purging.

I wrote down all the things that I considered to be negative energy and when I was done I wrote over that a moon prayer. Then I burned it and released it into the universe and did some mantra type chanting of my "intention" that I set during the new moon phase.

I welcome transformation, I welcome growth, I welcome abundance. 

I began a Facebook group called Moon people and I invite you to join us if you would like to, and learn together about how the moon exerts influence on our lives. Since it's not a constant thing but it comes and goes in cycles, we need to explore how those cycle affect us. Understanding the basic lunar cycles and things of the moon, you can use that information to guide parts of your life.

I'm ready, I'm open.

Are you?

I need your help!

Can learning to edit and shoot better video be a resolution? Well, it's a goal anyway. Please help me by watching 2 videos and offering some constructive feedback, I really need it

Changing it up

 So in this video I inserted a "speaking segment", with me in the camera shot, not something I normally do because normally I am usually in sweats with a serious case of  bed-head all day but they say you want to see who is creating...

so yay or nay? Is this something I should do or not bother with it?

New Angles

Next, this video has me working on trying to incorporate some new angles while shooting so that everything isn't all the same. Trust me, another pain to change tripods back and forth for the lazy creator. 

Again, yay or nay? Is this something I should do or not bother with it? 

read or listen

And lastly, do you prefer someone talking or is text OK? I hate talking because I stammer and stutter over the words ( as you can see from the first video link ) but if I need to change then I will make an effort to do so.

snow and mermaids :) That's how I roll...lol

Well, it snowed alright, but it snowed overnight. Which is a bummer for me because I love to watch the snow falling down, however, I did snag a picture last night. I do like how flash picks up night snow, lol

This morning I had to clear all the bird feeders for my little feathered friends, because as you can see, snow covered everything. This little Downy woodpecker seemed to be just waiting for me to clear the suet feeder.

Looks like this little Chickadee is planning on building his own snowman perhaps?

The Bluebirds immediately began flocking to their mealworm feeder!

I added some seeds to the mealworm feeder and this Cardinal dove right in, didn't need to ask him twice!

And some art, what's a snow day without art? This is my mermaid for the 12 Months of Mermaids Facebook group, come join us! How did I do drawing a baby? I'm not use to drawing babies so this was a true challenge for me.

I am so very lucky to be on the ColourArte Design Team, 

the products are simply amazing!

First Quarter - Waxing Moon

Each phase of the Moon resonates with 

magical significance and astrological meaning.

The First Quarter Moon - Action

Take your projects out there and do something practical about those decisions or wishes you made when the Moon was new.  It provides a burst of energy and forward moving strength and power that you can tap into. Our plans, dreams and ideas are growing and this is a great period to focus on anything which you would like to deepen, grow and commit to. During this time, remember to keep soldiering forward, despite any fears, emotions or doubts that might get in your way. Turn around any emotional energy into creative passion so that you can get things done and finish goals.

entering this in
**ART**Journal*Journey
and
Paint Party Friday

Close up pictures are essential because there are so many layers upon layers of color and texture. This is the moon, isn't it gorgeous?

 I used a skewer to both drag paint onto the page and to scribble lines through the paint while it was still wet. Just crushing on all this texture in the stem of the mushroom.

Are you interested in learning about the moon's phases and how we can learn to use them to our advantage? Well, I am exploring the moons for 2017, at the end of the year I'll look back and see how it did...or didn't affect me.
Want to join me?

Moon people Facebook group

And on a fun note, I got an Honorable Mention over on The Mixed Monthly Challenge blog for my Christmas mermaid. Nice way to start the year off :)

blog post

WOTY - adversity

Word Origin and History for adversity

n.

c.1200, aduersite "misfortune, hardship, difficulty," from Old Frenchaversité "adversity, calamity, misfortune; hostility, wickedness, malice"(Modern French adversité), from Latin adversitatem (nominativeadversitas) "opposition," from adversus (see adverse ).

Ok, so I will be the first one to admit that "adversity" is a strange word to pick, not the normal uplifting vibe that most want for their word, but for me it fits. I'm a kind of a glass half full kinda gal who doesn't try to let myself get down in the dumps when faced with a challenge or a "bump in the road"...sure, adversity, it happens to all of us but it's how we react to those circumstances that controls who we are.

Now if I could just overcome writing in a straight line, sheesh, I'm even using a straight edge and I manage to still be crooked. lol 

January full moon - The wolf moon

The January full Moon is called the Wolf Moon and it is the first in my 12 month long series dedicated to the full moons. Once a month I will journal about that particular full moon and the folk lore attached to it. I hope you join me on my journey by subscribing to my Youtube channel. 

The series begins with Prelude to the Full Moon with some basic moon lore that you might enjoy reading about. Also, if you like to draw full moons, maybe in your art journal or painting them on a canvas, or take photographs, create digital art.....ALL mediums are welcome!! Please join me HERE on Facebook to share what you do. 

Angst in the middle of meditation

I know they had a good reason to think that folding cranes on New Years day would bring a little peace and harmony to us. It sounds reasonable, candles were lit, meditative music was playing and everyone was in a good mood...

Until we began to learn how to do the folds. You could hear mutterings of..."how do I do that again? and it's not working? and this is a lot harder than it looks!" were mumbled sometimes quietly and sometimes not so quietly due to frustration. The lady next to me displays her 4 cranes that took her 2 hours to make.

I wasn't much better, I think I spent the first hour like most squinting at the written directions or staring blankly at the video waiting for it to get to the section you were working on only to have it speed up cause you took your eyes off the screen to glance back at the creased piece of paper trying to comprehend what fold you forgot only to look back up and find the video now 2 steps ahead of you... so you sigh with resignation and glance at your neighbor wondering if they could possibly help only to realize they were in the same predicament! It was quite comical and we all enjoyed laughing at each other and at ourselves.

Here are my 10 swans....mostly done in the last hour after I finally figured out the square fold....I never knew making a square could be so complicated!

I did bring some paper home with me to make some more to bring back. They had planned on making a thousand cranes but came nowhere near to their goal.

Meditative, not really, but it was entertaining in a frustrating kind of way, lol