pamgarrison

pretty paper chains

 

I've always loved paper chains. Always. But, don't most people? What's not to love about pretty paper garlands, right?

And these here are about the easiest paper chains one could ever make, using paper ticket rolls.

I found myself staring at these paper rolls at a Stater Brothers store, wanting to buy them just because they were such pretty colors and because I've always loved paper tickets for some reason. I decided though that I could NOT buy them until I had a use for them in mind. So I kept staring, and thinking about my Renegade Craft Fair booth, which is why I was there in the first place, and that's when the paper chain idea hit.

Here's an Instagram I took that night, I was so excited about the idea.

So pretty, right? And like I said, super simple, as the tickets are a great width, are already perforated for simple tearing in pieces , and bend nicely due to the same perforations. I used either 4 or 5 tickets per chain.

Oh, the endless possibilities!

You could use the double rolls for wider chains if you wanted to.

Here they are being used on my practice pop up shop currently developing in our living room. I'm going to drape them between bamboo poles for my booth. (That's it in the 2nd photo from top too). It is going to be beautiful! I'll have more photos to show you some day soon, the show is in a month after all. {Yikes!!! I am not ready!!}

My friend loved them so much that we used them to decorate for her daughter's graduation party, draped from patio covers and trees. 

And even used them on the photo booth backdrop. Here's my daughter on the left with the graduate on the right while we were setting up:

Silly girls. They have been friends since birth, as we moms went to high school together.

Here we are, being just as silly as they are:

We weren't finished applying paper chains, but you get the idea. They were a big hit at the party too.

You can get ticket rolls almost anywhere, but a quick search on Amazon brings up pages of them if you don't want to leave your chair. They come in the prettiest colors. Red,white&blue for the 4th, and these here are pretty cute too.  I need to stop finding links to share because I'm feeling the desire to get more colors. I'll stick with those I already own, that's plenty Pam!

(for now....)

 

summer yard shots

This planted truck is still one of my favorite  moments made this summer. My son and I were planting, he is afraid the little, little, plants because he thinks he will break them (and sometimes he does, he's mostly gross motor skills vs. fine motor skills type of boy), so we decided instead to tuck them right into this old truck he used to play with. I never got rid of it, always planned to use it on a buffet with silverware in the bed or candles or flowers, napkins... endless uses really. It's just so darn cute planted! I think a little collection of three or so planted would be fun at a party or outdoor dinner table.

This side section of our yard is one of my favorites. We filled it with pea gravel, which I love...the sound, the look, everything about it, and I had the gate made right on top of the existing metal gate so we wouldn't see the pool equipment and trash cans. I bought this square pot at a flea market about 15 years ago and love how it's losing it's white paint through the years.

I've got a little problem with loving buckets. They are just so handy, and shaped so pleasingly, and usually cheap, because, well, they are just metal buckets. They are waiting to be pressed into service as a trashcan, planter, soil storer, who knows...

Still on the side yard, a table that gets pulled into service on occasion, an old trough for ice and drinks.

Here's an instagram I posted of a carload of plants. My son is really wanting to work on the yard but we have found that our eyes at the nursery are bigger than our desire to dig when we get back. We've adopted a new policy of one cartload=one carload=all we can get per trip. So far, it's working well, we'll see if we can keep to it.

The motivator for this nursery trip was to use this bucket (bought about 25 years ago at a flea market. Don't know what it was for, says something water district on it. The green is due to the bucket fully patinaing naturally) as Amy suggested,  as an herb garden. Loved the idea instantly, thanks Am!

Here's an instagram of the planted bucket with plant markers. It smells delicious every time I walk by it. Can't wait to use the herbs too in cooking.

If you like the plant markers, a google search brings up lots. I used a chalk ink to write on them.

How cute is that Boxwood Basil plant? I had to get a couple of those.

Enough shots of things around the yard? How about some plants then?

David Austin Abraham Darby is a long standing favorite.

Just looking at all these photos has me wanting to go out there, but I've a little more inside work to do first.  Hope you get to spend some time in your yard too, if you like that sort of thing.

Happy weekending :).

recent journaling pages and favorite bits

 

lunch with friends

Had a fun creative lunch with art friends yesterday. Pictured left to right are:

April Meeker, Heather Bullard, Jenny Doh, me, and Amy Hanna.

We met in the Santa Ana Arts District and, as always, topics flew as fast as the time.

April was sweet enough to bring treats from her etsy shop for the students enrolled in my journaling class at Studio Crescendoh this July. As well as treats for each of us, which included a CD made by Mindy Gledhill who is co- hosting a Moroccan retreat this October with April.

After lunch we went up to Studio Crescendoh for a little more fun and Jenny let us each choose one of her many books. Her books are awesome, all of them! They are like the classes offered at Studio Crescendoh, full of information and art by varied artists on varied art forms, I want to own each book and take each class.

Now that my son had his last day of school (yahoo for the last day of school!), and summer is in full swing, I'm looking forward to enjoying them all while spending time outside tending to the garden and plants like our little plum tree (above) that finally has some fruit on it.

 

HAPPY SUMMER!!!!

time well spent at moss cottage

A weekend ago I packed up some bags and to head for Mary Ann's lovely patch of the world.

In our house, we tend to pile up all the "need to go with" items on the rug by the front door. Not the most attractive system, but it is effective. Here's an instagram I took right before loading up the car:

Before my visits, we always discuss what we want to do while I'm there, so that I don't do my usual packing job for art play dates (AKA"everything but the kitchen sink"). She's a good art supply editor and I'm relieved by a plan. So, what did I bring? My purse, my ipad, my oversized smash book, art journal, "orla journal" as Mary Ann has coined them here, a bag of small handpicked just-for-her hostess treats and hand me downs (works well as barter for her paper stash and other things that fit inside my purse), cameras and a few art supplies like scissors, pens, & small bits of scrap paper. 

I can't remember where we began, it usually starts with us looking through each others' things. I was loving her paper stash:

She makes even papers that I have given her look new and fresh the way she combines them. And she is soooo organized. Here's another pile after I started rifling through it:

We took some silly pictures:

And did some InstaGramming:

And then we got down to the business of playing in our little Orla books.

Our little books became fast friends:

{I brought up my Instax for some instantly useable photos.}

You can see inside Mary Ann's book on many posts on her blog, and here are some of mine:

It's full of mindless cutting and pasting.

{Don't you love her digital creation stating so? You can get your own for free here.}

And that darling Happy Day label? Hers too, part of her label line. I am crazy about them! So crazy I will have to devote a post to them one of these days. 

After it started getting dark, we went inside for some PhotoShop talk and demos of how she made her awesome Chevron paper (she sure is prolific, isn't she?), a google reader introduction how to (I know, I am far behind the times!), and even some issues I was having with typepad, and then retired to the couch for some dueling ipad SketchBookPro play like hers here, and mine:

And 8 hours later, I was back in my car, heading home, where shortly after my arrival, my daughter returned home from her first year of college:

The perfect ending to a perfectly lovely day! 

working on my booth for Renegade Craft Fair

Did I tell you that I got into Renegade Craft Fair LA? I did! I'll have a booth there this summer. I hope some of you will stop by and say hi!  I'm on the wait list for a bigger booth, and it'd be great if one opened up, becuase I have a lot of ideas that just won't fit in my little 5x10 corner of the world. :).

I've been having lots of fun figuring out my booth, how to display, best use of space etc. This is an instagram I took last night. I'd had a bit of a bad mood brewing and while at the grocery store decided to pick up some inexpensive flowers and margarita makings for myself. I was showing my instagram friends that the fresh nectarine and wet paint on my brush finished off the attitude adjusting I was in need of. I painted until the wee hours of the night, and have been working on it all day as well. Here's where it is now:

Oh, how I love painting, and painting large too!

This is going to be the backdrop for my booth, to separate me from the booth behind me, and to hang some paintings and other things on. When you think about it, a 5x10' booth, with a 6' table in it, pretty much is filled up, so I need to have a way to get more merchandise in the space. And of course, I want it to be an awesome booth- just cuz! So, when brainstorming with Heather about how to have a very sturdy wall that I could hang things from, she suggested using an inexpensive ($15.00) rolling wardrobe from Ikea as the base. Brilliant! My husband attached some plywood and now I'm off and running...

 

Unfortunately, I have to put my brushes down now, have to run to the State Board of Equilization (hate all the non art parts of trying to be an artists that sells her work), and back before son gets out of school. Dang, I was on a roll....maybe later I'll get to paint some more...

journaling weekend at studio crescendoh

 

This summer I'm teaching a 2 day Art Journaling class at Studio Crescendoh, the class is expected to go "live" and on sale today here: studiocrescendoh. It's going to be 2 days of art fun, day one we'll make two journals, a traditional long stitch bound water color paper filled jounal, and a free form, anything goes ring journal:

The second day we'll be doing nothing but playing in the pages:

We've got some really great sponsors lined up to surprise and delight you, and with them, what Studio Crescendoh is providing, and what I'm providing, you don't have to bring anything but your own little crafting kit, no supplies for the books or page play! I'm very excited about that; to really have the students feel provided for without having to order supplies/shop before coming. 

Hope you'll join us!

July 14 & 15

Studio Crescendoh, Santa Ana, CA

details here today: crescendoh.com