Works. Worked. Working. . . .

"Works. Worked. Working"

9 x 12 Loose Art Journal Page on Watercolor paper

"Without ambition one starts nothing. Without work one finishes nothing. 

The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I'm Baaaaack! And happy to report that I'm once again up and running. Thanks for all of your kind comments and support during my unintentional hiatus. I promise to get back to everyone as soon as I possibly can. In the meantime, I have been active on Instagram (um, because I'm obsessed with it) and wanted to share a few process picts of said journal page as it was being created:

The background started with Gesso Relief (the process of stamping into wet gesso to create depth and texture) and a few swipes of bold neon colors

This is what it looked like when fully covered in acrylic

More texture was added by tearing up pieces of the newsprint covering my desk and adhering it to the background

Although I don't usually "pull" figures from my backgrounds, I clearly saw a wacky bird comprised of the torn pieces of newsprint and went with it

And I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised with the results

Washi tape, further stamping, a Swarovski crystal and vintage children's dictionary term completed the look

And there you have it: A funky Mommy Bird protecting her home. And, naturally, she Works. Worked. And is Working.

Happily liking to PPF . . . 

Kristin xo

Blogging: Interrupted. . . .

"Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. 

I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward."

- Kurt Vonnegut

Dear MacBook,

I've loved you for so long. You've been fast, efficient and most importantly, a workhorse for all of my arting, blogging and homeschooling tasks for years now. Even when I accidentally got you a little wet (okay, a lot wet) last year, you bucked up and continued to play with me anyway. The Apple guys told me that eventually you'd just stop, but to be honest, I didn't really believe them. But, (deep sigh), they were right. You've been slowing down and shutting off for weeks now. It seems that even the smallest tasks upset you and I, in turn, must face the inevitability that is to come. I can't even respond to my blog friends anymore without you yelling at me and shutting down. I can not continue to work with you under these conditions. Something has to give. In the meantime, I want to thank you for staying awake long enough to post this so that my friends no longer have to wonder where I've been. I'm still here, just all on my lonesome without my hot pink bestie by my side. (Grumble, moan).

Love, 

Me xoxo

Follow Your Heart. . .

"Follow Your Heart"

Loose Journal Page on 9 x 12 Watercolor Paper

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition."

- Steve Jobs

Happy PPF!

I hope this finds you happy, well and with paint somewhere on your clothes. If you're anything like me, then you have paint on almost everything. It's kinda like a badge of honor. Makes me feel legit ;) 

Anyway, I worked on a loose journal page again this week; playing with splotchy inks, metallic pens, an Amsterdam stencil and my new favorite tomato-red color. Looking at this page, I've decided that I must clean off my work desk and surround myself with other supplies. I've been using the same colors and goods for far too long now - I think I need to rotate my stash. . . .

Having said that, I do love this stencil. It reminds me of our honeymoon in Amsterdam - 

and I love the effect of simple white acrylic mixed with molding paste

The heart and headband are created with a glue pen and fine gold glitter

Here she is. I think I may actually journal on this one - her neck looks a bit bare . . .

I'm taking The Littlest Mouse to the La Quinta Arts Festival today - it's supposed to be one of the best in the country and it's right here in my backyard. I bribe the kid to go with me every year by talking up the frozen lemonade. (She falls for it every time) . . .

Have a great week,

Kristin xo