pamgarrison

in search of fellow creatives

Hello there, you! Are you an artist? Is art a hobby of yours? Do you want to get started or expand your creativity? Want to join me for three days of guided creative exploration and general art making fun?!?

Well, you're invited!

I'll be at Donna Downey's incredible art studio teaching Ever Expanding Creativity September 30-October 2, 2016. Donna's Studio is in North Carolina and we had so much fun in class last year that it's well worth the trek across the country for this artist for sure! You can bring some of your favorite things or just show up, the price of class includes everything and more that you'll need. 

If you joined us last year, know the content is all new and I'm super excited to bring this new teaching material to this group of creatives. 

It's no secret that I am a passionate creative.  I feel one of the best things about my creativity is how accessible it is. I've figured out some simple ways to open up that creative flow along my journey that I am going to share. It is always my hope when teaching to encourage, inspire, inform and simplify creative pursuit, but this class especially will focus on some specific exercises and fun playful ways to open up that creative window even more. 

We'll be doing this using guided exercises as I've mentioned, and we'll also be art journaling and painting on wood too!

All level artists welcome and encouraged. 

After having taught at the Donna Downey Studio, I now know how very many delicious supplies we have at our fingertips. Donna is a passionate creative like myself and spares no expense when it comes to stocking the studio. As a teacher, and as a student, this is an incredible gift to one's creative explorations. We're not going to limit ourselves over the three days, that's for sure!  

One night last year I came back to the hotel to find many of the students having a late night art fest in the gathering room off the lobby. This year I think we'll have to set a time and see how many of the students want to join in for after hours creative time. Or maybe we'll have a pizza party at the studio... there is delicious pizza right across the street (why yes, I did test it out last year, I do love my pizza, don'tcha know?).

Another thing that holds true for all my classes is that I want to be sure to answer your burning questions. Is there something you've seen me do that you want to see demonstrated? Some supply you want my thoughts on? Some process or specific pursuit? Requests welcome and time is built in for getting them addressed. That's what's great about the three days, although it goes by quickly, there is time to dig into the creating. 

I love sharing all the new things I've discovered in my own creativity and methods and mediums. I'm always exploring and expanding my repertoire. 

This is my last live teaching engagement for 2016, and I only plan on doing 2 in 2017, so if learning live is where it's at for you, I encourage you to meet me in North Carolina this September!  We're going to have a creative haven for three days, can't wait! 

xoP

 

 

current art journals

My friend Mary Ann showed her visual journals on her blog this weekend and it made me not only want to get to work in my art journals immediately, but to share them here as well. I haven't shared art journal pages forever, but I'm always playing in them off and on. I keep all the creative projects in my life ongoing, I'm not a one thing at a time creative. 

I made these, my current art journals back in September. They are huge and delicious! The left one is sized 12x16" with a 1 1/2 inch spine and the one on the right is 11x14" and has just under 1 1/2" spine. I covered the left one with a poster from Ikea, but didn't love it, so I've been collaging on the top every now and then. The one on the right is made from an old oil painting bought at a flea market. I didn't realized it was signed until I'd cut into it. I sure hope I didn't ruin a painting by a registered artist. It looks like the name is Merle Wheeler, but it's hard to tell. 

Here are their backs. Again, the Ikea alphabet poster on the left, and a brown painted cover on the right. Man, there is nothing like a handmade journal made to your own specifications and desires. These are a bit heavy and on the too big to bring with end of the spectrum, so I have been using a couple teaching demo journals when on the go:

These are 9 3/4 x 13" and true demo books- you'll see what I mean in the photos below, a lot of experimentation. 

The backs- stickers from boxes, found washi tape and notes on color chart while taking an oil painting class. 

and as always, doodles and mark making, drawing and playing. 

My art journals are my favorite place to play and experiment. 

Testing pens, writing down quotes, lettering experiments, doodles, collage...

...line quality, different paints, color explorations...

Good old fashioned mess making! these books are not precious to anyone other than me. And to me, they are precious not because of the finished artwork (because rarely is there any finished artwork in them, but instead, special to me because of all the ideas tested and tried. Even the bad ones teach me things about my own art making and creativity. 

Anything goes on these pages. As a matter of fact, it's encouraged. 

Mmm...early in the development for my Painting Petals class. 

I love that these are documents of some of that class development process.

Some quick sketches, pattern making, color palette selecting...

More quotes and more flowers, pens and paints. 

...trying different papers and loving the experiments in paper and color they bring.

Yum! 

Found papers and colors, long time loves of mine. 

That candy box was too great to not cut out and keep! 

Mess making freedom! Just seeing these pages makes me want to take it to my son's baseball game and doodle in the color patches. 

Although I love the absence of color (white) so much, I don't leave many pages with much white. 

...and still some vintage wallpaper ends up in there somewhere. When I love something it's usually a lifetime commitment ;). 

Ahhhh, art journals, absolutely love them! Do you keep an art journal? A place to experiment and explore; to play and also to escape and unwind? I highly recommend it. 

If you'd like to come create journals with me and be guided in scientific art experiments,  2 of my live teaching engagements in 2016 are just the thing: 

•Ever expanding creativity at Studio Crescendoh later this month, and

•Ever expanding creativity at Donna Downey Studios next September.

Online I have a variation on art journaling available; my Creative Sketchbooking class on Creativebug with some guided page play too. 

But you don't need to take a class to art journal, just get some papers and art supplies and get playing!!! It's done me wonders over the years, like I said before I highly recommend it! 

tomorrow's the day!!!

Wow. I can't believe it's finally here! It seems like it's been forever in the works...but my Creative Sketchbooking class over on Creativebug launches tomorrow (mid morning/afternoon PST)!!!!! I don't have a direct link for class to share until it's released, but in the meantime, if you aren't already a Creativebug member, you can sign up for a free two week trial. No credit card needed, it's truly a free trial- (ED: I'm hearing feedback that a credit card IS required. I'm on it and trying to find out if I misunderstood, or if I gave you wrong link etc. I will get back to you as soon as I know!!! 2nd ED: I misunderstood and mixed up the free trial and the prize free trial that's coming. If you sign up for the free trial, you are signing up for a membership and DO need a credit card, you get a 2 week trial for free to determine whether it's a membership you want to continue -and pay $4.95 a month for- or to cancel with no issue before payments actually start. Easier than a guarantee with refund if you aren't satisfied. I apologize for my misunderstanding and misstating the deal!!!!)  I'm sure they know that once we creative types get a look at the 500+ offerings they've got, that we'll be wanting to subscribe. I've been a member long before a collaboration was in play. Now it's only $4.95 a month, the best price it's ever been. 

I took a screenshot from the July preview of classes. This was filmed by the director Brian Emerick and he showed it to me after we were finished, I loved it instantly. 

One more thing before class starts tomorrow, (it's a four part work-along series, with a new part released each Tuesday in August. There's plenty of time, but if you want to have the exact sketchbook I'm using in class to start, it's this one. You can also buy it at Michael's crafts and use one of your coupons to save a bundle. :)

Lots more tomorrow, including promo video, news of some good giveaways/creativebug contests, and more details (with pictures!) of the class!!!! Until then....xoxo

 

past weekend's class

I'm back from teaching art journaling at Donna Downey Studios.  What a great studio, and yet another great group of creatives along for the three days of fun. Always appreciate being welcomed with open arms and a roomful of people with a passion for making.

North Carolina is on the other side of the country for me, and with all the weird weather that's been going on, I didn't want to risk missing a connection somewhere, so flew out of LAX vs. Santa Ana (which is so much closer to home and so much nicer. man, LAX is a hot mess right now with all the construction going on!) I do love that sign above though...and also the sight of this iconic LAX building that I've been seeing on trips to the airport since childhood: 

I snapped this photo with my phone when I hopped out of the car- look how empty it looks- just a little red light timing luck with the traffic, it was actually as busy as usual last Thursday. 

The first view of the studio from the outside...how fun is this? :

It's just as pretty from the inside:

Seeing the brushes above and the Pantone bathroom (below) instantly got this color junkie's juices flowing!

So so good. AmIright?!? Oh yes!

Donna, being an artist herself, has the very best supplies and lots of them that we all used all weekend. Very fun as a student and as a teacher to have so many delicious goods at our fingertips with no restrictions!

The studio also has a shop on one side. So, so tempting. I was pretty good...I only spent $100. at the end of the day...and with the free shipping they offer, it seemed crazy to resist some things ;)

Not sure why I didn't restock some of my Neo Color II crayons...this is just one third of their stock. 

Most of the three days looked like this. There's Jennifer, who came along and TA'd for us. It was a fun surprise for those that are familiar with her artwork. Uppercase magazine also generously provided an issue for each student (love that magazine) and because I mentioned JM was TAing when I asked for sponsorship, they sent issue 22, which has a feature on Jennifer and her paintings. Love it when a plan comes together like that ;).

One of Jennifer's pages in progress...she loves color the way I do. 

Some of my demo pages in progress. 

At one point I ran outside to capture all the fun going on from a different angle. Pretty sure every inch of every table was put to good use. 

Can you feel the enthusiasm?  

On the last day, we went out front to take a group photo. I snapped the classroom when we were all out:

Doesn't that look like the happiest, most colorfully fun art space? 

Photos of the group gathering above and below.

Such a great group. Truly. I wasn't smart enough to have my phone used, so I don't have the actual group photo (yet). 

More from my table ...and Donna made the most delicious rum drink - the color of the drink, with the color of the straw amongst all my colors= happy making for sure!

Photos at the end of class. ;)

Perfectly sums it all up I think. 

And just like that, three long days of making were gone in a flash and I was back on a plane...

I am always exhausted after traveling, and teaching too. Yesterday, my first day home was spent mostly on the couch. I did get out some of the papers from class (made during Gelli plate demos) and a favorite pen and doodled...that was pretty much it:

But today, I'm coming around again...

I'm about to hit publish on a blog post...so I did something today ;).

More tomorrow....xoxo

 

art journaling pages in progress

What?!?! An art journaling post? Just when I'd been talking all quilts, all the time.....

If you follow me on instagram, you know I still have quilts in progress to share...and I will! But today, as I continue to prep for my trip to Donna Downey's art studio to teach art journaling, I realized it's been way too long since I've shared some pages in progress. So here are some recent bits of art:

It's Friday! Ahhhh....

I hope you've got some nice plans ahead of you for the weekend. I'm going to continue class prep, finish sewing the binding on a quilt, patch some holes in my jeans...you know, the usual creative pursuits tucked in among the other parts of life...

Have a good one!!! xo

 

more art made at art retreat ps #3

I mentioned before that I took very limited art supplies to our little Art Retreat #3 in Palm Springs. Just some art journals and sketchbooks. It felt good to limit my supplies and spend less time sorting through them to find want I wanted, and less time going from one idea to the other vs. just relaxing and really enjoying one. Okay, I consider art journaling and sketching to be different, so make that two. 

After we were finished driving around taking pictures like these:

Thanks Carol for this photo of me behind the Palm Springs sign. When I was a little girl I loved Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem that starts, "There was a little girl, who had a little curl, right in the middle of her forehead." Not so much the little, but the poem springs to mind when I see this. ;)

We headed back to the house for fun, and making art was the main priority. All day long outside and all night inside. 

I plucked ripe lemons from the tree and tried to paint/sketch them in a manner more similar to what I learned in the oil painting class by Leslie Duke I attended. I love to explore different methods. 

Carol bought this sweet teacup and saucer at the antique store we popped into. You can see it in use at her home here. It was too beautiful to resist sketching. 

Carol was also the inspiration for this sketching of a chair that was at the house, as she was the first to sketch it. All three of us had a go at it. Not only is it fun to sketch the same subject yourself a few times, it's even more fun to have three different people sketch the same thing and enjoy the results of how unique each one is, how different the styles are. (The Moss sisters have their renditions on their blogs too.) 

Watercolored birds.

Yep, still birds. 

And then I some art journaling (the difference for me being:not based on looking at anything for inspiration, just imagination):

How gorgeous is this new Antietam ink I bought? Dipped my brush right in it to paint with it, even though I bought it for my fountain pen. 

A little doodly drawing using this Pilot Parallel pen and then watercoloring fill in. 

 

 These two. Excellent Art Retreat cohorts. Even cuter sisters. 

It was a good trip, I highly recommend grabbing a small group and making time to create, I'm never sorry when I do!

And with that, my Palm Springs Art Retreat #3 recap concludes. 

Well, one more:

 xo

 

a little birthday party

On Thursday I made a little treck up to Mary Ann's neck of the woods to celebrate her birthday. I forgot how nice it is to celebrate someone's birthday on the actual day, it so rarely happens much of the time. (that's her darling car sketch above) 

I'm very glad she liked her presents. We share a love of Nathalie Lete's art in all forms. Here it is on a children's watercolor paint set. 

As always, we started with a garden tour. 

Then next, a house tour of changes and new things since my last visit. Love this sweet toaster cover Mary Ann made from fabric gift she received. 

We always settle for a show and tell of recent work in our journals and sketchbooks. Man, so so much inspiration, she's been a sketching machine!  

And then, a favorite part, we got out our art supplies and got busy making and chatting and sharing supplies and ideas. This was the first page I did in my sketchbook. I had to document some of her supplies that I want to get. I'll have to take some more photos of recent pages of mine, it's been a bit since I've done a journal page post! 

The worst part, as always, came the time to wrap it up, time goes so quickly when having fun with friends. Especially a birthday art party! 

 

feeling like i'm onto something

It's happened again...I have a creative crush. This time it's the experiments in watercolor painting. (I see the practices of art journaling, sketching, and watercolor painting all different, although of course, they can overlap.) I'm still in the hazy young love stage with these new watercolor explorations. I've been challenging myself to approach watercoloring more like how I approach abstract painting. Sort of. Who cares why though, it's just fun!

This one above and the one below were painted in this book that Minnie told me about. She found them at Aaron Brothers on a buy one/get one sale, I went and did the same, (the one I gave Mary Ann that she refers to in her recent post), If Aaron Bros isn't having the sale, Amazon has them priced better and you don't have to leave your house. (2 different links to the book for 2 different sizes I have)

I want to take a minute to make sure you are aware I have become an Amazon affiliate. That means if I link to something on Amazon, it will have a code that will tell Amazon that I sent you, and sometimes will qualify for a small percentage commission on that sale. Of course, you don't get charged anything different than the usual. Also of course, I don't care if you buy it there, or at your local store, or anywhere at all. I will never link to anything that I haven't bought or want myself. I do a lot of shopping on Amazon because it's easy (I love not leaving my house, the free shipping, that usually the price is lower than in person shopping, to name a few reasons. My closest independent art store is 45 minutes away, bookstore even farther, and I am lazy about errands, I want to make things!), but Amazon has it's issues, and makes plenty of money, so I think it's fair that they compensate all the bloggers and websites of the world that link to them as a resource for readers. I mention all this just to be really clear that I see nothing wrong with people being affiliates, and to be sure you know (I assume you know me well enough by now, but in case you don't,) that I am not trying to make a buck off pushing things on you...no way, never! I have always linked sources when possible, and will continue to whether in an affiliate program or not. I love art supplies and have no shame about being an "enabler" of them, because for me, encouraging the pursuit of creativity has and will always be one of the main reason I blog. Okay...now that I've beaten that into the ground, let's get back to discussing creative pursuits! 

Mmmmm...experimenting is so fun...

And then, just ink too. I've been exploring a little with ink (this one shown here) while watercoloring:

Did you see that bird there? It wasn't drawn as a bird, just saw it from what resulted after drawing the flowers and ink drops. Good Lord, birds when I'm not even trying...birds birds birds.

Birds on the brain? Bird brain?

Don't answer that!

Sometimes experiments don't work out as hoped (which is how I feel about the above). No matter to me! Doesn't change the fun while experimenting one bit! 

All three of the pages/spread above were done in this book I have and love. Unlike the books mentioned above, it's pages are not coldpress, just a smooth, heavier "art paper" as they call it. Seeing how watercolors react to different papers has been one of my favorite discoveries so far. I have always been a hot press girl, and here is a spread of my journal made of hot press paper:

This is actually this goauche here on top of acrylic and watercolor background. Anyway, after recent experiments, I just ordered this coldpress paper. I am enjoying the way the watercolor reacts to cold press. (Is it one word or two?) 

Mary Ann jokingly said that she was copying me on her recent blog post; nonsense! we all know that inspiration goes round and round and I wouldn't have fallen down this lovely watercolor rabbit hole if she hadn't done her recent Sketchbookery class where I picked up lots of tips and tricks and favorite new supplies. Seeing her gorgeous pages makes all kinds of bells and whistles go off in my brain. And when I hear that siren song, I always turn my sails that way...

p.s. if you are wondering, I do see my art journals, sketchbooks, and travel journals all differently and number my art journals and sketchbooks separately and my travel journals are just the place I traveled, no numerical order recorded. I'm currently working in art journal number 34, sketchbook number 3, and the books I've shown above, the ones where I'm watercoloring freely (not sketching) aren't numbered at all -ha! whatever floats your boat ;)

 

a tangential path

Inspired by both the flowers I picked, and my visit to Moss Cottage last weekend, I felt a very strong urge to get out the watercolors and some inks and play at painting flowers the other day.

You know I'm not one to say no to my creative yearnings...

the table near the end of my playtime before motherhood duties rang the time's-up! bell

 

It was extremely satisfying. As a matter of fact, I'm back at it a little today...

Although I know it must seem like I go off in a thousand different tangets, I feel strangely like it's all sort of coming together, my creative interests. I'm seeing a unifying thread in color and freedom and envisioning ways that the many different pursuits could all become part of a larger whole that obviously belongs together and doesn't look so scattered. Maybe...I get glimpses of it and then they vanish...but I feel it solidifying into some bigger picture that might just stick around...

fun things to ponder while I paint on this sunny Saturday in SoCal. 

What are you pondering, hmmm???? 

 

sunday at moss cottage

putting my half pans of paint back into the metal paint palette after moving some to a plastic holder for Italy trip

I took a little jaunt up to LA this past weekend. Well, it was supposed to be a quick little jaunt...Apparently, I fell into a trance listening to Serial (man, are you listening? I wish I had started later in, the waiting week by week is hard!), and suddenly realized I had driven way way way past my freeway interchange. Almost doubled drive time there. Crazy. But finally, I arrived at Moss Cottage. Always a lovely place to be, but especially on a sunny Sunday. 

We usually start with a garden tour and house tour of any new changes. I'm a big fan of progress and progress updates. This time, because I'd already wasted an hour and a half of our fun time, we pretty much got down to the business of checking out the other's recent journaling and sketching and any other art making show and tell items. I'm loving her littlest sketchbook (seen above).

Mmmmm...what's not to love, right?!? 

Ha! We weren't really doing a class room style show and tell like it looks here. I am sure I said, "hold this for me right here in the light so I can take a picture!!!" in my nicest bossy pants voice. I had to try to capture them for my viewing pleasure later. After all, one can only take in and retain so much splendor at a time.

And then we could resist making no more... the best part of any play date with creative friends. 

Are you kidding me?!?! I am plum crazy about this page she made in her art journal. 

We often intentional take on the same "assignment"...here's my version of same toile paper:

I like it fine, but I lurveeee hers...and then after our hatching/crosshatching study, she did those flowers (left top side of her art journal above) and I had to flat out copy those in my art journal:

Think I'll be throwing some more color on these as soon as I finish this post! 

I also did this page in my art journal, loosely based on another piece of wallpaper that Ingrid shared in Italy. 

Not nearly enough time creating before I had to head home.

I feel a lot more sketching and journaling coming on.....love it so. 

 

helllloooooo!

Well, howdy strangers! How's it going?!? I've missed you and checking in here!

 

I'm back from 2 wonderful weeks in Italy. Oh Italy...you are so awesome. I got back late Tuesday night and have been a bit off (read:exhausted, jet lagged, in a travel coma...whatever explanation you prefer.) This picture (thanks Susan for the photo!) shows most of the gang in Orvieto where we met for the Adventures in Italy class Amy and I taught. Kristin and Bill were our amazing hosts and I have a million more pictures and stories to share, but wanted to thank Michelle, Robin, Leah, Ingrid, Franscesca, Alisa, Paige, and Susan for joining us on the journey. What a truly great group to spend a week of wonder with! 

And more thanks to my partner in crime, Amy! We spent most of the minutes of the entire 2 weeks away together, sharing hotel rooms, classroom, meals, experiences, etc. etc. and really, there aren't many people one can do that with and have as much fun and as little conflict as we did along the way! Wouldn't have been the same without you Am! (again, thank you Susan for the photo)

I really will get my photos off my camera and share some here soon. Just wanted to say hi and tell you that no matter how great the journey, there really is no place like home! The first thought as I lay in a stupor on the couch and picked up my art journal. 

I told you I've been in a ditsy place...I didn't even notice my spelling error until after I'd posted it on instagram. It cracks me up and sums up my state of mind when doing it perfectly ;).

No matter how many times you say it, it holds true. Happy to have adventures made all the sweeter by loving to be home. Hope you've been well and happy happy Friday! 

 

new art journal & first few pages

The night before I headed to the desert get away, I decided I couldn't go with only sketchbooks, I had to make a new art journal, as my current journal had about one page left. 

I used a well loved and well worn book bought at the Marche de Puces in Paris. So worth the heaviness it added to my suitcase to bring old books home with me! 

Can you see the old lettering on the spine? I had to save it in the process of making it work. 

I had to "mend" this book a little, (which I think gives it added character), by reinforcing the existing corners.  

Always gonna try out my friend's latest discoveries! Of course, I loved the pen and I'm going to have to get one too. 

 

art making

Having fun making all sorts of messes, mostly of the colorful variety.

Another of my brush cleaning paper palettes:

and more pretty water:

Look at this page Mary Ann did just before arriving here, so so pretty:

And here she's working on the page to the left (seen a bit above):

(You can go to her blog post yeterday to see it finished.)

Of course we've been doing lots of sketching while here. All different challenges, some made up on the spot, some traditional exercises, and some from Sketchbookery. 

Even taking the time to color in some that I'd drawn earlier this month.

I wanted to get to these today, hopefully tomorrow before it's time to head back to reality. At least sketch them, even if I have to color in at home. Here's hoping...as always, art time goes much too fast. 

 

Italy on the brain

Ciao! I'm still here dreaming and planning and prepping for our class in Italy in the fall. I've got the little mini pennants in production, and just can't wait to see them in the students hands once there. Will everyone put it in their travel journal? Or will some hang it in their room? Tie it on a travel tote? Time will tell. In the meantime, I'm enjoying the fun of imagining it's uses! 

I thought I'd share a few of my favorite trip resource purchases so far for any students out there beginning their planning as well. Amy and I plan to visit Florence when there and I loved that the Fodor's Travel guide has Umbria (and our class city, Orvieto) in it. Most of the Florence travel guides I've found so far have Tuscany, but not Umbria. The little black book is similar to one I bought when traveling to Rome with my family a few years ago. I loved that guide. It had great fold out maps, and pages of cute little illustrations that I included in my Rome Travel journal I made when home. I know I'll be tearing pages out of this one to do the same. I even bought one to give to Amy as a birthday present, as I know she'll want to do the same as well. The book, Lady in the Palazzo is "An Umbrian Love Story, and sounded like good summer or airplane reading to transport me to our destiny. 

I also bought a big map with Florence and Rome city maps. Since we fly in and out of Rome, I bought the Wallpaper City Guide to that as well as Florence. I've asked on IG for any favorite Florence hotels, restaurants, shops, sights, but don't think I've asked here yet. If you have any tales to tell, or advice to share, we'd love to hear! 

The planning stages of a trip can be so fun once I stop being overwhelmed and start breaking it down. I found myself doodling that iconic boot in my art journal last night. It seems so far away, yet I know it will be here before I know it. {We've got room for 3 or 4 more if anyone wants to join us for a week of dreamy living and creating in Italy!} I really am so excited! 

 

recent art journaling pages

Some art journaling pages I worked on this month. A lot of various techniques and demo pages that I tried to pull together a bit afterwards. Well, actually, I don't really try to pull it together into a pretty page, I just try to fill up the page before calling it done. If there's somewhere that's open or empty, with space to try something else, I do that. It leads to messy and somewhat crazy pages, but the fun is the same, and really, it's all about the fun doing it! 

ongoing creative

Hello! How's it going out there? Thought I'd pop in with a 'what I'm creatively up to' report and share a few new finds with you while I'm at it. Above is a fun little upcycling project I'm making into a little DIY tutorial for the blog, hopefully for the weekend, in case you're looking for a quick and easy new craft. 

I'm trying to catch up a bit on my Project Life...so hate falling behind, but sort of seems inevitable with the pace of life these days. Anyway, I'm still really enjoy it when I do get around to it, and will be sharing my April highlights here... when I finish up April. (You can see my full spreads over on Studio Calico. ) Last month, in addition to my kit, I added on these kit cards designed by Ashley Goldberg. I also, just found this little video of her making a pattern, fun to watch others' minds at work and play. 

As you can see, I've already got my new flea market tray pressed into service. ;)

If you've visited here long, you know I love my friend Jennifer Mercede's art so very much. How awesome is this original art stationary she made to send me a letter?!? So inspiring to me. Crazy about the colors too. Totally inspired to make some art and send some snail mail too! 

While I was taking that picture, I noticed this heart on the rug, totally normal to find random things like this around here. It clearly fell from it's place in the sun. (Remember the felt heart garlands I made back here?) the color totally matches Jennifer's art too. 

And of course, art journaling, always art journaling. ;)

Gosh, paint water can be sooo pretty. (And there's that color again.) Look at Mary Ann's here...definitely makes me want to play more and see what colors come of it. And man, wish I had her focus... as you can tell from this post alone...what gets between me and a good idea is another good idea haha...it takes all kinds of minds to make the world go round, right?!? (That's what I tell myself anyway when I'm wishing I were different.)

Hope you're getting in some creative time, be it one thing or many!!! xo

 

garden roses again?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last week I was mentioning how the roses picked from the garden were inspiring me. Well, I meant to show you how they continued to show up in whatever I was working on, previously my Project Life, this time my art journal. 

When I went to gather them, I had no idea that they would make such an impact on my creative play. I love that about creative inspiration; you never know where it's going to come from or how strongly it will inspire. You just have to be open to letting it. 

That not-knowingness is one of my favorite things about the creative process too. I don't know how that inspiration is going to present itself in what I'm making...or how it might be different in different mediums. Clearly in the art journal, it was the watercolored roses, but also the color palette.

I love art. I love making. 

Oh, and I wanted to thank Julie Balzer for the sweet shout out on her blog. If you want to see some other blogs that are inspiring, check out her list of current blog crushes. Julie loves art, loves making, and is full of creative inspiration, check her out! 

happy earth day & hooray! typepad is up

Hello and Happy Earth Day! After seeing all that Mary Ann has been up to with her recent in depth exploration into sketching etc., of course I'm inspired to play at it myself a little. I thought Earth day was the perfect excuse to take my lunch outside and have a date with my little black book. 

(This is the watercolor set shown above.)

 This set, similar to this watercolor set, is about half the price, still fun.  

I fear that my excitement about Typepad being back up was a little premature. I'm hearing you still can't see my blog. Boo. I was just so excited that I was able to log in and attempt a post which hasn't been possible for days, that I assumed you'd be able to see it. If you go via pamgarrison.typepad.com you can see the post but not in it's usual format with the header, sidebars, etc. Hopefully it will be back in full today, I am just happy to be able to pop in and say hello and tell you that it's not you, your blog feed, or anything other than Typepad causing the problem in how the blog looks. In case you've been blissfully unaware, Typepad is under some sort of hacking attack. Here is where I get my information about Typepad working or not. I'm sure it will be restored in full soon, in the meantime, hope you're all getting some time outside enjoying Earth Day!

 

creative ongoings

What are you up to today? Is it starting to finally resemble spring for those of you that have had endless winters? I hope so. It's a sunny day here with a light breeze which has me itching to go to the garden center and spend time outside. Maybe a little later. For now, I'm doing a little wrap up and clean up on some ongoing creative pursuits around here. 

I've committed to a hem length on the top/dress shown in last post and am getting ready to stitch that down. Pockets next.

Once I finish stitching it I can change my thread color and stitch up the linen number that's cut and waiting. I've decided not to do sleeves, which will cut the time spent working on it in half. 

I spent some time last night re-stocking my etsy shop. Always thankful for the orders that are placed. 

I hope to catch up on my Project Life album, I've fallen behind again and don't like that one bit. Sure does point out to me how fast the weeks fly by.

 

Some general clean up of art supplies is on the list. Paper stacks everywhere. 

 And a little art journaling.

Had a few minutes last night and was so in love with Mary Ann's post, photos, and palette's, that I found myself doodling them in my journal. Hope to wrap everything above up quickly so I can take my journal outside in the sun and play some more. Love Saturdays! 

 

monday art journaling

Hello, and happy Monday! Took a little time to play in my art journal late last night, and was clearly thinking of the new week that was about to start. I like the hope for the week that Monday brings with it. Maybe this week is the week I'll find all that extra time and wrap everything up, haha. Monday's usually feel like that anyway, a time to re-boot. 

Here are a few other journal pages as well:

Black. That's different for me. I did the page writing and coloring in first, then carefully painted black ink all around it. It was a fun, slow exercise one night. 

Yowza! This spread is a hot mess. It happens. Maybe I'll "fix" these pages, maybe I won't. Time will tell. 

Even hot mess pages have elements I find pleasing. Looking at this photo here, I'm wanting to go make those blue spots into whales. 

Testing out new stamp pads from Studio Calico. Love the creative names, and am quite happy with the ink as well. 

Can't wait to spend time coloring this one in...not sure if I'll use pens or paints...maybe both.

Ok, back to Monday, before it's over...hope you're enjoying a fresh start to the week!