Paint Tubes Galore

I was SO happy to stumble upon this huge set of vintage photo tinting paints. The metal tubes are gloriously old and partially used up. Each one is only about 2 inches in length. They remind me of the oil paints my dad used when I was little. I used to sit in his recliner with him and watch episodes of William Alexander and just be astonished at the end of every one that he started with nothing but a blank canvas and some paint. I also love old metal and I've been working small these days so I thought they'd be a fun element to incorporate into a project.

Tonight was fun. We had our church congregation over for a potluck and a trivia game. The house was full of good food and good people.

Tomorrow I'm off to Berkeley to teach an art journal class. I'm excited because I know that some of my friends will be there. It will be good to connect and make some art.

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{Stuff}

I'm hoping somebody can email me any tips on sewing in signatures. I did the basic stitch on this new journal and I pulled the thread really tight but the stitches on the spine feel loose. Does anybody know why that would be? The pages are very secure on the inside it's just the outside that I didn't understand. I've just started adding a few things to the cover. I'm going to have to paint the leather corners, I'm just not feelin the burgundy.

So...I pass the most glorious dark purple hydrangea bush everyday on the way to drop my kids at preschool. I hosted a murder dinner game at my house Saturday night and I wanted a pretty centerpiece for the dining room table. I decided to drive over to the hydrangea house and knock on the door. So I did and not only did the lady of the house share she was SO nice. She said I could clip some anytime I wanted. How great was that??



And I bought a new man. Just take a googly goo at this beaut. I don't know who he was but I would have run my fingers through his hair anyday.

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Art Journal In Progress

I've spent some time on my art journal this week. It's been fun to sit with pens, pencils, paint and copics, drawing and writing. Here are some pictures of some of the pages, all of which are still in progress.




I forget where I saw this but I liked it so I tried drawing my own.


I finished the cover too...


I'm not afraid of white space but I have found that sometimes a page calls for "filler" here and there. While enjoying and perusing other journals I've picked up a few to try out. I tried some out on a few of these pages, some I like and some I don't. I was amazed at how drawing banners, flowers, and some of the lettering came back to me after 20 years.

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Decluttering

I've had this console in my front living room for about 6 months and it hasn't had anything on it. While cleaning and decluttering I ended up with a bunch of homeless items. I took them all over to the console and arranged them on it. I kind of like how it looks but I'm sure I'll move stuff around some before it's over. I love this piece and it's matching coffee table that I didn't take a picture of. They're sort of French Industrial with the big wheels and this detail...



Several months ago I posted a picture of some huge scissors I found. Today while out shopping on my lunch hour I found their long lost love, a great big button!



Saturday I had two great classes at Green Tangerine in Rocklin. This store is gorgeous and the staff is wonderful. My class takers were so much fun, I definitely want to teach again sometime.

I'll be back later this week to post pics of some projects in progress.

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Canvas Sampler

I've come full circle, I'm back to working on canvas. It is my absolute favorite substrate. While we were camping a few weeks ago I had some quiet time at the table and I wrapped dozens of 1 inch canvases. It's a slow and meticulous process but they are the most adorable little pieces to work on. Last week I worked on these nine and I made a sampler out of them on a 4x4 canvas. I love the color combinations. See the teeny card of plum colored floss? I stamped the image and then copied it at 30%. I was just about to glue it to one of the canvases and then I decided it had to have some actual DMC floss on it. My sister was looking at it today and she laughed and said "...oh no you didn't", to which I replied, "...oh yes, I did".

I got a lovely email today from one of the Stampington editors about a project I sent in a few weeks ago. They informed me that It's going to be in one of their 2010 publications. It was really exciting to hear from them and the good news couldn't have come at a better time. I was knee deep in a spreadsheet when I saw the envelope pop up.

I better get moving, my girl turns 3 tomorrow and this house isn't going to clean itself.

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