Art and Soul - 15 days and Counting

I am counting. I am leaving two weeks from from tomorrow! Can't wait! Watching the calendar!

There are daily posts on the Art and Soul Yahoo group from people planning and packing. I haven't started packing, but I am not going to panic. It'll get done. I am amazed that I finished the fatbook pages and got them in on time! Forty five individual 4"x4" pieces of artwork. I accomplished this in the process of moving, using only the art supplies that I had the foresight to pack in a separate box. My craft room is not yet complete and I am unable to unpack all of my things. I enjoyed the challenge of interpreting the theme into pages. Here they are:


This helps with the anticipation. I have been working on some altered guitar pick charms to swap. I don't know how good they are compared with others but again I have enjoy creating them. I am toying with a mini zine as well. I have so many ideas and so little time. Four days in Virginia - time for myself- taking art classes and socializing and surrounding myself with artistic people....!

Love and Miami

I had such a nice valentine's day! My husband intended on surprising me with an overnight getaway in Miami, but he told me a few weeks in advance to arrange babysitters and kids' activities (C'mon, no guy is that organized. We spent Saturday afternoon in the design district of Miami, checking out the many furniture showrooms and art galleries. After salmon burgers at Soyka, we headed downtown to Brickell Key and checked into the Mandarin Oriental hotel, which is truly lovely. Miami was very crowded due to the abundance of events and activities in the area and the numerous families escaping the Northeastern chill during their February school vacation. Coconut Grove Art Show, Julio Inglesias Concert, and a Flamenco Festival created traffic but we made it to a wonderful Italian dinner on the water.

After a leisurely brunch at the hotel overlooking the water we made our way to South Beach and Lincoln Road for a day of shopping, eating, and best of all, people watching. So many cultures converge in Miami that it is a festival in itself just to be there. We shopped the annual Kidrobot sale and had some Cuban coffee on Collins Ave. The weather was spectacular and we watched throngs of people walk blocks towards their goal of golden sand. Lincoln Road is the most fun place to take a stroll at any time. Outside cafes, independent jewelry vendors, and an endless cast of characters fill the pedestrian-only blocks. It had been a while since I had last visited and was before I began to focus on my current obsession of whimsical and mid century furniture and objects. I was delighted to find a Designs Within Reach store tucked off the mall. While I have constantly perused the online catalog, I had never sat in the many chairs that I ogled at and bookmarked. We got to try out the many Eames and Saarinen pieces. If I can ever find one I can afford, I would flip for Eames Le Chaise for my personal space at home. This chandelier, which blends contemporary with traditional crystal would look perfect in my mixed-look dining room!

My other retail highlight was finally visiting the Jonathan Adler store. Everyone who knows me says this designer's wares are 'right up my alley'. Look at this desk! It just might be 'the one'.

New lacquered bath accessories at terrific prices and yummy colors like lime are due in any time. I can't wait to go back in the Spring after my move!
We treated ourselves to a walk through Books & Books and a gelato before heading home. We had a wonderful, romantic, well-needed weekend alone. We had fun, like an old fashioned date!


When I returned I was inspired to finish one of my collaged journal pages that I had been working on. I have been so behind on working on my crafty things, but I am refreshed and recharged. At least for a day.

Lifes Lessons Learned

I created this collage in my art journal for using the Collage With Crowabout weekly images. I was inspired by the jewish holiday this past week.

Temptation

The collage sheet for the Crowabout weekly collage challenges contained images of a cat, birds, fish, and a bunny. The feline being tempted by her surroundings jumped into my head and this is what was created.

I am excited to attend the only indie craft fair around my area, Stitch Rock. This is it's second year and is held in a vintage gymnasium in Delray Beach. Last year was so much fun - I was so impressed that the first year brought out so much talent. I am always envious of the more craft saturated regions, so any indie events in my neck of the woods is fabulous!

Journaling,Crocheting, Jewelry Making - Crafty ADD!

Crafty ADD - if it was a real affliction, I would certainly self diagnose myself. Of course the cool guy that build a lot of the shelves and wall units in my house is convinced I have regular ADD and thus could never have my own focused business. I don't listen to people like that, oh, no!

I found myself working on my crocheted blanket this morning while my younger son watched Saturday morning cartoons (I still haven't outgrown this.) Following breakfast I water colored and stamped some backgrounds on some pages of my art journal, which I am still enjoying! Around lunch time I found that I had sold a bracelet from my Etsy shop (yeah me!), which is prompting me to get around to photographing more of my jewelry to list. The afternoon found me picking up a few new craft books, one being the Naughty Secretary Club by Jennifer Perkins, who is a DIY tv personality and blogger who I have enjoyed reading and watching for some time. Her book is great fun! The others I will share at another time. I am not a big shopper when it comes to things that I could actually use (new sneakers) but I never pass a bookstore without stopping and never leave without a new craft book or magazine!

My latest artistic endeavor and source of enjoyment has been keeping working on the collages in the art journal.

This was a page from this past week. Fun!

Next endeavor, I think, will be to create an art zine for an art zine swap. I have some good ideas. The timing is a bit tight with the bar mitzvah and the move but frankly creating art and craft is what relaxes, de-stresses, and inspires me. Positive energy. Yes, I think I will do it!

Many Happy Returns - with Journal Pages

I can't believe how long it has been since I paid attention to my blog. Not that I have ever really focused on it. Although I have kept on with it, I have yet to focus on one single aspect of blogging. But I have fun with it, so tough!

Now that the kids are back to school (hurray) I have time to accomplish things during the day. Of course very little of the things that I accomplished have to do with personal enjoyment. Except exercise. I went back to the gym. Have you tried Zumba classes? They are dance type exercise classes with a Latin flair. So much fun! The hour flies by, I sweat and never look at the clock! A lot of back to school volunteer time fills my days. And my son's bar mitzvah preparations. And preparing to move. It's all good.

I have been keeping up with the collage group. I love it. We get a sheet of images and need to use at least three. I am so amused at what pops into my head when I am playing around with the pictures, colors and textures I have to work with. It seems I have a social commentary going on in my work. Great fun!


These were my latest collages. I look forward to Fridays when I get new images. I play with them over the weekend or on Mondays. Final writing and drawing gets done when I sit at my son's drum lessons. I bring my little journal bag with the pens and crayons inside.

My wish now is to take a workshop - one of those great, super creative workshops with inspiring instructors and phenomenal projects. Maybe even travel to one. Not much of that in South Florida. One can only dream.

Journaling for Dummies

Okay, I'm not a dummy.

As I often mention I am a bit obsesses with art craft books, magazines, and zines (and blogs). After discovering Teesha Moore's Art and Life zines and pouring through them, and subsequently reading her blog and how she creates such eye candy, I decided to take a shot at journaling with a more artistic approach.

I have always started(and stopped) diaries and journals since I was a kid. I have sketched in them, too. I have cut and collaged as long as I have been able to hold scissors. I have started in a small, inappropriate sketchbook that is more of a flimsy, spiral bound blank book that I have had for a few years. I have sketches in them dating back 7 years (but I don't have a lot of pages filled yet).

I also picked up a few books on journaling (how could I not! I will share them with you another day). I got out my supplies and followed the suggestions of those journal artists that I admire, which also includes Traci Bautista, who ia a collage and mixed media artist with an often fabulous color palette! They suggest making backgrounds first, then adding layers of color, stamping, etc...Some collage perhaps. Then journaling. While I am not quite ready to write out the details of my days, I did let my mind wander with the background and collages that came to be and put my thoughts with them.

I don't know how people scan their journal pages. Frankly, as you can see from my website, I don't know how people make their websites so visually amazing. Something to think about learning in the future (after the bar mitzvah and the move.)