Journal January 2011 - Day 8

Day 8 revolves around vertical journaling.  I chose to go with the page of the African Veldt that I painted for my zoo zebras and also work with the page that is the back of the stripey "window", making this a 2 page spread.

Up and Down - full two pages

Left page - in a few days there will be a dragonfly to view through this reverse side of the stripey window. I also added some left over pieces of my zebra mandala to keep my zebras playing in my journal.

  Right page - Journaling vertically is more of a challenge than one might think. Took a bit more concentration than I imagined before I started.  Even though the letters are English, I think the journaling part looks almost Oriental.  Now you can get a better view of my African Veldt.  Can you tell I'm not used to drawing animals??  LOL



Last 3 canal houses

Ok, you just gotta understand that somtimes I get so involved in what I'm doing in my studio that I totally forget about anything else!  So, without further ado......here are the three houses to finish out the Amsterdam Canal Houses. Their stories follow the photo. Again, keep in mind that there are a bag of embellishments which have items that pertain to the story....like a sewing maching button, tiny flowers, etc.  Oh and don't know if I mentioned it before but because my signature color is purple....each house has some element of purple in it. 

Home of the Local Seamstress (aka House I)


But she is not just ANY seamstress! Her designs can be found gracing the elite models all over the world. Her house may seem unassuming but that is because she so greatly values her time alone in her design studio creating fabulous garments for her collection, royalty, super models, movie stars, etc. But when she goes out, she dresses in a manner not to attract attention. When she is not designing, she is traveling to exotic locations all over the world looking for wonderfully luxurious fabrics, unusual adornments and, of course, inspiration! Perhaps that is why there is often a jet flying over her house! And who knows…soon you might even be wearing a beautiful gown from her latest design collection!

Home of the Mayor (aka House J)


This substantial home is the residence of the Mayor. Being politically ambitious, he figured the best way to curry favor with the Queen was to build his house with orange bricks! (Orange being the Queen’s color). He even keeps orange fish in the canal in front of his home. So far, no royal appointments have been forthcoming but our intrepid Mayor will not give up easily. During the day his windows are closed with thick copper colored tapestry shades. His phone is in one window because he is never far from it. He often shows off his home with lavish parties that last late into the night. If you look into the windows (unless you are one of the very fortunate people to actually be invited!) you will see two HUGE fireplaces at either end of the grand hall that runs the full width of the home at the back of the house. Parties in the summer always spill out into the back courtyard that will have a “ceiling” of Japanese lanterns. He will be very friendly when you meet him on the sidewalk. But be cautious…he IS a politician after all.

Home of the Chairman of the Flower Guild (aka House K)


Not difficult to find the house of the Chairman of the Flower Guild. The full window boxes give it away I think. She purchased this house mainly because it had so many windows and she wanted flower boxes on every one of them…even the one for the attic! Even her window treatments suggest pink hydrangeas. She used to have many many flower pots on the sidewalk in front of her house but so many people picked them because they were so beautiful that she plants them along the sidewalk close to her house. They attract butterflies and dragonflies and usually a little frog to eat all the bad bugs. The rest of her wonderful flowers are in her back courtyard and of course…in EVERY room of her many-roomed home. In the spring though, she will place specially made planters along the steps of her roof just to add to the abundance of color and scent to welcome the milder weather. Her real prize is in her attic which she transformed into her indoor hot house with many large skylights. So, please do enjoy her floral display but please don’t pick the flowers.

Canal Houses - next set

OK, here are the next set of canal houses and their stories.  The next three are E, F and G/H (two house made into one.) The stories follow the photo.

The Residence of the Pink Princess (aka House E)


This is the house of the Pink Princess. She is all about hearts and flowers and the glam! Shiny things excite her…especially PINK shiny things! She IS in residence most of the time but the entrance to her pink palace is through the courtyard in the back so no one is ever REALLY sure when she is at home. She can sometimes be seen walking her pink poodle along the canal sidewalk in the evenings….just when the sunset is nice and pink. During the day…even some of the wispy clouds seem shiny and sparkly over her house and only pink fish seem to swim in the canal in front of her house. Her favorite holiday is Valentine’s Day…of course. But it is not just on that day that her heart is open. Her favorite pastime is working with charities for children…giving of herself and her vast fortune. Her little pink poodle is a favorite in the hospital children’s ward. When the weather is not pleasant, she spends her days sitting in front of her fireplace on her pink chaise reading romance novels. I think you might enjoy getting to know her in your neighborhood.

The Royal Residence (aka House F)


Obviously this royal purple house with the precious metal décor is the home of a royal family. No one is sure just WHICH royal family though. Rumors abound but because the entrance to their home is through their back courtyard, no one has ever actually SEEN then arrive or leave. Some conjecture that they are a members of the once well-known Russian royalty. Others believe they once recognized a Scandanavian prince in the window. But alas…no solid lead has ever surfaced. This mystery is furthered along because their house is at the very top of the bridge so to be less visible from the canal itself. Perhaps while they are living with you, you will catch a glimpse of them and final reveal their true identity!

European Home of Jackson Pollock (aka House G/H)


When Jackson Pollock was alive, he loved to visit Amsterdam! He visited so often that he decided to purchase a large home on one of the canals. Not long after moving in, he painted the outside of his house. Now it is unlike any other. As his legacy to the art world, his will left instructions for his Amsterdam Canal home to be turned into an artist retreat. Artists needing to get away and rejuvenate their creative muse are welcome to stay here at no fee for three months. These visiting artists each leave a wonderfully creative touch on the inside of Pollock’s former house. While Jackson Pollock was a painter, ALL genre of art is encouraged at the retreat. At any given time, the residents could be painters, musicians, poets, writers, sculptors, mixed media and fiber artists, etc. Culinary artists also visit regularly so the kitchen is constantly supplied with tasty tantalizing morsels to sample. It is possibly the liveliest house on the block…so drop in sometime, sit around the kitchen table and just drink in the air of the creative soul.

Tomorrow I'll post the final three houses. Enjoy!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Yep! Here it is.....2011!!!  As you can see, the holidays knocked a big whole in my schedule plans but I'm not back in the studio and will try to catch up somewhat with posting here.

First thing I want to do is show you the stories I wrote to go with the canal houses.  Here are the first four houses.  The stories are below the photo which are left to right A B C & D. Please keep in mind that many of the embellishments were sent along with the individual house so some of the story references revolve around those embellishments which will be added on by the recipient.

Three Generation Family Home (aka House A)


This is the residence of a large family. Currently there are three generations living here together…the grandparents, parents, and seven children (three of which are under 4 years of age!). It is a happy home, even if somewhat chaotic and noisy at times. There is an artist studio at the back of the house that looks out onto the back courtyard. The grandmother spends almost all her days out there. But sometimes, she invites in a grandchild or two to begin to teach them the joys of art. At least one of them shows great promise of talent even at the age of three! The 10 year old doesn’t visit as often but has artist talent all his own! The room in the attic is very special. It is the guest room for visiting artist friends!! Every morning the kitchen smells of freshly brewed coffee and on the porch you can hear the murmur of friendly conversation and watch the cardinal on its daily visit.

Home of the Chief Judge of the Kennel Club (aka House B)


While Chief Judge sounds ominous and intimidating, this judge is very friendly and approachable. Especially when he is on one of his twice daily walks with his own lovable dog. In fact, you might even say this is the Dog’s Home as almost everything in this house is doggie friendly. The morning newspaper is left by the front door for him to retrieve and a bone has been known to be buried at various times in the flowers under the windows. He’s a very friendly dog, too, so be careful when walking by dressed in your fancy clothes. He WILL jump up and give you a big lick! But only if his master is not around. All in all though, he is a well-behaved and beautiful dog. So, walk along with them sometime and hear all the amazing stories of the Kennel Club annual competition!

Residence of the President of the Yacht Club (aka House C)


Yes, he only has a small skiff on the canal but at port he owns a fairly large ocean-going yacht! He loves all things nautical or having to do with water and boats. Even the window treatments are the color of a lagoon and have waves stitched into them. And his weather vane is a canoe. He so loves being as close to the water as he can, that he has his study on the basement level with a window practically at water level! The red and gold color of his home remind him of the brilliant sunrises out on the open sea – ushering in yet another wonderful day of sailing. The sky over his home even takes on a wavy look just for his pleasure. Next time he’s pulling out into the canal, if you ask nicely, he’ll probably be more than happy to take you out on the water with him!

The Bakery (aka House D)


While some claim that the Pancake Bakery is the best….we know better! Wil’s Bakery on the Canal tops them all! AND they serve delicious Starbucks coffee! Now what could be better than a cream cheese croissant and a Pumpkin Spice Latte! There are tables inside so go on in, grab a newspaper and your yummy treats and spend a leisure morning. Sometimes it is difficult to concentrate on one thing because ALL your friends seem to pop in while you are there. But that is a joy in itself. Coffee, croissant and friends…well, that’s just about as close to heaven as one can get! One group that meets here on a regular basis is the artist ladies! Wil is one of them and they meet here because she lives upstairs. (You can tell because her sewing machine is by the window.)They’ve been know to spend an hour or two here before they head off on shopping sprees to buy the latest art tool! They aren’t around every day because their trips usually have to take them to the US!! But…they will be back before you know it! So, enjoy your baked treats and Starbucks lattes and keep an eye out for them!

I'll post the next three houses and their stories tomorrow!

Nurturing Creativity - Week 15

YEAH! I'm on the right day today! The past two weeks were a bit hectic and this morning I just decided that posting my Nurturing Creativity card for this week would happen on the MONDAY like it is supposed to do. So, shuffled the cards and let one drop from the center of the deck.

Free Associate

So this is the concept - just like you've heard about free association - write down words then go back and next to or below that one word free associate by writing down the first words that come to your mind. The fun part seems to be not to stop at one word...just keep going and see where it takes you! Supposedly it will reveal something about where you are headed in your head these days. We'll see........hmmmmmmmmmm How about a little test right now?!?!

rug - woven - basket - laundry - yuck

car - broken - mend - sew - machine - clean - yuck

tree - green - money - job - yuck

dog - protection - lick - poop - yuck

OK, I don't think we need Freud or Jung here..........the trend seems obvious!! What do you think? LOL!!!

New Journal - The Artist's Way

I just completed another journal writing my daily pages (well.........there was a bit of a "vacation" so it wasn't exactly EVERY day). Time to make another one!!

I had so much fun with the acrylic spackling on New Beginnings challenge that I wanted to try it a different way this time. I started with a piece of my own stamped fabric of butterflies (seems appropriate for spring/summer) and then added some sequine waste in white diagonally across the cover. Then I spread a space of acrylic spackling over it and embedded some butterfly charms. Then I embedded a few pieces of the decorative yarns which I used on the spine just for some more texture and interest. Before it all dried I spattered some Cranberry Red Dyna-Flow over the spackling with a toothbrush.

Now, in the morning, I'm ready to start the next part of my life's adventure in writing my pages!

MY CREATIVE JOURNEY - week 35

This one should be really fun! The title of the card is "Change Your Limitations". It is kind of like cross-training I think. In other words, if you paint - try sculpting, if you are a writer - play with watercolors, etc. This concept is a little challenging for a mixed media artist because I work in so many different areas. I have been wracking my brain to think of something that is totally different. I have come down to 2 options. Not being a person who can draw very well, I could draw something (abstract might be the best way to go!) The second is writing - like a story or something. That is WAY outside my comfort zone!! I would love to try welding or sculpting but don't have the tools or the money to spend on something I might only do once. So, right now, writing is winning. I DO write my pages in the mornings and I do blog but writing a story would be very different I think. I LOVE the quote at the end of the card. I don't know if it is original with Lynn Gordon but I will give her the credit since it is on her card. I found it inspiring:

"Where creativity's concerned, the sky isn't the limit, it's the point of departure."

Oh, BTW......maybe not quite what last week was about but I decided to escape into something I haven't done is many many years. I made something wearable! (shhhhhhhh don't tell Alice H!) Seems I had not measured correctly on the backing fabric for DGD's quilt. Solution -- I made her a dress and matching panties! Just need to sew the last seam and then I'll post a picture - probably later today. It was really fun and not stressful because no one was expecting anything so if I totally ruined it I could just cut it up for my stash giblet pile! It surprised me how soothing it was to not be working on something "serious" or "arty". Just something for fun and outside my usual explorations. (it even has a zipper!!!!) LOL!!

While I missed several weeks on this journey, I am finding it fruitful in many ways. Sometimes just to cause me to think in a different direction, or a confirmation of the direction I'm already headed. Hope you are enjoying the journey with me!