art and illustration

i recently got this sweet print in the mail today for my art illustration wall in the laundry room. LOVE it!

check out emily mcdowell's etsy shop to see more of her beautiful work...

brushes and bathrooms

do you follow donna downey? i discovered her free weekly video tutorials a few months ago and have been hooked. i love seeing how someone uses a product, especially when it is in a way that i have never thought of before.

a few weeks ago, she moved into a new studio/shop location and announced her altered brush project. the short story is she has two large blank canvas bathrooms that need decorating. which is where we come in. you order a paintbrush from her site, decorate it however you want and attach your biz card. the paint brushes she receives will decorate the walls. it's a fun, unique idea, plus it's great advertising!

i loved the idea immediately and don't think i have ever hit the purchase button so quickly. but then, i sat on the paintbrush for a few days, not knowing how to begin - it was the same kinda pressure of creating on the first page of a brand new journal. then one night, i was trimming up 40 aprons that were on my sewing table and looked over at all the fabric scraps and was inspired. the white banner is lined with wire which i bent into waves but you can't see that very well in this pic. i crocheted a bakers twine flower to embellish the brush and added a scalloped felt backing and i was finished.

my Linwood Avenue paintbrush is currently on its way back home - can't wait to see what everyone else does!

a known and an unknown

have you guys checked out my art retreat website yet? whatcha waiting for - only 12 spots are available, make sure one has your name on it!

in my previous post, i wanted to get the word out about the retreat, but today, i want to fill you in a bit on the makings of this retreat.

recently i received some not so pretty feedback of my work/art and i have to say it threw me for a loop. not necessarily the negative criticism, because i welcome that, i really do. i spent many years working as a graphic designer at an atlanta advertising agency where my work was constantly violated with a red marker. if that doesn't make for a thick skin, nothing will. criticism only results in a better product, i truly believe.

what threw me for a loop was the fact that i was judged for being a relatively unknown artist (i was actually told that) - not one of the power players that seem to populate the west coast of our country. i firmly believe that if you have a blind viewing of my art next to one of the power players pieces, that mine would hold it's own and therefore is just as worthy. yet, some opportunities are only given to the "popular" people based on who they are and how many blog followers they have and not what they create. which leads me to the question of how do you go from being an unknown to a known in whatever field holds your passion?

the answer for me is to become a doer. AN ARTIST. A DREAMER. A DOER - that is my new title for this little adventure jenni and i have created. yep, it is even on my business card.

have you ever tried to list your best qualities and worst qualities? chances are the worst column is easier to write. the one thing i know for sure would be in my best column is that i am a doer. i do not sit and talk incessantly about what i want to do. well, ok, i might talk for a few days, but at some point, i will go out and do what i am dreaming about. the only way to become and achieve what you want to be in life is to put one foot in front of the other and make experiences happen for yourself. make yourself be a "known" instead of waiting for someone to discover you.

which comes back to why i wanted to start an art retreat in atlanta. one, the southern states are seriously lacking in this department and if not us, then who is going to do it? and two, i absolutely cannot wait to help people discover a creative life. to show them techniques that work for me and products they might never have seen. to experience 3 days of creative bonding and friendship that will open their eyes and instill in them the creative spark which for me, is infinitely better and much cheaper than therapy!

sentimental sewing and boxes

my mom recently drove down and brought a bunch of boxes of things left over from my childhood. in it was some sweet doll clothing that my aunt had stitched for my mom in the 50's. sentimental objects like this are hard because you don't really want a child to use them, but what else are you going to do with them. because of this, they typically end up in a box where no one can appreciate them.

i decided to put this skirt and top on display by using a shadowbox i had lying around. first, i covered a piece of foam core with a vintage sheet, then i tacked the clothing to the foam core with tiny pins. i sealed up the back of the shadowbox and that was it.

quick custom sentimental artwork - definitely the best kind!

the BoneYard and a booth

so i have talked about it before, but this is my official post to say that i now have a booth at The BoneYard on Raymond Hill!!! technically, jenni, joy and i are sharing a booth at The BoneYard. for you local folks, it is located in newnan, ga. i am so excited about this venture - the fact that i have a permanent space, i can come and fluff as i wish and i don't have to sit in 107 degree temps to sell my lovelies is all sheer perfection! i tried to get good pics of the space, but the lighting is a bit tricky, so take these with a grain of salt. (what does that really mean anyways???)

anyway, you walk in to the store and head right and the booth is on the right hand side. i am dying over this hoop art wall. i wanted to simulate a plate wall that people hang in their home, and i think the effect is lovely. not to mention all the crystal bling displayed below!

this is half of the booth and you can see all of our goodies. seriously, between the three of us, there is something for everyone.

aside from the lamps and hoops, i have some original artwork for sale also.

this blue mirror was the first to go and i hope that it found a good home.

if you have been eyeing this bed frame for your little girls room, as of today, it is still in the booth, but i warn you, things are already moving fast :)

joy has a huge table filled with all her lovely jewelry for every price point.

this is part of jenni's corner. how amazing is that door??? if i had the space, i would snatch it up, put a mirror in the opening and lean it against a wall in my home.

like i said, lots for everyone! if you live in atlanta and stop by the store, let me know what you think.

daisies and trim

i got an itch to start a new canvas piece and here is the result. if you follow me on instagram (where it seems i am spending all my time :), you would have seen in progress pics.

the daisy is one of my drawings turned into fabric and vintage tatted trim is used for the banner across the top attached with yellow french knots.

i am so happy with this piece and will be a bit sad to see it go, but off to The BoneYard it goes!

painting and luggage

i had the time of my life last friday night! my friend jenni horne opened up her basement and began her "paint something" workshops in the luxury of her own home. i packed up my decorative paper, a snack to share and lots of excitement and headed over.

i have always shied away from painting because i just thought i couldn't do it. plus, i didn't want to open myself up to another money sucking hobby :)

but something about the way jenni teaches did the trick. she explained all the steps really clearly and i only felt overwhelmed putting the first spot of color onto the board, but after that, it was smooth sailing!

i painted a pic taken on my trip to london a few years back of a bunch of suitcases stacked outside a trinket shop. my partner in crime, joy, painted right next to me - she chose a pic of jane austen's house taken on the same trip.

that's me and jenni - you always have to have a cheesy pic of you and your art instructor! the only thing i left for the next day was adding the text you can see in the first pic. i was way to tired when i got to that part and didn't want to risk spelling something wrong. it reads "to follow your dreams, you have to pack first". it's the gentle reminder that you can't reach your dreams by sitting on your behind - you actually have to do some work to get where you want to go :)

so that's it - my first painting class under my belt and i have the stains to prove it!

roots and growth

this piece had been lying around my studio for months and i just recently finished it. i currently have a love affair with vintage pics - they are inherently anonymous, but somehow, deeply personal.

uniqueness and crowds

last week, i received this sweet comment from my new blogger friend, margie. it was written for one of my new mixed media posts.

"I love your new style too. Uniquely you and unlike any I've seen, which is always hard since there is so much out there."

first of all, it is no secret that i love comments, i adore them. for me, it isn't about praise, because i even like the not so nice comments. it's about the dialogue, and meeting new people, learning new things, the back and forth.

anyway, this comment struck a particular chord because uniqueness is what i strive for. when i see what other artists are doing, i do not say "that's beautiful, how can i remake it", i say "that's beautiful, strike another thing off the list that i can't touch." i have come to realize that it is a bit self-sabotaging to think this way, but that is how my brain has always worked. i shut the door on a lot of things before i even put one foot over the threshold. this causes a lot of artistic downtime for me and a lot of freezing up of thoughts.

my website and booth setup used to contain a lot of beautiful yellow and white chevron prints, but once chevrons became all the craze, i am now working on removing them because i don't want to seem like i jumped on the bandwagon. i LOVE all the somerset magazines, but you see a lot of art made from cremes and tans and a LOT of music note paper. don't get me wrong, the artwork showcased is very beautiful and i would cherish any piece should i own one, but you will rarely find music notes in my art because i am tone-deaf and they are not unique to ME.

having said that, i do believe the saying that there are no new ideas, but i am trying really, really, really hard to find them. so thank you margie, for recognizing my efforts to be unique :)

what are your thoughts on this? are you as self-sabotaging as i am?

wishes and a blue bird

latest peek into my studio for your viewing pleasure.

i'm on a roll friends, on a roll!

houses and character

i have been so inspired lately. honestly, i have no idea what i am going to do with all the stuff i keep making, but i guess i can't worry about that. it feels so good experimenting that i don't want to stop.

mixed media: wooden house, ledger paper, pattern paper, rapido-sketch, string and vintage button